Geology and the economy
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain why geological resources are important to the economy, and where they come from.
Key learning points
- Mining provides valuable materials like fossil fuels, stone, and metals.
- Rare earth metals are vital for modern tech like phones and green energy.
- Oil and gas are found in underground reservoirs, beneath land or sea.
- Oil and gas take millions of years to form.
- Fossil fuels and minerals support economies through jobs and exports.
Keywords
Mining - mining is the process of digging into the ground to remove natural resources
Quarrying - the process of removing natural resources from near the surface
Economy - the way money in a particular area is made and spent
Fossil Fuels - fossil fuels are natural substances that were formed over millions of years from the buried remains of ancient organisms; they include coal, oil and gas
Development - the improvement in people's quality of life within a country or region
Common misconception
If we run out of oil, we can just make more.
Fossil fuels take millions of years to form – much longer than a human lifetime. We can’t just “make” more. Once we use them up, they’re gone. That’s why we need to balance using them with finding cleaner, renewable alternatives.
Teacher tip
This lesson can be made relatable by linking it to the technology students use. You could bring in real-world objects (like a smartphone or battery) and ask students to guess what materials it contains.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the rock cycle?
Q2.What is weathering?
Q3.Erosion is when soil or rock is worn away and from its original place.
Q4.What is mass movement?
Q5.Which of these is not a cause of mass movement?
Q6.Why is geology important for humans?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is mining?
Q2.What is the main difference between mining and quarrying?
Q3.Fossil fuels include coal, oil and .
Q4.What is the economy?
Q5.What are fossil fuels made from?
Q6.Why can't we just "make" more fossil fuels easily if we run out?
To help you plan your 8 geography lesson on: Geology and the economy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 geography lesson on: Geology and the economy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 geography lessons from the Rocks, weathering and soil: Why is geology important? unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.