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Activites for pages 6 and 7 of Minerals Downunder Student book:
The Text Mining Australia's Minerals is an example of a taxonomic report. Such a report has a clear pattern in its structure and language. The overarching structure is the taxonomy of types of mining. Within each section, there is a clear pattern in the way the information is organised. This pattern is identified in the Types of Mining Expert Table and Types of Mining Jigsaw Matrix.
Point out to students that while the overarching genre is a taxonomic report, each section on mining is a sequential explanation. This embedding of one genre inside another is typical of longer, more complex texts.
The following tasks exploit these patterns by focussing on the content of each of the sections on types of mining using a jigsaw activity.
Download and make copies of the Types of Mining Expert Table and Types of Mining Jigsaw Matrix for each student.
Place students in groups of five, giving each member a number 1-5. These will be their 'Home Groups'. Divide students into 'Expert Groups' placing all the ones together, twos together and so on. These groups each study one mining type from the text Mining Australia's Minerals. They are to read, analyse and discuss their mining type, in order to complete their Types of Mining Expert Table. Once done, return to their 'Home Groups.' Ask them to share their information with other group members, in order to complete the Types of Mining Jigsaw Matrix. Note that the Undergroud Mining section includes two different types.
Point out to students that by engaging in this activity and similar activies in the Teacher Guide, they are taking on the roles of scientists involved with mining and hence are learning to speak and write like these 'experts'.
> Types of Mining - Expert Table (pdf: 80kb)
