Resource 5: Cookie Mining

 Filyk, H., Kandola, S., Lum, A., Pitches, A., & Ewanick, S. (2020, October 13). Mining Activity Worksheet. British Columbia. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W0PQXnw07wsDJsag5lrwj_AVFDKMC264E2KrWV63f00/edit?usp=sharing

This mining activity worksheet was created by some of my peers in another course I am currently taking. I think it is a great activity that can be adapted to fit with any grade level, and also can be adapted if none of the physical materials are available. I first completed the activity online and didn’t have access to all the materials, yet I still found the exercise of having to choose where to place my “cookie” a challenging one. By having students consider the benefits and risks of building more climate damaging infrastructure, they will become more exposed to the ethical and economic dilemmas that are posed in reality. Ethically speaking, we see that there are many factories, mines, landfills, and other health compromising infrastructures, that often get placed next to Indigenous and black communities. It is important for students to recognize this when also weighing the economic factors of building these new infrastructures. Students may feel as though the simple solution would be to not build anything more, however I believe it is important when discussing infrastructure advancement that students also learn about the economical benefits. It is an unfortunate reality that our country’s economy, and so much of the rest of the world’s, is heavily reliant on things that are potentially very damaging to the environment. Looking at things such as the Trans Mountain Pipeline or, in the case of this activity, building more mines, there would be severe economical impacts if the government would decide to completely stop all investment into these types of projects. In order for students to truly develop their own ideas on how to reach sustainability and decrease climate change, they must understand that there is a risk of thousands of jobs being lost if not executed well. Completing an activity such as this “Cookie Mining” activity will expose students to the tough decisions surrounding the desire to move away from the increasing climate change crisis. 


Click here to go to the worksheet! Cookie Mining Activity
Hey there! My name is Jordyn but my friends call me Jords. I am currently a student at UBC in their Bachelor of Education Secondary School Program. It's a bit of a mouthful but basically - I want to teach high schoolers. I currently love watching A LOT of Christmas Hallmark movies. I also love sunflowers and being outside which is probably why I wanted to find a bunch of resources that can help me teach my future students about protecting the earth. So welcome here, I hope you find something useful here!

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