The unequal distribution of natural resources is the direct result of past geologic processes. Once a promising region is located, geologists use a variety of techniques to find the materials and energy that society consumes. Their tools can be as simple as a hand lens or as sophisticated as a satellite. Along the way, exploration geologists and…

This article describes an activity in which ninth graders explore a plan to strip-mine coal in Wyoming and Montana, send it by train to the Northwest, then ship it to Asia to be burned. Students' questions ranged from "Why are we mining for more coal if it's the biggest contributor to global warming" and "How can adults doom our…

In 30 years of teaching, the author never taught explicitly about coal. Coal appeared in his social studies curriculum solely as a labor issue, and coal was mostly invisible in his history classes. The world cannot afford this kind of curricular invisibility today. Forty percent of the main greenhouse gas produced in the United States, carbon…

Louisiana's land, coast, and inland waterways are home to many natural resources such as seafood, petroleum, natural gas, and timber--and freshwater crawfish, or "mudbugs" as the locals like to call them. These natural resources are vital to Louisiana's economy. The author describes a unit of study on economics in which a teacher taught…

Described is a game especially for senior economic geology students. The game challenges them to test their skills under present market conditions in an area of high consumer risk. Discussed are preparation and management of a portfolio, conducting research on various mining companies, and final accounting for results achieved in light of…

Discusses methods to help the public recognize the geologic aspect of societal problems. Suggests using methods that will arouse immediate interest and demonstrate relevance in direct and personal ways. (MVL)

Discusses the composition and properties of various types of coal. Follows the origin of coal and amounts available in the ground. Explores the anaerobic decay needed to produce coal. Touches upon the greenhouse effect. (MVL)

A South African project investigated effective methods of English language instruction for educationally disadvantaged black gold mine workers. Four instructors taught eight 3-week intensive classes, four by traditional language teaching methods and four by methods used at the Institute for Language Teaching of the University of Stellenbosch…

Proceedings of a 1980 workshop in Queensland, Australia, on evaluation in distance teaching are presented. Two focal areas were the assessment of students and evaluation of programs and courses. In addition to keynote and workshop papers, a variety of evaluation forms are presented. Among the papers and authors are: "The Setting of Tertiary…