This Field Day of Mine
At a Glance
Discipline
- STEM
- Chemistry
Instructional Level
- University
Course
- Analytical Chemistry
- Environmental Chemistry
Tasks in Workflow
Social Plane(s)
- Group
- Whole Class
Type of Tasks
- Collecting & seeking information
- Discussing
- Analyzing
- Creating & designing
- Presenting
- Experimenting & conducting inquiry
Technical Details
Class size
- Small (20-49)
Time
- Part of a semester (4-6 weeks)
Inclusivity & Accessibility
- Diversity of engagement
Instructional Purpose
- Application & knowledge building
- Exploration & inquiry
Overview
This activity takes an in depth look at the environmental impact of mining and the quantification of environmental contaminants. Students research the history and environmental chemistry of a disused mine and the surrounding area. They are invited to devise their own sampling plans, execute them in the field, then return to the lab to analyze their own samples and the data.
Instructional Objectives
- Become familiar with field sampling techniques for soil and water
- Learn to take appropriate precautions for sampling
- Undertake to prepare for a field exercise
- Measure the pH of samples
Workflow & Materials
Activity Workflow
Contributor's Notes
Benefits
Challenges
Tips
Benefits
The students engage with the material by producing their own plans and analyzing their own data.
Challenges
The exercise takes place over several class periods.
Tips
Adapt the activity to your needs and resources available (e.g., use titration of water samples); focus content on environmental (impact of trace metal pollution) or analytical topics (trace metal analysis).
Published: 29/01/2020
Copyright: © 2025 Kos. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication on this website is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.