Geo 201
2013 Guidelines for Lesson Plan
Meredith Wheatley
Destruction of Volcanoes
Objectives:
1. Know the mitigation of all types of volcano hazards.
2. Understand the destruction associated with lava flow.
3. Analyze and interpret data from the destruction of the volcano.
MI content Standards and Grade Level
Middle School. Human Impacts
MS-ESS3-2
Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic
events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how some natural hazards, such as
volcanic eruptions and severe weather, are preceded by phenomena that allow
for reliable predictions, but others, such as earthquakes, occur suddenly and
with no notice, and thus are not yet predictable. Examples of natural hazards can
be taken from interior processes (such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions),
surface processes (such as mass wasting and tsunamis), or severe weather
events (such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods). Examples of data can include
the locations, magnitudes, and frequencies of the natural hazards. Examples of
technologies can be global (such as satellite systems to monitor hurricanes or
forest fires) or local (such as building basements in tornado-prone regions or
reservoirs to mitigate droughts).
MS-ESS3-3
Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a
human impact on the environment.*
Clarification Statement: Examples of the design process include examining
human environmental impacts, assessing the kinds of solutions that are feasible,
and designing and evaluating solutions that could reduce that impact. Examples
of human impacts can include water usage (such as the withdrawal of water
from streams and aquifers or the construction of dams and levees), land usage
(such as urban development, agriculture, or the removal of wetlands), and
pollution (such as of the air, water, or land).
Engage: Role Play
Teacher- I would like everyone to close their eyes and visualize everything that I tell
you. It is June 25, 1997 and you are on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. You are
just a few miles from the Soufriere Hills Volcano and it has been quiet for over 400
years. You are outside hanging clothes up for you mother, when all of the sudden
you see something shocking! There were fierce clouds shooting out of the
mountain, you feel a surge of heat over your body. You look up to see a great fire
above you; you dropped the clothes and began to run. You ran and hid behind the
school you attend until the wind blew the hot clouds away. You walk back to your
house to see the bucket your clothes were in is completely melted and flat on the
ground. You were lucky to survive. 19 people died that day from the eruption.
Teacher- Open your eyes! This is a true story! Can anyone tell me what type of
volcano erupted?
Student- A stratovolcano
Explores:
1. Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X64IhvYYlw
- From this video, I will have the students come up with ideas that would help
a town become more aware if a volcano was about to erupt. Each group will
come up with three ideas and write them on the board.
2. I will have the student pretend they are geologist. I will have them look at a
series of seismographs and predict if the people of the town near the volcano
should evacuate or not.
3. I will tell the class we are by an erupting volcano. I will give each of them a
nose and mouth mask and goggles and have them put it on. I will have
everyone line up at the door and move into the hallway. Once in the hallway
I will then explain to them a list of volcano safety.
4. The students will be given a sheet of paper that has a volcano model on it and
they will cut it out and put it together with glue. There are directions on the
sheet. The volcano shows the different layers of the volcano and the near by
school, farm, etc.
Explain:
The students will explain to me some precautions they would take if they lived near
a volcano. They would also explain to me why based on the seismographs, towns
should evacuate. They will specifically show me based on the information they
interpret why it would be a good idea to evacuate. In order to explain to me, the
class will have 10 minutes to write down their ideas. After the 10 minutes is over,
volunteers are welcome to share.
Elaborate:
1. Each group of students will be assigned a volcano. This activity will be a
think-pair-share. Each group reads about a volcano and comes up with a
mitigation plan the town can take. Then, each group will share, that way
everyone in the class will gain information about other volcanoes besides
theirs.
2. The students will watch a video on the destruction of lava.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zp6ePkQWy0 This video is scary
because the lava destroys a shelter pod. After the video is shown, I will talk
more about how important mitigation is.
3. The students will learn why some volcanoes are very explosive. They will
see a diagram of a volcano. Each person will have their own diagram to
assess.
Gas | Lahars | Landslides | Lava Flows | Pyroclastic Flows | Tephra
Volcanic eruptions are one of Earth's most dramatic and violent agents of
change. Not only can powerful explosive eruptions drastically alter land and
water for tens of kilometers around a volcano, but tiny liquid droplets of
sulfuric acid erupted into the stratosphere can change our planet's climate
temporarily. Eruptions often force people living near volcanoes to abandon
their land and homes, sometimes forever. Those living farther away are likely
to avoid complete destruction, but their cities and towns, crops, industrial
plants, transportation systems, and electrical grids can still be damaged by
tephra, ash, lahars, and flooding.
Fortunately, volcanoes exhibit precursory unrest that if detected and analyzed in
time allows eruptions to be anticipated and communities at risk to be
forewarned with reliable information in sufficient time to implement response
plans and mitigation measures.
Evaluate:
1. If you were a geologist, how would you explain to people of the town that
they were not safe by this volcano? Give two explanations. Then explain to
the town the mitigation plan they should partake in.
2. Why do you think people continue to live by active volcanoes? Please be
serious with your answer. Provide three explanations. *Think about location
References:
"Lava Burns White Shelterpod In Kilauea." YouTube. YouTube, 07 Nov. 2009. Web.
01 Dec. 2013.
"Volcano Hazards." YouTube. YouTube, 01 Aug. 2012. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
Person, Stephen. Devastated by a Volcano! New York: Bearport Pub., 2010. Print.
Rusch, Elizabeth, and Tom Uhlman. Eruption!: Volcanoes and the Science of Saving
Lives. Boston: Houghton Mifflin for Children, 2013. Print.
"The Next Generation Science Standards | Next Generation Science Standards." The
Next Generation Science Standards | Next Generation Science Standards. N.p.,
2011. Web. 29 Nov. 2013.
Ball, Jessica. "Volcanic Hazards." Geology.com: News and Information for Geology &
Earth Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
"Volcano Resources for Educators." Volcano Resources for Educators. N.p., n.d. Web.
01 Dec. 2013.
"Volcano Model | Teaching Volcanoes." Pinterest. Austrailian Geological Survey
Organization, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.