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To frack or not to frack? – 1
Equipping the Next Generation for Active Engagement in Science

2. 2
Review ConsiderEngage
The Wilder family, USA
Last week,
our dog died.
We have
headaches and
sore throats all the
time. Showering
gives us rashes.
“
Our mum is in
hospital because
she struggles
to breathe.
“
2

3. 3
We believe a
fracking company
polluted the water
when it was drilling
for gas.
Review ConsiderEngage
The Wilder family, USA
Dirty water
caused our
problems.
“ “
3
“ “

4. 4
Review ConsiderEngage
Marcus Jackson, UK
Old natural gas supplies
are running out.“Fracking can supply vital
cheap gas, for cooking, heating,
and generating electricity.
“

5. 5
Fracking gets natural gas
from a new source – shale rock.
Fracking involves:
 drilling deep
 Forcing a mixture of
water, sand and
other substances into
the rock at extreme
pressure. The rock
cracks and gas
comes out.
If this mixture – the
fracking fluid – escapes,
it may pollute water.
fracking fluid
gas
Review ConsiderEngage

6. 6
Should England
ban fracking?
As fracking companies find new
sources of gas, campaigners
want a nationwide ban.
Campaigners call
for fracking freeze
Review ConsiderEngage
DAILY NEWS
Fracking, they say,
endangers health.
6
Blackpool
West
Lancashire
basin
Bath
Weald basin
Oxford
Wessex basin

7. 7
How are you going
to make a decision?
Should
England ban
fracking?
Lesson 2
Justify opinions
to answer
Review ConsiderEngage
Lesson 1
Use scientific evidence
to answer
a Can substances
from fracking fluid
get into water?
b Can substances
from fracking fluid
harm humans?

8. 8
 Explain why a rock has a
particular property based
on how it was formed
Working ScientificallyBig Idea
Earth
structure
Justify
opinions
In these lessons you will :
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
 State your opinion, present
your evidence and explain
your reasoning

9. 9
Engage
A Which rock types have
gaps that could contain
natural gas? Why do these
rocks have gaps?
B Why must shale be
fractured to get gas out?
C Can fracking fluid get into
water? If so, how?
1 Do the practical
activities and
discussion tasks
on SS1 – 3.
a Can substances
from fracking fluid
get into water?
ConsiderReview
2 Write down answers
to questions
A, B and C on SS5.
SS1–3
and 5

10. 10
1 Read the fracking fluid
facts on SS4.
2 Discuss whether fracking
fluid can harm humans.
3 Write down an answer
to question D on SS5.
Review
b Can substances
from fracking fluid
harm humans?
ConsiderEngage
SS4–5

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To frack or not to frack? – 1
Student sheets
Sheet no. Title Notes
SS1
Which rock types have gaps that could contain
natural gas? Why do these rocks have gaps?
Reusable,
one per pair
SS2 Why must shale be fractured to get gas out?
Reusable,
one per group
SS3
Can substances from fracking fluid get into
water? If so, how?
Reusable,
one per group
SS4 Fracking fluid facts
Reusable,
one per group
SS5
Can substances from fracking fluid get into
water, and can they harm humans?
Consumable,
one per student

12. Student sheets
SS1
Which rock types
have gaps that could
contain natural gas?
 Drip water onto your
rocks from a teat pipette.
 Name the rocks that
water soaks into.
If water soaks into a rock, the
rock is porous. This means that
it has gaps – called pores –
between its grains. Water, air, oil
or natural gas can fill the pores.
Why do these rocks have gaps?
Which of these groups
includes porous rocks:
 igneous?
 sedimentary?
 metamorphic?
Discuss how rocks in
this group were formed.
Why do they have gaps?

13. Student sheets
SS2
Why must shale be fractured to get gas out?
 Place some rocks
in a beaker of
water.
 Watch carefully.
Which rocks
bubble?
If a rock bubbles in water,
it has interconnected pores.
Air, water, natural gas and oil
can flow through these
spaces. The rock is
permeable.
If a liquid or gas
cannot flow
through a rock,
the rock is
impermeable.
Porous and
permeable
Non-porous and
impermeable
Porous and
impermeable
 Why must shale
be fractured to get
gas out of its pores?
 You do not need
to fracture the
sandstone in the
picture to get gas
out its pores. Why?
Sandstone through
a microscope
Shale is sedimentary. It was
formed from long, thin sediments.
shale
As the
sediments
were
compressed,
they lined
up in layers.

