Cookie Coal Mining

BundleEngineering and Design

Love,
YourCreativeClassroom
Pages Included:
1. Informational passage: About Coal Mining
2. Comprehension response: pros and cons; determine the
meaning of words
3. Interpreting dataUS States mining statistics bar graph
4. Additional graph reference sheets
5. Cookie Coal Mine activity instructions
6. Cookie Coal Mine financial planning sheet

Learning Concepts:
ScienceEngineering and
Design; interpreting data
Mathaddition; subtraction;
multiplication; interpreting data
ReadingComprehension;

determine meaning using context
clues

See a full list of grade 3 NGSS and

Common Core standards
attached***
 Grade 3 Standards:
Science: NGSS 3-5-ETS-1 Define a simple design problem that
can be solved through the development of an object, tool,
process, or system and includes several criteria for success
and constraints on materials, time, or cost. reflecting a need
Love,
or a want that includes specified criteria for success and
constraints on materials, time, or cost.
Math:
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.OA.A.1
Interpret products of whole numbers
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.NBT.A.2
Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and
algorithms based on place value, properties of operations,
and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction.
Reading
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.1
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of
a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the
answers.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.4
Determine the meaning of general academic and
domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to
a grade 3 topic or subject area.
 Coal Mining
Coal mining is an industry which utilizes one of Earths

natural resourcescoalas a source of energy and power.

There are many pros and cons to using this energy resource.

Coal is an abundant natural resource, which we are not

likely to run out of anytime soon. Furthermore, it is

comparably inexpensive at approximately half the cost of

producing wind energy.

However, the process of mining coal can be both

dangerous and messy. Much of the Earths surface is

damaged during the digging process, and the rock explosions

involved are dangerous to work around. Miners face the

possibility of health problems

caused by the large amount of

dust and chemical particles

present at mining sites and

facilities. When coal is burned as

a source of energy, the air

becomes polluted.
 _______________ Knows All About
Coal Mining!
1. List the pros and cons of using coal as an energy source.

Pros Cons

2. Use context clues to determine the meaning:

Natural resources: ________________________________________

_________________________________

Abundant: ______________________

_________________________________

Particles: _______________________

_________________________________
Name ________________________

Coal Mining Statistics

1. How much coal did Texas produce in 2014? _____________________

2. Which two states produced almost the same amount of coal in

2014? __________________________________________________________

3. In which state was about 110 Millions of Short Tons of coal

produced in 2014? ______________________________________________

4. If you owned a coal mining company, which state would you

choose to mine, based on the information provided in the graph

above? Why? ___________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________
 Cookie Coal Mine Instructions
Student Materials: 1. Refer to the Coal
1 chocolate chip Production graph along
cookie with land acquisition
costs to help you choose
1 plate or napkin
a piece of land to mine.
1-3 toothpicks Record your Land
Cookie Coal Mine Acquisition costs.
activity sheet 2. Choose your equipment.
Record the number of
toothpicks (1-3) that you will purchase, and calculate
your equipment costs.
3. Collect your supplies:
1 cookie and the number of toothpicks purchased
4. When the timer begins, use only your toothpicks to
mine chocolate chips from your cookie land. Collect
as many whole, clean pieces as possible.
Once you are finished OR the 5 minutes have ended,
write down your time spent mining to the nearest
whole minute (labor expenses). Calculate your total
expenses.
5. Count the number of whole chocolate chips mined
from your cookie, and calculate your total profit.
6. Calculate the net profit/loss from your mining project
using the form provided. Discuss your results.
 ____________s Cookie Coal Mine
Start-Up Budget: $20
Expenses
Land Acquisition Costs (Price of Cookie):
Texas $3 Pennsylvania $5 Wyoming $7 Cost: _______
Equipment Costs: $4 per toothpick:

Purchase 1-3 (Purchase amount) ______ x $4 = _______

Cost of Labor: $1 per minute

(minutes spent mining) ______ x $1 = _______

Total Expenses: _______

Remaining Funds: $20 - (Total Expenses) _______ = _______

Profit
Mining Valuation (value of product): $2 per whole chip
(Number of whole chips mined) ______ x $2 = _______ Total Profit

Net Profit/Loss

__________ + __________ = __________

Remaining Funds Total Profit Current Funds

$20 - __________ = __________

Start-Up Budget Current Funds Profit/Losses
 Enjoy!
Love,
YourCreativeClassroom
Please review this activity
and comment to let me
know what you think!