New
New
Year 5

Economic minerals and their uses

I can describe what economic minerals are and explain where they can be found and how we use them.

New
New
Year 5

Economic minerals and their uses

I can describe what economic minerals are and explain where they can be found and how we use them.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Economic minerals are useful or valuable solid substances that are found in the Earth's crust.
  2. Iron has been an important metal since ancient times; it is used for steel production but is now in short supply.
  3. Non-metallic resources include feldspar and quartz, used for electronics, and sand which is used in construction.
  4. Extraction of these resources can pollute the ground and water supplies locally and damage landscapes.

Keywords

  • Extraction - Extraction is the process of removing something (like minerals), especially by force.

  • Mining - Mining is the process of digging under the ground to remove natural resources.

  • Quarrying - Quarrying is digging into the surface of the ground to remove things like rock or sand for use.

Common misconception

Economic minerals are not important to everyday life.

Nearly every product we use in day-to-day life contains economic minerals that have to be mined or quarried.

Ensure children understand that economic minerals are naturally occurring substances and cannot be made by humans.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Approximately what percentage of the Earth's energy comes from renewable resources?
Correct answer: 20%
40%
90%
Q2.
Which are these examples of renewable energy?
Correct answer: wind turbine
Correct answer: geothermal energy
coal
Correct answer: tidal power
Q3.
Which of these products are grown, not reared?
Correct answer: tomatoes
cows
Correct answer: wheat
chickens
Q4.
What animal are they trying to protect in the Bwindi Forest in Uganda?
Correct answer: mountain gorilla
kangaroos
polar bears
Q5.
What is sustainable farming?
farming to make as much money as possible
farming without worrying about the environment
Correct answer: farming to meet our needs now without ruining the environment for future farming
Q6.
Are these products from an arable or pastoral farm?
Correct Answer:potatoes,arable

arable

Correct Answer:rice,arable

arable

Correct Answer:beef,pastoral

pastoral

Correct Answer:chicken,pastoral

pastoral

Correct Answer:butter,pastoral

pastoral

Correct Answer:strawberries,arable

arable

Q2 image 3 J. Helgason/Shutterstock

6 Questions

Q1.
Can you match the key word to the correct definition?
Correct Answer:extraction,process of removing something with force

process of removing something with force

Correct Answer:mining,process of digging under the ground to remove natural resources

process of digging under the ground to remove natural resources

Correct Answer:quarrying,digging into the surface of the ground to remove things to use

digging into the surface of the ground to remove things to use

Q2.
Which metal has been used since ancient times? Unscramble the letters to help you find the answer.
1 - I
2 - R
3 - O
4 - N
Q3.
What can iron and steel be used for?
Correct answer: building bridges
Correct answer: railway tracks
Correct answer: cutlery
light bulbs
Q4.
What natural resources is steel made from?
Correct answer: iron and carbon
copper and clay
copper and sand
Q5.
Are these metallic or non metallic minerals?
Correct Answer:copper,metallic

metallic

Correct Answer:quartz,non metallic

non metallic

Correct Answer:iron,metallic

metallic

Correct Answer:clay,non metallic

non metallic

Q6.
What negative impacts can the extraction of minerals cause?
Correct answer: deforestation
Correct answer: mine dumps
Correct answer: water pollution
improved infrastructure