+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Digging for Knowledge

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students explore coal mining in Great Britain. In this mining activity, students visit selected museums and learning centers online and in person to study mining processes, the history of mining, and mining disasters.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Patchtowns: Big Industry, Little Towns

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars explore what it was like to live in a coal mining town.  In this history lesson plan, students discuss specific details about the lives of coal company workers and their families.
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Burning Waste Coal

For Students 9th - 12th
In this coal worksheet, students compare the process of cogeneration with other process for generating power. Students determine what happens to the waste coal. This worksheet has 2 short answer and 8 true and false questions.
+
Activity
Science Museum, London

Science Museum Energy Hall: The Impact of the Steam Engine

For Students 9th - 10th
This fascinating museum exhibit is on how the development of the steam engine has impacted the lives of many people over the last two hundred plus years.
+
Primary
Internet History Sourcebooks Project

Fordham University: Modern History Sourcebook: Women Miners in English Coal Pits

For Students 9th - 10th
Detailed essay, written in 1842, on women and girl miners' working conditions in Great Britain. Includes the personal accounts of two women miners.
+
Lesson Plan
Other

Colorado Coal Field War Project: Ludlow Massacre [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th - 6th
A very detailed lesson plan that stretches over nine lessons that develop the students' understanding of why the Ludlow Massacre occurred and the ramifications of it. [pdf]
+
Website
Other

U.s. Mine Safety and Health Adm: Mine Safety and Health Administration

For Students 9th - 10th
As a regulatory agency, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) provides safety information to coal miners.
+
Handout
Other

Lehigh University: The Molly Maguires

For Students 9th - 10th
An interesting site compiled by a Lehigh University undergraduate student, regarding a secret mining organization known as the "Molly Maguires" who operated in the Pennsylvania coal mines during the latter part of the 19th century.
+
Website
Other

Mine Safety and Health Administration: Our Page for Kids

For Students 3rd - 5th
Site from the Mine Safety and Health Administration that aims at teaching children about mining, prospecting, mine safety, and what the human body needs from natural resources.
+
Handout
Travel Document Systems

Tds: Swaziland: Economy

For Students 9th - 10th
Read how Swaziland is attempting to expand its economy beyond agricultural products. Information is from the U.S. State Dept. Background Notes.
+
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Buxton, Iowa

For Students 9th - 10th
This is an interesting encyclopedia article about the multi-ethnic town of Buxton, Iowa, a coal-mining town with little racial discrimination.
+
Website
US Geological Survey

U.s. Geological Survey: Minerals Information

For Students 9th - 10th
The USGS offers maps of the locations of mines and mineral processing plants. You can find the sources for everything from aluminum to zircon!
+
Handout
US Energy Information Administration

U.s. Eia Energy Kids: Timelines: Coal

For Students 9th - 10th
Timeline of key milestones in the use of coal as a source of energy in America.