How Do Volcanoes Impact Earth?

Volcano Project 2006

Mr. Conant • Briscoe Middle School •Beverly, MA

|Introduction| |Task| |Roles| |Project Choices| |Resources| |Evaluation| |Conclusion| |Mr. C's Home|

Introduction

This unit is designed to connect volcanic activity to the theory of plate tectonics.  In addition, this unit will provide you with the resources that will explain the different types of volcanoes, volcanic eruptions, and landforms caused by volcanic activity.

You will take part in a group project in which the essential question, designated unit and content questions will be researched.  When groups have the information needed to answer these questions, a project will be completed.  Students will have a choice of two projects to demonstrate their knowledge.  These choices include a presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint or an information brochure using Microsoft Publisher.

To help your group to get organized use this template.

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Task

The class will divided into four groups. Each group is responsible for researching a topic (section) in chapter 3 of your text dealing with volcanoes. Not only will you and your group members be required to use your text book to answer your topic, but you must also use Internet resources and print material from the library.

While conducting your research, you and your group members must take into account the essential question below. All research should answer this essential question.

  • Essential Question
    • How do volcanoes impact Earth (planets)?

In addition to answering the essential question, your group will be responsible for answering the unit and content questions listed below.

  • Group 1: Volcanoes & Plate Tectonics
    • Unit Question
      • What is the relationship between plate tectonics and volcanoes?
    • Content Questions
      • Where are Earth’s volcanic regions found, and why are they found there?
      • What causes hot spot volcanoes to form?
  • Group 2: Volcanic Activity
    • Unit Question
      • How does volcanic activity affect its surrounding area?
    • Content Questions
      • What happens when a volcano erupts?
      • How do the two types of volcanic eruptions differ?
      • What are some hazards of volcanoes?
  • Group 3: Volcanic Landforms
    • Unit Question
      • How do the constructive forces created by volcanoes differ?
    • Content Questions
      • What landforms does lava create on Earth’s surface?
      • How does magma that hardens beneath the surface create landforms?
  • Group 4: Volcanoes In The Solar System
    • Unit Question
      • How do the volcanoes in our solar system differ from the volcanoes on Earth?
    • Content Questions
      • Compare and contrast the volcanoes found on Mars and Venus?
      • What volcanic activity is found on the moons of Jupiter and Neptune?

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Roles

To make sure that all of the responsibilities are fulfilled and your group successfully completes the assignment, you should choose a role that appropriately reflects your interest and/or learning style. The roles and descriptions are listed below. Please be fair to your other group members when choosing your role.

Team Chair Person
The student(s) who choose to take on this role must portray leadership qualities. His/her responsibilities include organizing all materials including information retrieved from the text, books or internet. The main responsibility of this role is to keep the group on task with clear daily objectives.

Technical Support
To choose this role, a student(s) must be knowledgeable in the area of computers especially with Microsoft PowerPoint or Microsoft Publisher software. The responsibilities of this student is to take organized material from the Team Chair Person and place it into either PowerPoint of Publisher. In addition, this student may help the Web Analyst with searching the Internet.

Literary Analyst
The student(s) who accept the role of Literary Analyst must be know their way around the library. The responsibilities include locating resources beneficial to their group, sifting through the information taking what is needed for their groups presentation, and recording information in a way that does not result in plagiarism.

Web Analyst
The student(s) who choose to accept this role must feel comfortable using Internet Explorer software. Responsibilities of the Web Analyst include gathering information from the designated Web sites listed below, sifting through it and taking the information needed to successfully complete the groups presentation. Student must restate the information in a manner that does not result in plagiarism.

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Project Choices

After your group has done the research to support your concepts and have it organized, it is time to put it in a presentation format so that you can teach the rest of your classmates. Your group will have a choice of two ways of presenting your material.

First, your group may choice to create a PowerPoint Presentation. Your presentation must contain as many slides as it takes to answer the essential question, unit questions, and content questions. You must also use relevant graphics.

The second choice of project is an informational brochure using Microsoft Publisher. This brochure must also answer the essential question, unit questions, and content questions. Your brochure must also contain relevant pictures that support your research.

