Volcanoes, with their untamed displays of fire and fury, are surely the most dramatic and least predictable of nature's many spectacles. Education World brings the drama alive with lessons designed to capture students' interest and extend their learning.
Mauna
Loa's Most Spectacular Eruption began on June 1, 1950; lasted 23 days;
and produced 0.376 cubic kilometers of lava. Words and numbers don't convey
the drama of an erupting volcano, though, which probably accounts for
the huge volume of online volcano resources. You simply have to see it
to believe it!
If you have even a single classroom computer, you'll want to introduce
your students to
Volcanoes: Can We Predict Volcanic Eruptions? This site, an Annenberg/CPB
exhibit, provides fascinating information and interactive activities that
help students better understand the forces that cause volcanic eruptions
and the difficulty of predicting them. Explore it together, if possible,
before you begin your volcanic unit!
In addition,
VolcanoWorld and
Volcanoes.com are excellent sources of general background information
for both teachers and students. Both sites provide lists and links to
lots of hands-on and online activities. Even if time and technology resources
are limited, your students should be able to complete most of the volcano
activities below! Click on any title to link to the detailed lesson plan.
The
Largest Volcano on Earth
Students create time lines of two major Mauna Loa eruptions and use the
information to determine what happens during a typical volcanic eruption.
Rock
My World
Students conduct a hands-on experiment demonstrating the formation of
continents and continental drift.
What's
the Risk?
Students determine the risk that a damaging mudflow will occur in the
shadow of Mount Rainier.
What
Happened?
Students explore legends people created to explain the phenomena of volcanoes
-- and write their own legends about volcanoes.
The
Parts of a Volcano
Students match each part of a volcano to its definition, then use what
they learn to label a diagram of a volcano.
Where
in the World Is That Volcano?
Students locate active volcanoes on a world map.
How
BIG Are Volcanic Eruptions?
Students answer questions based on the volcanic explosivity index.
Where
Am I?
Students identify volcano locations by latitude and longitude.
Graph
a Volcano
Students create bar graphs showing the relative volume of eruptions listed
in a table.
A
Volcanic Crossword Puzzle
Students solve a crossword puzzle about volcanoes.
Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © 2006 Education World
Originally published 6/26/2000
Links last updated 05/28/2007
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