C1a 2.

0 Useful metals
Specification: metals are very useful in our everyday
lives. ores are naturally occurring rocks that provide
an economic starting point for the manufacture of
metals. iron ore is used to make iron and steel.
copper can be easily extracted but copper rich ores
are becoming scarce. aluminium and titanium are
useful metals but are expensive to produce.
Objectives: learn about how we get metals from
ores, learn how iron and steel are made/learn how
we make metals more useful to us, learn about how
science can make recycling easier/learn how we can
evaluate our use of metals for structural and smart
materials.
Keywords: alloys (H only)
Starter: spider diagram for this unit
Main: activity C1a 2.0 uses of metals
Text: p92/93
Plenary: recap/share findings
Homework: none set
Technician: nothing needed
AdAd Lit Num G&T AEN SMSC Citz ICT PEPI Eng
WBLE VAK Other

C1a Graham Warren

C1a 2.1 Getting at the metal
Specification: unreactive metals such as gold are
found in the earth as the metal itself but most
metals are found as compounds that require
chemical reactions to extract the metal. metals that
are less reactive than carbon can be extracted from
their oxides by reduction with carbon, for example
iron oxide is reduced in the blast furnace to make
iron. (details of the blast furnaces are not required.)
Objectives: that metal ores are found in the Earth
and contain metal compounds from which the metal
can be extracted, that some metals are more
economic to extract than others.
Keywords: ores, oxidation (H), reduction (H)
Starter: show pictures of ancient artefacts made of
metals extracted from metal working sites.
Main: practical, extracting lead from lead oxide
using carbon, theory using reactivity series and
position of carbon in reactivity series. displacement
reactions.
Text: p94/95
Plenary: recap, describe viking grave site with iron
sword, copper pin, silver bracelet, gold ring. suggest
which is most corroded.
Homework: C1a 2.1 getting at the metal
Technician: lead oxide, carbon blocks and blowpipes
AdAd Lit Num G&T AEN SMSC Citz ICT PEPI Eng
WBLE VAK Other

C1a Graham Warren

C1a 2.2 Extracting iron and making steel
Specification: iron from the blast furnace contains
about 96% iron. impurities make it brittle and so it
has limited uses. removing all impurities would
produce pure iron. pure iron has a regular
arrangement, with layers that can slide over each
other, and so is soft and easily shaped.
most iron is converted into steel.
Objectives: learn that iron is extracted from its ore
in a blast furnace/learn that impurities make cast
iron very brittle, but pure iron is very soft/learn that
iron is most useful when converted into steel with
the addition of 1% carbon, making an alloy/whether
it is worth mining an ore or not depends on price
which changes from year to year.
Keywords: reduction, alloy
Starter: iron objects montage on blog
Main: report on iron and steel making using resource
sheets C1a 2.2gw include a diagram of a blast
furnace with labels/properties of the iron made from
the blast furnace/properties of cast iron/how steel is
made from the iron/properties of steel. higher tier
students can make up the equations showing the
reactants and products.
Text: p96-97
Plenary: recap/summary of main points.
Homework: C1a 2.2 extracting iron and making steel
Technician: resource sheets glue scissors etc
AdAd Lit Num G&T AEN SMSC Citz ICT PEPI Eng
WBLE VAK Other
C1a Graham Warren
C1a 2.3 Properties and uses of alloys
Specification: to explain how properties of alloys are
related to models of their structures. steels are
alloys. the different sized atoms distort the layers in
the structure, making it more difficult for them to
slide over each other. alloys properties for specific
uses. low carbon steels are easily shaped, high
carbon steels are hard and stainless steels are
resistant to corrosion. many metals in everyday use
are alloys. copper, gold, and aluminium are too soft
for many uses. smart alloys can return to their
original shape after being deformed.
Objectives: learn that alloys are mixtures of metals
or a metal and carbon. they are harder due to
different sized atoms/there are many different types
of steel alloys with different properties depending on
the carbon content/many other alloys are made with
other metals to give useful properties/smart alloys
can return to their original shape after being
deformed.
Keywords: none
Starter: definitions of key ideas: atom; alloy; carbon;
iron; steel; hardness; ductility; malleable.
Main: C1a2.3 steel: how hard can it get? (data
evaluation) compare data about the various alloys of
steel, to find patterns in the data, and present
conclusions.
Text: p98-99
Plenary: summary of different use steels.
Homework: C1a 2.3 properties and uses of alloys
Technician: book laptops
C1a Graham Warren
AdAd Lit Num G&T AEN SMSC Citz ICT PEPI Eng
WBLE VAK Other

