Title: Coal Areas in the United States

Level: Primary - Middle School ( 3 - 7 )

Time: 30 - 45 minutes depending on age/level of student

KERA Goals: 1-2, 1.3, 1.5 - 1.9, 2.1, 2.2, 2.7. 2.8, 5.1, and 6.3

Objective: Student will demonstrate knowledge of where coal is located by reading a chart.

Background Information:

This map shows where coal is found in the United States. The information below tells which states mine coal and how much they produced in 1993.

1993 U.S. Coal Production, by State

(Thousand Short Tons)

State Total State Total Wyoming 210,129 Utah 21,847 Kentucky 156,299 Arizona 12,173 West Virginia 130,525 Washington 4,748 Pennsylvania 59,700 Maryland 3,355 Texas 54,567 Tennessee 3,047 Illinois 41,098 Louisiana 3,134 Virginia 39,317 Oklahoma 1,758 Montana 35,197 Alaska 1,601 North Dakota 31,973 Missouri 653 Indiana 29,295 Kansas 341 Ohio 28,186 Iowa 175 Alabama 24,768 Arkansas 44 Colorado 21,886

Activity:

Fill in the names of the ten states that produced the most coal in 1993. Can you tell from this map how many tons of coal we have in the United States? Why or why not? What region of the country does not have coal reserves? Does your state produce coal? Does your electricity come from coal?