14. Student sheetsStudent sheets
SS3
Can substances from
fracking fluid get into
water? If so, how?
Here are the
rock types in
one fracking
site.
Fracking fluid is injected at very high
pressure, so when it gets into rock it can
move in all directions, including upwards.
SS3
 Could fracking
fluid get into the
water? If so, how?
 Is your answer
true for all
fracking sites?
Can substances from
fracking fluid get into
water? If so, how?
fracking
fluid
gas shale
(impermeable)
limestone
limestone
(permeable)
water
limestone
soil
millstone grit (permeable)
Here are the
rock types in
one fracking
site.
Fracking fluid is injected at very high
pressure, so when it gets into rock it can
move in all directions, including upwards.
 Could fracking
fluid get into the
water? If so, how?
 Is your answer
true for all
fracking sites?
fracking
fluid
gas shale
(impermeable)
limestone
limestone
(permeable)
water
limestone
soil
millstone grit (permeable)

15. Student sheets
SS4
Fracking fluid facts
Substance Also used for...
Why it is in the
fracking mixture Effects on humans
Water (90%) Drinking, washing
To force tiny cracks in the
shale to open more widely
Vital for life.
Sand (9.5%)
Building, children
to play with
To hold open the cracks
that are formed in the shale
None.
Sodium chloride
(salt)
Flavouring food To help break up the rock
Over time, in excess amounts,
it may cause heart disease.
Polyacrylamide Water treatment
To reduce friction between
the fluid and the pipe
Often mixed with tiny amounts of
acrylamide, which causes nerve damage.
Ethane-1,2- diol Car anti-freeze
Prevents scale forming in
the pipes
Toxic. In large enough amounts it affects
the nervous system, heart and kidneys.
Guar gum
Thickener in ice
cream
Thickens the fluid to
suspend the sand
In very large quantities it is a laxative.
Glutaraldehyde
Sterilising
medical
equipment
To kill bacteria in the water
In large enough amounts it may cause
asthma attacks, throat and lung irritation,
and burning eyes.
Propan-2-ol Anti-perspirant
To keep the fracking fluid
thick enough
In large enough amounts, it may cause
headaches, dizziness and vomiting.
Fracking fluid is a mixture. It includes the substances in the table, and several others.
Fracking fluid has large amounts of water and sand, and very tiny amounts of the other
substances. If substances from fracking fluid get into water, they form very dilute solutions.
 Can substances from fracking fluid
harm humans? How sure can you be?

16. Student sheetsStudent sheets
SS5
Can substances from fracking fluid get
into water, and can they harm humans?
SS5
A The rock types that have gaps that could contain
natural gas are...
These rocks have gaps because...
B Shale must be fractured to get gas out because...
C Fracking fluid can sometimes / can never get into
water. This is because...
D Fracking fluid can / cannot harm humans.
This is because...
Can substances from fracking fluid get
into water, and can they harm humans?
A The rock types that have gaps that could contain
natural gas are...
These rocks have gaps because...
B Shale must be fractured to get gas out because...
C Fracking fluid can sometimes / can never get into
water. This is because...
D Fracking fluid can / cannot harm humans.
This is because...

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Get students talking and thinking

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To frack or not to frack? – 2
Equipping the Next Generation for Active Engagement in Science

19. 19
Should
England ban
fracking?
Play DecideEngage

20. 20
Fracking means cheaper fuel,
so more money for us to spend
on other stuff. Go for it!
Fracking fluid
sometimes gets into
water and makes
people sick. Ban it!
All my friends
support a
ban, so I do
too.
Normal gas supplies
are running out. We
need gas from fracking
to generate electricity.
Play DecideEngage
My uncle works in
fracking. He earns
good money and
never gets ill.
I’m against
fracking. It causes
earthquakes.
Fracking is fine.
They do it near
my aunt in
Canada, and
she’s never had
any problems.

21. 21
It’s so
complicated.
Should we ban
fracking?
Even when I
know what my
opinion is, how
will I justify it?
Play DecideEngage

22. 22
 Explain why a rock has a
particular property based
on how it was formed
Working ScientificallyBig Idea
Earth
structure
Justify
opinions
In these lessons you will :
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
 State your opinion, present
your evidence and explain
your reasoning

23. 23
 Give out the opinion cards
 Collect evidence cards
 JUSTIFY! your opinion
SS1–2
DecideEngage Play
Learn to justify opinions
by playing
JUSTIFY!

