"The Restless Earth" - Viatouch Teacher Articles

Viatouch Teacher Articles
Teacher Created Materials

The Restless Earth
by Elizabeth Klein

Subject:	Science

Grade Level:	5—6th Grade

Objectives:	To explain what occurs when a volcano erupts To research famous volcanoes and plot them on a map To make accurate, scientific drawings of volcanoes To learn about different kinds of volcanoes To match volcano words accurately with their meanings

Time Needed:	5 Lessons

Materials:	two documentaries about volcanoes, Krakatoa: Volcano of Destruction and Ring of Fire: An Indonesian Odyssey available on Amazon.com., map, apple, two bricks, paper, pens and drawing pencils, art paper, paints and brushes, red, yellow and orange paper, scissors, glue, photo of The Last Days of Pompeii by Karl Brullov, soda bottle, water, baking soda, vinegar, food colouring, detergent, tissues, computers, library books, scrap material, glossary about volcanoes, movie: Dante's Peak, gemstones, rocks

It is so hot inside the Earth that melted rock or magma is formed. When the pressure builds, it comes to the surface through cracks or holes as lava and forms volcanoes. There are several different kinds of volcanoes and most form along the Earth's fault lines.

Instructions:

Lesson One
1)	Discuss volcanoes. Cut an apple in half. It represents a cross section of the Earth. The apple skin represents the Earth's crust; the apple's flesh represents the Earth's mantle and the outer core, while the apple core represents the Earth's inner core. The Earth's crust is made up of enormous layers of rock called plates. Most volcanoes (and earthquakes) occur when these bump into each other. Grind two bricks together to illustrate this.
2)	Identify volcanic activity on a world map.
3)	Watch a DVD about volcanoes. Encourage students to take notes for discussion.

Lesson Two
1)	Create a volcano
	Materials: small drink bottle, 60ml water, 1 tbsp baking soda, ¼ cup vinegar, red food colouring, few drops detergent, small tissue. Procedure: Place water, soap, food colouring and vinegar in the soda bottle. Wrap the baking soda in the tissue and place into the bottle. The model should erupt. Make your volcano more realistic by building up a mountain around it with play dough, dirt, crumpled foil, etc.
2)	Ask the students to write an explanation: What Happens When a Volcano Erupts?

3)	Encourage the students to make an accurate drawing of a volcano and label it using these words: main vent, vent, magma chamber, lava flow, layers of lava and ash, dust, ash and gases.

Lesson Three
1)	Have the students to define the following terms: cinder cones, shield cones, composite cones, undersea volcanoes, extinct, active, and dormant.
2)	Word Matching Game: Copy the glossary of a book about volcanoes. Type the meanings on one sheet of paper and the words that correspond to them on another. In pairs, have the students cut them out and put them face down on the table. When the teacher says go, they turn the words over and place them next to their correct meanings. The first ones to finish are the winners. Play this game at different times throughout the unit to see if the students have improved their volcano knowledge.

Lesson Four
1)	Obtain the picture The Last Day of Pompeii by the German artist, Karl Brullov. Show the class by power point presentation and discuss what is happening.
2)	In pairs, have the students research some of these famous volcanoes: Mount Etna (Italy), Fujiyama (Japan), Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mount St. Helens (Washington State, USA), Mount Pinatubo (Philippine Islands), Mount Pelee (Martinique in the Caribbean), Mount Vesuvius (Italy), Krakatoa (Indonesia), Cotopaxi (Ecuador, South America), Popocatepetl (Mexico), Tambora (Indonesia), Katmai (Alaska). Have the students identify them on a world map, and then try to guess the location of the Earth's fault lines. Once they have completed their research, ask them to present their findings to the class.

Lesson Five
	Appreciation: Watch excerpts only from the movie, Dante's Peak.

Extra Activities:
1)	Volcanic eruptions cause dramatic sunsets. Ask the students to cover an art sheet with various shades of orange, yellow and red, painting horizontally. Have them use black paint to create a silhouetted landscape in the foreground: hills, forests, etc.
2)	Read myths and legends to see how ancient civilisations explained volcanoes.
3)	Colourful minerals, rocks and gemstones are formed by volcanoes. Try to obtain some of these for observation: zeolite crystals, olivine, peridot, agate, basalt.

Volcano Recipe Website: www.volcanolive.com/model.html - 5k