GoalSay how people get rocks from the ground, and how digging can change a habitat.
New words
quarry · a big hole in the ground where rock is dug outmine · a place where people dig underground for rock such as coalpollution · something harmful in the water, air or land
Explanation
Rocks come from the ground. Some rock is near the surface. Workers break it up with big machines and carry it away in trucks. The big hole they make is called a quarry. Other rock, such as coal, lies deep underground. Workers dig tunnels called mines to reach it. Digging changes the land a lot. Trees and bushes are cleared away, so animals lose their homes and their food. Dust and mud can wash into streams and make the water dirty. People who dig must take care. They can keep some trees, protect the streams and plant new trees when they finish.
Worked examples
In a quarry, big machines break the rock and trucks carry it away. The land changes and many plants are lost.
Before a quarry opens, the trees are cut down, so birds, insects and foxes lose their homes.
Mud and dust from digging can get in a river. The water becomes dirty and fish can die.
Class activity
Quarry in a tray (with an adult): put some soil, grass and a few toy animals in a baking tray. Use a spoon to “dig” a hole at one side, like a quarry. What happens to the grass and the animals? Where could the animals go? Talk about how a real quarry could be kinder to the animals, for example by leaving trees at the edges or planting new ones later. Wash your hands afterwards.
Practice
1
What is a quarry?
A big hole in the ground where rock is dug out.
2
Name one thing that can happen to animals when land is dug up.
They lose their homes, so they may have to move away or they may die.
3
What could happen to a river if mud and dust fall into it?
The water gets dirty (polluted) and the fish may die.
4
Give one way to be kind to nature when we dig for rock.
For example: leave some trees, protect the river, plant new trees afterwards.