C1a Graham Warren

C1a 2.4 Mining metal
Specification: to consider/evaluate the social,
economic and environmental impacts of exploiting
metal ores, of using metals and of recycling metals.
the elements in the central block of the periodic
table are known as transition metals with properties
of typical metals. they are useful as structural
materials and for making things that must allow
heat or electricity to pass through them easily.
copper is useful for electrical wiring and plumbing.
copper usually extracted by electrolysis. (no details
required of extraction process.) the supply of
copper-rich ores are being researched to limit the
environmental impact of traditional mining.
Objectives: to consider the social, economic and
environmental impact of mining or recycling
metals/learn that transition metals are good
conductors of electricity and heat and can be bent
into shape/learn that copper is extracted by
electrolysis but other ways are being developed to
use ores with low copper content and limit
environmental impact.
Keywords: transition metals, electrolysis
Starter: card alloys sort or compare websites RT and
FOTE.
Main: Copper worksheet or debate C1a 2.4
Text: p100-101
Plenary: summarise key points from discussion.
Homework: C1a 2.4 mining metal
Technician: nothing needed.
C1a Graham Warren
AdAd Lit Num G&T AEN SMSC Citz ICT PEPI Eng
WBLE VAK Other

C1a Graham Warren

C1a 2.5. The lightweight champions
Specification: to evaluate the benefits, drawbacks
and risks of using metals as structural materials and
as smart materials. low density and resistance to
corrosion make aluminium and titanium useful
metals. these metals cannot be extracted from their
oxides by reduction with carbon. current methods of
extraction are expensive because there are many
stages in the processes and much energy is needed.
Objectives: learn that aluminium and titanium have
two very useful properties, low density and
resistance to corrosion. extraction is expensive as it
requires a lot of energy/learn that we need to
recycle metals as much as possible because amount
of ore is limited and extraction is costly (energy and
impact on the environment).
Keywords: recycle
Starter: on board: match properties of aluminium to
uses: low density to aircraft bodies, strength to
aircraft wings, resist corrosion to cooking foil, high
melting point to cooking pans.
Main: show lead bromide demo. show aluminium
video from RSC. how electrolysis works. in exercise
books write reactivity series, show position of
carbon, explain which metals can be extracted using
electrolysis and why.
Text: p102-103
Plenary: summary and recap
Homework: C1a 2.5 the lightweight champions
Technician: copper electrolysis demo, lead bromide
demo
C1a Graham Warren
AdAd Lit Num G&T AEN SMSC Citz ICT PEPI Eng
WBLE VAK Other

C1a Graham Warren

C1a 2.6 Spaceship Earth
Specification: to consider and evaluate the social,
economic and environmental impacts of exploiting
metal ores, of using metals and of recycling metals.
we should recycle metals because extracting them
uses limited resources and is expensive in terms of
energy and effects on the environment.
Objectives: learn that we need to consider and
evaluate the social, economic and environmental
effects of mining/learn that the supply of metals on
the earth is finite so we need to develop ways of
using and recycling them effectively.
Keywords: none
Starter: metals/minerals around the home activity.
tin price in metals markets on blog
Main: use textbook first then tin price bar chart
activity if appropriate. Follow with titanium
questions and revision sheet.
Text: p104-105
Plenary: review spider diagram and summarise key
points
Homework: C1a 2.6 spaceship earth
Technician: nothing needed
AdAd Lit Num G&T AEN SMSC Citz ICT PEPI Eng
WBLE VAK Other

C1a Graham Warren