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Title: Origin of Coal
Level: Primary - Intermediate ( 1 - 4 )
Time: Each activity varies - average 20 minutes for each depending on age/level of student

KERA Goals: 1.2, 1.4, 1.5 - 1.9, 2.7, 2.8, and 6.2

Objective: Student will demonstrate knowledge that coal is a fossil fuel.

Background Information: What is Coal?

Coal is a black or brownish-black rock that is made from plants that lived and died about 100 to 400 million years ago. Because coal is made of once living plants, it is called a fossil fuel.

Millions of years ago much of our land was covered by swamps. In these swamps were very large plants and trees that grew to extreme heights. As these plants and trees died they fell into the swamp waters. This process continued for many years forming layer upon layer of dead plants. These heavy, soggy layers eventually formed a material called peat. Over time, dirt, sand and clay covered the plants. The weight of the layers, heat and pressure caused the peat to become rich carbon deposits. After millions of years of change, these carbon deposits formed four different types of coal. One type of coal is bituminous. Of all the states, Illinois has the largest reported bituminous coal reserves.

Activities:
1. COAL=SUM DIFFERENCE
Prehistoric

2.DESIGNS FOUR ENERGY
Coal

3. ENERGY PICTO-SPELL FACT
It took many millions of years for coal to form.

4. FIND-AN-ENERGY-PHRASE
Coal is a fossil fuel formed from plant remains.

5. FIVE-WAY ENERGY WORD SEEK
Fossil

6. SPELLING DEMONS AND ENERGY
Peat is the initial form of coal. Bituminous.

7. SUM ENERGY WORDS
Fossil

8. THIRD LETTER SQUARE PHRASE
Sometimes an outline of an ancient plant can be seen in lumps of coal.

1. A Math Magic Word Puzzle

COAL = SUM DIFFERENCE

D
15		 L
16		 R
17		 I
18		 O
19		 S
20		 I
21		 T
22
T
 23		 I
 24		 S
 25		 E
 26		 I
 27		 L
 28		 N
 29		 O
 30
S
 31		 N
 32		 O
 33		 E
 34		 N
 35		 T
 36		 R
 37		 I
 38
R
 39		 T
 40		 S
 41		 I
 42		 E
 43		 C
 44		 S
 45		 C
 46
E
 47		 A
 48		 M
 49		 S
 50		 H
 51		 R
 52		 A
 53		 T
 54
P
 55		 U
 56		 T
 57		 I
 58		 P
 59		 E
 60		 R
 61		 U
 62
28
27
+		 60
43
-		 52
26
-		 38
13
+		 39
19
+		 22
28
+		 38
19
+		 46
27
_		 54
17
-		 27
15
+		 61
17
-
                

 

                

Directions: What word can you spell? Add or subtract the problems and then find the answers in the letter code. Put the letters in the boxes.

Instructions for Exercise:

Students will solve 11 addition and subtraction problems. Match the answers with the letter code. Transfer the letters above the answers to the line of 11 boxes to spell an interesting word. For example, the answer of 55 has the letter P in the letter code.

A Math Magic Word Puzzle ANSWERS

COAL = SUM DIFFERENCE

D
15		 L
16		 R
17		 I
18		 O
19		 S
20		 I
21		 T
22
T
 23		 I
 24		 S
 25		 E
 26		 I
 27		 L
 28		 N
 29		 O
 30
S
 31		 N
 32		 O
 33		 E
 34		 N
 35		 T
 36		 R
 37		 I
 38
R
 39		 T
 40		 S
 41		 I
 42		 E
 43		 C
 44		 S
 45		 C
 46
E
 47		 A
 48		 M
 49		 S
 50		 H
 51		 R
 52		 A
 53		 T
 54
P
 55		 U
 56		 T
 57		 I
 58		 P
 59		 E
 60		 R
 61		 U
 62
28
27
+		 60
43
-		 52
26
-		 38
13
+		 39
19
+		 22
28
+		 38
19
+		 46
27
_		 54
17
-		 27
15
+		 61
17
-
5517 2651 5850 5719 3742 44

 

P R E H I S T O R I C

 

2. A Pattern Play Word Puzzle

DESIGNS FOUR ENERGY

 

  DIRECTIONS: Color all the octagons(8 sided figures) that have the same four letters around it that spell the word COAL.

Designs Four Energy Answers

Instructions for Exercise:

Students will color or shade all the octagons with the bordering letters that spell COAL. The letters do not have to be in the same order as the word COAL. When the puzzle is complete, students will see a pleasing geometric shape.

 

DESIGNS FOUR ENERGY

 

3. A-Picture-Spell Word Puzzle

ENERGY PICTO-SPELL FACT

 

I __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _.

DIRECTIONS: Spell an energy sentence by filling in the blanks with the missing letters.