24. 24
To your opinion you need to:
Give your
opinion
Present your
evidence
Explain your
reasoning
24
 State what you
need to decide.
 Give your
opinion.
 List the facts, data
and science ideas
that support your
opinion.
 Identify the most
important piece
of evidence.
 Explain how each
piece of evidence
supports your
opinion.
 Explain why each
piece of evidence
does not support
other opinions.
DecideEngage Play
24
J U S T I F Y

25. 25
Engage
SS3-4
Play Decide
A fracking company wants to drill in
your area. There is a public meeting.
25
SS3-4
 State your opinion
 Present evidence that supports
your opinion.
 Explain how the evidence
supports your opinion
 Explain why the evidence does
not support other opinions.
Use what you know
about justifying opinions
to plan and give
a 1-minute talk: should
England ban fracking?

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To frack or not to frack? – 2
Student sheets
Sheet no. Title Notes
SS1a How to play
Reusable, one per group
of 3
SS1b Opinion cards
Reusable, cut into cards,
one set per group of 3
SS2a – c Evidence cards
Reusable, cut into cards,
one set per group of 3
SS3 Should England ban fracking?
Consumable, one per
student
SS4 Fracking evidence cards
Reusable, cut into cards,
one set for each student
JUSTIFY
JUSTIFY
JUSTIFY

27. Student sheets
Round 2 – Justify your opinion
1 The youngest player starts. Read out one opinion and give
a reason for it using your strongest evidence card.
2 The player with the opposite opinion reads it out, and gives
their strongest evidence.
3 The two players use all their evidence to try to demolish each
others’ arguments.
4 The third player decides who justified their opinion better,
and awards them a point.
5 Repeat for the other opinion cards, with different players going first.
SS1a
How to play
Set up the game
1 Give each player a number – 1, 2 or 3.
2 Give each player their two opinion cards.
3 Shuffle the evidence cards and place them
face down in a pile.
How to play J U S T I F Y !
Round 1 – Collect your evidence
1 Each player picks up two evidence cards.
 If it shows evidence
for your opinion, keep it
 If it shows evidence against your
opinion, or is not relevant, pass it to
the player on your left.
2 Continue until each player has six
evidence cards.

28. Student sheets
SS1b
J U S T I F Y !
J U S T I F Y !
J U S T I F Y ! J U S T I F Y !
OPINION
Player 2
Computer
games
should be
banned.
OPINION
Player 5
Every household should
own a dog.
OPINION
Player 1
Computer gaming
should be on the school
curriculum.
OPINION
Player 4
Cycling to school should
be banned.
Opinion cards
J U S T I F Y !
J U S T I F Y !
OPINION
Player 3
Everyone
should cycle
to school.
OPINION
Player 6
It should be
illegal to
own a dog,
unless you
need an
assistance
dog.
J U S T I F Y !

29. Student sheets
J U S T I F Y !J U S T I F Y ! J U S T I F Y !
J U S T I F Y !J U S T I F Y ! J U S T I F Y !
SS2a
Evidence cards J U S T I F Y !
EVIDENCE
Source: Anderson and Dill,
2000 and others
The more time a student
spends gaming, the
poorer their
performance
in school.
EVIDENCE
Source: Anderson and
others, 2010; Green and
others, 2012; Colzato
and others, 2014
Playing action video
games improves
peoples’ ability to switch
rapidly between
different tasks.
EVIDENCE
Source: Anderson and
Bushman, 2001 and
others
Children who play
violent video games are
more likely to think and
behave aggressively.
EVIDENCE
Source:
Christakis,
Seattle
Children’s
Research
Institute
Young people who see
violence in video games
get used to violence and
think that it is normal.
EVIDENCE
Source: Franceschini et
al, 2013
Reading test scores of
children with dyslexia
improved after 12 hours
of video game play.
EVIDENCE
Source:
Schlickum,
2009
Young surgeons
who were also
keen gamers
outperformed
experienced
surgeons in the
operating
theatre.

30. Student sheets
J U S T I F Y ! J U S T I F Y !
J U S T I F Y ! J U S T I F Y !
SS2b
More evidence cards J U S T I F Y !
EVIDENCE
Source: British Heart
Foundation, 2015
Regular cycling can cut
your risk of heart disease
by 50 percent.
EVIDENCE
Source: Royal Society for
the Prevention of
Accidents, 2015
In 2014 in the UK, 6 child
cyclists were killed in road
accidents, and 273 were
seriously injured. In the
same year, 107 adult
cyclists died on the road.
EVIDENCE
Some students live too far
away to cycle to school.
EVIDENCE
Source: Guardian
newspaper, 2014
Cycling can make you
hot and sweaty. Most
schools do
not have
enough
showers for
everyone.
J U S T I F Y !
J U S T I F Y !
EVIDENCE
Source: Report in the
Journal of Clinical and
diagnostic research
People scored higher on
memory and reasoning
tests after 30 minutes of
cycling.
EVIDENCE
Source: J Blumenthal,
professor of behavioural
medicine, Duke University
Cycling for 20 minutes
a day can prevent
depression because it
boosts the production of
feel-good substances such
as serotonin.

