New
New
Rare earth materials
I can describe what rare earth materials are, explain the challenges they create and potential solutions.
Lesson 12 of 12
New
New
- Year 9
Rare earth materials
I can describe what rare earth materials are, explain the challenges they create and potential solutions.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Rare earth materials are essential to modern technologies but challenging to extract and refine.
- Open pit mining can lead to deforestation, habitat and biodiversity loss.
- Extracting just one tonne of rare earth materials can produce up to 2,000 tonnes of toxic waste.
- Local communities are at risk of respiratory illnesses, reproductive and heart issues.
- Solutions include circular mineral harvesting, new technologies to improve recycling rates and new synthetic materials.
Keywords
Rare earth materials - a group of 17 metallic elements that are essential to modern technologies but challenging to extract and refine
Reserves - the remaining extractable amount of resources, such as minerals or energy sources
Heavy metals - metallic elements with high density, atomic weight or atomic number, many are known for their toxicity
Common misconception
Rare earth materials are rare.
Despite their name, they’re not actually rare in quantity, they’re just rarely found in concentrated, economically viable deposits.
Homework research project: Identify any specific rare earth materials in an item you own. Work out their likely origin and plot on a map.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to their definitions.
Match the keywords to their definitions.
Q2.Which of these is a finite resource?
Which of these is a finite resource?
solar power
trees
wind
Q3.What is the main challenge of meeting Earth's resource needs?
What is the main challenge of meeting Earth's resource needs?
There are too few people to use them.
They are evenly shared.
Everyone uses the same amount.
Q4.What makes a resource use sustainable?
What makes a resource use sustainable?
using more as fast as possible
ignoring future needs
only using what is free
Q5.Which of these resources is renewable?
Which of these resources is renewable?
natural gas
oil
plastic
Q6.Why can’t we rely only on using less to solve the resource problem?
Why can’t we rely only on using less to solve the resource problem?
People don’t want to change.
We don’t know what resources are.
Recycling is illegal.
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords with their definitions.
Match the keywords with their definitions.
Q2.What are rare earth materials mainly used for?
What are rare earth materials mainly used for?
building roads
food production
clothing manufacturing
Q3.Why are rare earth materials hard to extract?
Why are rare earth materials hard to extract?
They are only found in one country.
They are soft metals.
They melt too easily.
Q4.Why are rare earth materials often wrongly assumed to be rare?
Why are rare earth materials often wrongly assumed to be rare?
They're invisible underground.
They were only discovered recently.
They’re banned in most countries.
