Teaching and Learning about Mining through Webquesting and Problem Solving

Keeping the big question in mind:

Wyoming minerals are developed into conveniences and services that make our modern life more enjoyable. Are some of these goods and services more essential than others?

Your Minequest Team Work Plan

In this WebQuest you will be working together with a group of students assigned by your teacher.

Task #1: Record team answers to the following questions and draw a map showing the location of minerals in Wyoming.

a. What different companies mine resources in Wyoming?
b. Where are these companies located?
c. What different jobs do people perform at these sites?
d. What different minerals are mined by these companies?
e. What products or conveniences that you use every day are dependent on the minerals extracted in Wyoming?

Before you begin, check out these tips.

RESEARCH TIPS

Because you are searching real sites that are not always intended just for schools, the reading level might challenge you. Since you are visiting each site with your teammates, help each other with unknown words or challenging ideas. You can also use an online dictionary or one in your classroom to look up unfamiliar words.
Jot down notes from each site to help you write answers to each question as a team. Unless your teacher requires it, you won't turn in these notes, but your team will need them later to complete your work.

TEAMWORK TIPS

Sometimes it seems as if the job will get done faster if you divide up the work. But, for this Minequest visit each site together as a team.Take time to make sure that each member of your crew understands the information.

TECH TIPS

You may want to bookmark the sites below in your web browser in case you want to return to any of them in this or another section of the Minequest.

Here are your website links to mine information for this quest. Visit each of them to find answers to the questions for Task #1.

www.wma-minelife.com

www.mii.org/commonminerals.html

(At the webiste above, find trona information by selecting sodium carbonate/soda ash.)

www.bydesign.com/fossilfuels/links/html/coal.html

www.wsgs.uwyo.edu/minerals/trona.aspx

Task#2: As a team, make a chart listing each Wyoming mining company that you discovered and for each company the location, the minerals mined, and the jobs required to get the work done.

Task #3: As a team, make a chart for each mineral that shows the goods and/or services the mineral produces or provides.

Moving on ...

When your team charts are complete, click the PROCESSING gear below to move to the next part of this quest.

MINEQUEST HOme Minequest Student Gateway

learning journeys sponsored by the Wyoming Mining Association

WEBQUEST CONCEPT from CINDY ANGELL