Minnesota Excavations: Mining and the Environment Game

Bring classroom learning to life with the Minnesota Excavations: Mining and the Environment Game – a dynamic educational kit crafted for high school students. This engaging game invites students to explore the environmental challenges of mining in Minnesota through a hands-on game with detailed maps, scenario cards, and interactive resources. With printable activity sheets, maps, play money and role-playing cards designed for repeated use, teachers can easily facilitate thought-provoking simulations and foster critical decision-making skills. Ideal for classrooms, clubs, and environmental workshops, this comprehensive set sparks meaningful discussions about sustainability and community choices.

Mining is the process of extracting minerals or rock such as coal, copper or gold from the earth. These raw materials are mined to be used for specific purposes, such as manufacturing them into products such as electronics, buildings and even power plants. While mining is extremely important in our society, it also can release toxins and pollution into the environment and cause detrimental issues within plant and animal populations that live in the area.

Voyageurs National Park is located in northern Minnesota and there have been many proponents of the park who have been rallying against a sulfide mine that has been working toward building in the area. This game places the students into this real-world scenario in order to work through the issues and benefits of mining.

The Game Premise:

Each student (or small group) is assigned a different role:

• The Minnesota Mining Company

• Voyageurs National Park

• Minnesota Metals Manufacturing

• The Environmental Inspection Agency

• Minnesota Electric Company

• Optional: Minnesota Bank (for differentiation, or for students who don't want to "play'"the game, if needed)

Each of these roles have a different set of objectives that they are trying to achieve in order to win the game.

For example, the Mining Company's objectives are to mine all the 'raw resources' on their mine land and to make at least $75. As the Mining company mines the resources, they will sometimes produce 'toxins' that they will put into Voyageurs National Park. Therefore, one of Voyageurs' objectives is to clean up so there are less than 3 toxins.

The Manufacturing Company's objective is to buy raw resources from the mining company and make products like Windows, Roof, etc. for other players.

The Environmental Inspection Agency acts like the EPA in that it 'inspects' the other players and forces them to have more 'environmentally friendly' practices such as cleaning up pollution ('toxins'), converting nonrenewable energy power plants to renewable ones, planting trees in Voyageurs National Park, etc.

The Electric Company is trying to convert their nonrenewable sources (coal, oil, gas, etc.) to renewable sources (solar, wind, hydroelectric, etc.).

The game includes all of the pieces, setup directions, specific objectives and gameplay directions for each role. Each student will also receive a packet with 15 post-game evaluation questions where they will look back on the game and answer questions like:

• "Why do you think federal agencies like the Environmental Inspection Agency were formed and what may happen if there were no agencies like this?"

• "Explain the benefits and drawbacks of mining"

• "Explain how the other companies could (directly or indirectly) negatively impact the ecosystem in Voyageurs National Park."

For the Teacher

For the teacher, you will have prep and procedure directions, how to divide your class based on class size, a mini story to read before playing the game, teacher tips and student packet answers.

You MUST have at least five students or groups of students in order to play this game (you could play, if you have four students!). You could have a student 'double up' on the roles, but this could possibly be complicated and confusing. You may have multiple groups playing the game at the same time, the recommended role divisions per class size are written in this product.

This game is recommended for HIGH SCHOOL students or older. There are semi-complex directions and students will need to be able to figure out how to play using the directions in their packets.

This resource includes:

1. Teacher Intro and Materials Needed

2. Teacher Procedure

3. Teacher Prep Directions

4. Role Assignments and Recommended Role Divisions Based on Class Size

5. Story to Set Up the Game

6. Student Packet Answers

7. Teacher Tips

8. Mock Money Bills 

9. Websites and Citations

10. Student Packets, which include short reading about Mining, Game Basics, Setup Directions and Game Directions for each role, Game pieces and cards and 15 post-game evaluation questions

11. Terms of Use

For this activity you will need:

• Pencil

• Copy of packets for each of the following roles:

  • Minnesota Mining Company

  • Minnesota Metals Manufacturing

  • Voyageurs National Park

  • Environmental Inspection Agency

  • Minnesota Electric Company

• Scissors for each group

• Area for students to play the game-it should be a wide, flat area like a large table, desks put in a circle or the floor.

• Optional: copy of Role Assignments sheet

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Thank you!