MINIPAGE ACTIVITIES MEET MANY STATE AND NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS. THIS WEEK'S STANDARDS: STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THE PROPERTIES OF EARTH MATERIALS. (SCIENCE: PHYSICAL SCIENCE)

MiniPage activities meet many state and national educational standards. This week's standards: Students understand the properties of Earth materials. (Science: Physical Science)
Activities:
1. Draw a poster that shows at least five different ways salt is useful.
2. Look through the newspaper to find examples of how salt is used. Include foods, medicines and bath products. Circle each item. How many different ways did you find?
3. Look at the nutritional labels of seven different kinds of food in your kitchen. See how much salt is in each item. Include canned and frozen foods, butter or margarine, chips or other snack foods, and baked items. Which item has the most salt? Which has the least? Why do you think there is so much salt in some items?
4. Describe the way salt has been or is important in each of these areas:
(a) transportation, (b) exploration, (c) clothing, (d) cities, and (e) wars.
5. Use resource books and the Internet to learn about desalination processes and plants. Use these questions to guide your research: What do desalination plants or machinery do? How widespread is the use of such plants? Where are they located? What are the benefits of desalination? What are the drawbacks?