31. Student sheets
J U S T I F Y !
J U S T I F Y !
SS2c
More evidence cards J U S T I F Y !
EVIDENCE
Source: UK National Health
Service, 2015
Dog faeces (poo) spread
toxocariasis. The disease
can cause coughing, fever
and stomach ache, and –
occasionally – fits and
blurred
vision.
EVIDENCE
Source: B and R Vale,
Victoria University,
New Zealand, 2009
Feeding and looking after
a dog for a year causes
the emission of the same
amount of greenhouse
gases as driving a big
car 30 000 km.
J U S T I F Y !
J U S T I F Y !
EVIDENCE
Source: American Heart
Association, 2013
People who own dogs, and
walk them regularly, have
a lower risk of heart disease
than non-dog owners.
EVIDENCE
Source: Handlin et al,
University of Skovde,
Sweden and others
Blood pressure and heart
rate decrease when
stroking dogs, benefiting
owners’ health.
J U S T I F Y !
J U S T I F Y !
EVIDENCE
Source: Gardom, police
inspector, 2016
A barking dog can
frighten off burglars, so
improving home security.
EVIDENCE
Source: Various newspapers
In 2010, 15 people,
including 8 children, were
killed in dog attacks in
Europe.

32. Student sheetsStudent sheets
SS3
Should England
ban fracking?
SS3
My opinion is YES / NO
The most important piece of evidence that supports
my opinion is...
This piece of evidence supports my opinion because...
Two other pieces of evidence that support my
opinion are...
They support my opinion because...
An opinion that others have is...
The evidence does not support this opinion because...
Should England
ban fracking?
My opinion is YES / NO
The most important piece of evidence that supports
my opinion is...
This piece of evidence supports my opinion because...
Two other pieces of evidence that support my
opinion are...
They support my opinion because...
An opinion that others have is...
The evidence does not support this opinion because...

33. Student sheets
F R A C K ?F R A C K ?F R A C K ?F R A C K ?
F R A C K ?F R A C K ?F R A C K ?F R A C K ?
SS4
F R A C K ?
EVIDENCE
Source: B. Argetsinger,
Environmental Law
Review, 2012 and many
others
In badly-run fracking sites,
fracking fluid may pollute
water supplies.
Fracking evidence cards
EVIDENCE
Source: R. Howarth,
Nature, 2011
Most fracking wells use diesel
powered pumps to inject
water underground.
Burning diesel leads to
dangerous levels of volatile
organic compounds (which
can cause cancer) and
particulates (which can cause
heart and lung disease).
EVIDENCE
Source: US Energy Information
Administration, 2011
Scientists assessed fracking
sites in 32 countries and
concluded that ‘a vast
amount’ of natural gas could
be obtained by fracking,
especially in the EU, China,
and the USA.
Since other fossil fuels are
running out, fracking could be
vital in the future.
EVIDENCE
Source: D. Rahm, Energy
Policy, 2011
Inspections in Quebec
and Texas showed that
half of fracking sites leak
methane gas.
In 2009 a pipeline
connected to a fracking
site exploded. The flame
was 60 m high.
EVIDENCE
Source: W. Ellsworth et al,
Siesmological Research
Letters, 2012 and others
Since 2008, fracking has
caused a sevenfold
increase in the number of
earth tremors in central
USA.
EVIDENCE
Source: J. Deutch,
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, 2012
In the USA, natural gas from
fracking is about half the
price of natural gas from
normal gas wells.
This means that people will
spend less on fuel and have
more money to spend on
other things.
EVIDENCE
Source: E. J. House,
Wyoming Law Review,
2013
Fracking creates new jobs.
For example, in Texas,
100 000 people were
employed in fracking in
2011.
These people might
otherwise be jobless.
EVIDENCE
Source: A. Burnham, Argonne
National Laboratory, 2012 and
others
There are environmental and
health benefits of burning
natural gas from fracking
instead of coal to generate
electricity in power stations.
Burning gas results in lower
emissions of sulfur dioxide
(which can cause asthma
attacks) and greenhouse gases.

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Get students talking and thinking