Answers to Energy Picto-Spell Fact:

 

 

4. An A-Maze-In Phrase Word Puzzle

FIND-AN-ENERGY-PHRASE

REMAINSCOAL ISA
PLANTIS FOSSIL FUEL
FROMPLANT AREMAINS
FOSSIL AIS COAL
FUELPLANT AFORMED
PLANTFROM FOSSIL FUEL
FROMFORMED FUELREMAINS
PLANTFROM ISCOAL
FORMED PLANTREMAINS FROM
COALFOSSIL FUELFORMED
ISFROM FOSSIL FUEL
AREMAINS PLANTREMAINS

COAL IS A FOSSIL FUEL FORMED FROM PLANT REMAINS.

DIRECTIONS: Draw a line to connect the words in the sentence.

 

 

Answer for Find-An-Energy-Phrase

Instructions for Exercise:

Students will draw a continuous line connecting the nine words in the sentence, COAL IS A FOSSIL FUEL FORMED FROM PLANT REMAINS. Begin from one of the four COAL words on the outer edges and move forward, either right or left, but never slantwise. There is only one correct route.

 

 

REMAINSCOAL ISA
PLANTIS FOSSIL FUEL
FROMPLANT AREMAINS
FOSSIL AIS COAL
FUELPLANT A FORMED
PLANTFROM FOSSIL FUEL
FROMFORMED FUEL REMAINS
PLANTFROM ISCOAL
FORMED PLANT REMAINS FROM
COALFOSSIL FUELFORMED
ISFROM FOSSIL FUEL
AREMAINS PLANTREMAINS

COAL IS A FOSSIL FUEL FORMED FROM PLANT REMAINS.

 

5. A Word Seek Word Puzzle

FIVE-WAY ENERGY WORD SEEK

 

  F   S I      
  O S     L    
    O       I  
      O       L
F   F O S S I L
    F   S     L
F     O   L    
  O     S   L  

FOSSIL

DIRECTIONS: How many fossils can you find? Spell the word by filling in the boxes.

Five-Way Energy Word Seek

Instructions for Exercise:

Students will find the word FOSSIL across or down. Some of the letters in the squares can be used to spell the word FOSSIL while others will not allow the word to be spelled. There are five FOSSIL words and one has already been found.

 

 

Answer to FIVE-WAY ENERGY WORD SEEK (lower case letters)

  F   S I      
f O S s i L    
  s O       I  
  s f O s s i L
F i F O S S I L
  l F o S s i L
F     O   L    
  O     S   L  

FOSSIL

 

 

6. A Spell-Well Word Puzzle

SPELLING DEMONS AND ENERGY

P
WRITE		 E
ONCE		 A
PAST		 T
RAISE
I
 PIECE		 B
 COMEING		 S
 LOOSE		 I
 AMUNG
T
 QUEIT		 T
 EVERY		 H
 WHICH		 E
 READY
I
 MANY		 N
 ANOTHER		 U
 BEFOUR		 I
 LAID
M
 HURD		 T
 MEANT		 I
 NONE		 I
 COULD
A
 OFTEN		 N
 HEER		 L
 SURPRISE		 F
 KNEW
O
 LITTLE		 R
 FRIEND		 O
 COLAR		 M
 ASKED
U
 TONITE		 O
 BECAUSE		 F
 AGAIN		 C
 WENT
O
 FIRST		 S
 ACKE		 A
 CAUGHT		 L
 ONCE
P _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ __ _ _ _.

Directions: Use the letters above the words with the correct spelling to fill in the blanks.

 

Answer to Spelling Demons and Energy

INSTRUCTIONS FOR EXERCISE:

Students will decide which of the words are spelled correctly. Begin from the top space on the left that is marked with a large dot and move across each of the word-letter boxes. Place the letters that are above the correct spelling words on the dotted lines. Skip the boxes that have spelling demons ( misspelled words). When the exercise is completed, there will be a true energy statement, PEAT IS THE INITIAL FORM OF COAL.

Extension: The word, BITUMINOUS, can be spelled using the letters of the demons.

 

SPELLING DEMONS AND ENERGY

P
WRITE		 E
ONCE		 A
PAST		 T
RAISE
I
 PIECE		 B
 COMEING		 S
 LOOSE		 I
 AMUNG
T
 QUEIT		 T
 EVERY		 H
 WHICH		 E
 READY
I
 MANY		 N
 ANOTHER		 U
 BEFOUR		 I
 LAID
M
 HURD		 T
 MEANT		 I
 NONE		 I
 COULD
A
 OFTEN		 N
 HEER		 L
 SURPRISE		 F
 KNEW
O
 LITTLE		 R
 FRIEND		 O
 COLAR		 M
 ASKED
U
 TONITE		 O
 BECAUSE		 F
 AGAIN		 C
 WENT
O
 FIRST		 S
 ACKE		 A
 CAUGHT		 L
 ONCE

PEAT IS THE INITIAL FORM OF COAL.

 

7. An Outline To Find Word Puzzle

 

8. A Skip Letter Word Puzzle

ANSWERS to Third Letter Square Phrase

 

 

Acknowledgment: Illinois Department of Commerce & Community Affairs and
Office of Coal Development & Marketing

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