Minerals Downunder

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Learning Outcomes

Assisting students develop science literacy skills as an integral part of 'doing science' and as a means of constructing their world in a scientific way.

Specifically, students will:

become aware of how minerals are formed and of the variety of minerals found in Australia;

increase their knowledge of mining and processing methods;

acquire a better understanding of the impact of mining operations on the Australian environment and the measures taken by mining companies to protect the environment; and

discover why the minerals industry is important and why minerals are a vital part of our everyday lives.

Broad Literacy Outcomes

Students will:

learn about the common genres, or text types, and their purpose in science, such as to store knowledge, explain natural and human processes, instruct and argue particular points of view;
understand the role of language in constructing science, including features such as technical terms and nominalisation;
develop an understanding about the relationships between print and visual texts used in science; and
be encouraged to construct a reading position to appreciate that all texts invite a particular reading and can be challenged.