Non-fiction reading task; Volcanoes.
Volcanic Eruptions
As well as the danger from the hot lava, an erupting volcano can trigger are life
threatening things.
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tsunamis
flash floods
earthquakes
mud flows
rock falls.
Effect of Volcanoes on people and the environment
Volcanoes can have a very serious effect on the lands and people around them
when they erupt.
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Buildings are destroyed and people are made homeless.
People are killed.
Clouds of ash cover plants making them inedible.
Poisonous gases kill people and animals.
Dust causes pneumonia and illnesses to the survivors.
Dark skies, severe winds and heavy rains may follow an eruption for
months afterwards.
People and Volcanoes
One in 10 people in the world live within 'danger range' of an active volcano.
People can get used to living near a volcano, but it is always a little dangerous.
Scientists have estimated that at least 200,000 persons have lost their lives as
a result of volcanic eruptions during the last 500 years.
People set up homes on the slopes of volcanoes because of the rich, fertile soil
produced which helps crop growth but they must always stay alert!
Definitions
Magma - Molten rock beneath Earth's surface.
Parasitic Cone - A small cone-shaped volcano formed by an accumulation of volcanic debris.
Sill - A flat piece of rock formed when magma hardens in a crack in a volcano.
Vent - An opening in Earth's surface through which volcanic materials escape.
Flank - The side of a volcano.
Lava - Molten rock that erupts from a volcano that solidifies as it cools.
Crater - Mouth of a volcano - surrounds a volcanic vent.
Conduit - An underground passage magma travels through.
Summit - Highest point; apex
Throat - Entrance of a volcano. The part of the conduit that ejects lava and volcanic ash.
Ash - Fragments of lava or rock smaller than 2 mm in size that are blasted into the air by
volcanic explosions.
Ash Cloud - A cloud of ash formed by volcanic explosions.
Questions to read, questions to answer!
Retrieving key information from a text.
1. What is the highest point of a volcano called?
2. What is a conduit?
3. How many people have died from volcano eruptions in the last 500 years?
4. Name four dangers to property, people or animals when volcanoes erupt.
5. What other natural disasters can an erupting volcano trigger?
Understanding why authors have chosen to use certain words.
1. Look at ‘The effects of volcanoes’. Which words has the author used to
demonstrate how dangerous volcanoes can be?
2. In the last section of ‘People and volcanoes’ how has the author implied
that people should always be ready for a volcanic eruption?
3. How do you know that scientists aren’t sure of the exact number of
people who have died from volcano eruptions? What word is used?
Inference and deduction – reading between the lines.
1. What would you say to a friend who was thinking about moving to live near
a volcano and they asked you for some honest advice?
2. How would you feel about living at the foot of a volcano? Why is this?
3. Imagine you are living near a volcano and it begins to smoke and rumble.
How would you feel and why is this?
4. If somebody asked what the dangers of volcanoes are what would you say,
using the factual information from the text to help you?
Understanding how a text is structured.
1. What type of text is this and how do you know?
2. How do you know this is not a story? What is missing?
3. Why is the text arranged into sections?