If you need assistance with using PowerPoint or Publisher, please attend one of Mr. Conant's before school sessions. Also, there are many Online tutorials discussing these programs. For tutorials, click on the links below.

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Resources

FEMA For Kids: Volcanoes
This Web site contains information about volcano hazards and safety tips for you and your family (inlcuding pets).  Volcano facts and intensity scales are also located on this site.

National Geographic For Kids: Volcano! Mountain Of Fire
Volcano! Mountain of Fire is a great Web site that contains video footage of everything volcano.  Get an overview of why Earth has volcanoes, the different eruptions and much more.

National Geographic: Volcanoes
This National Geographic Web site has something for each group completing this project.  Interactive chapters include, “What is a volcano?”, “Where do volcanoes occur?”, How do volcanoes form?”, “Types of volcanoes”, and “How do volcanoes erupt?”.

Kids Discovery: Make A Volcano
Volcano Explorer provides interactive information on three volcano topics.  These topics include: Plate tectonics and volcanoes, the types of volcanoes,  and the insides of a volcano.

Think Quest: Volcanoes Online
Volcanoes Online is an Online index that contains information that answers many if not all of the questions in this project.  This Web site contains information of volcanoes ranging from volcanic structure to predicting danger.

CBBC Newsround: Volcanoes
The CBBC Volcano Website provides you with seven pages of answers to the following questions: “What causes volcanoes?”, “Are there different types of volcanoes?”, “What effects do volcanoes have?”, “Can we predict when a volcano is going to erupt?”, “Which volcano has killed the most people?”, "Do volcanoes do anything good?”, and a page on volcano facts.

PBS: Savage Earth-Out Of The Inferno: Volcanoes
Out of the Inferno: Volcanoes is a great Web site sponsored by PBS.  The site contains many animated explanations of volcanic eruptions as well as actual footage of volcanic eruptions.

Volcanoes & Society
This Web site provides the reader with the answer to the following questions, “What are volcanoes?”, “Why do we have volcanoes”, and “Where are volcanoes found?”

Planetary Exploration: IO For Kids
Io is one of Jupiter’s many moons.  This Web site provides you with information about Io’s active volcanoes.  Learn about the different types of lava flow and landforms produced by volcanic activity.

Volcanoes of Other Worlds
This section of “Volcano World” contains information on our volcanically active solar system.  Topics include, Earth’s moon, Mars, Venus, and Io (one of Jupiter’s moons).

The Virtual Solar System: Search Results For Volcanoes
The “Virtual Solar System” is a index of solar system which contains the topic of volcanoes.

USGS: Volcanoes!
This Web site contains the answers to questions, “Why Do Volcanoes Erupt?”, “Where Do Volcanoes Erupt?”, and  “Why Do Volcanoes Grow?”.  This site also contains many clip art images that may be useful to you.

How Volcanoes Work
How Volcanoes Work?” is a wonderful resource that provides information including: eruption dynamics , volcano landforms, types of eruptions, eruption types, historical eruptions, and planetary volcanism.

Volcanoes: Can We Predict Volcanic Eruptions?
This site is a great resources that briefly describes, how volcanoes form, how magma becomes lava, and the different lava types.  The site concludes with a 39 second video clip explaining the different Pahoehoe and Aa.

USGS: Photo Glossary of Volcanic Terms
The USGS volcanic glossary has every term imaginable on the topic of volcanoes .  Each term contains a photo to help you understand the vocabulary.

Tramline: Volcano Field Trip
This 19 stop virtual field trip has to be the most exciting resource on the Web!  Get answers to all of your questions regarding volcanoes as well as enjoy real pictures and clip art.  This site includes a section on volcanoes in our solar system as well.

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Evaluation

Now that your group has completed all of its research and created a presentation, it is time to assess how much knowledge you have gained. Below are links to the rubrics that will be used to grade your group.

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Conclusion

Congratulations on completing this research project! Your group has worked extremely hard completing research using your text, books, and the internet. Your group has also created a presentation that helped you and your classmates learn about volcanoes. Great Job! I hope you had fun, and formed some new peer relationships.

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© T. Conant 2006