Unit Plan Title

Volcanoes

Target Learners

Grade Level: Middle School

Population Characteristics:

  • Mixed ability classes (honors students to special education students with inclusion aides)
  • Diverse ethnic backgrounds (approx. 40% white, 40% Hispanic, 15% black, 5% other)
  • College attendance rate: 50%
  • Average class size: 22 students

Lesson Groupings:

  • Discussion takes place as one large group.
  • Small groups (4 per group) within classroom seated at joined tables.
  • Classroom groups also serve as lab groups.

Standards Covered

National Science Education Standards: Grades 5-8

Standard A: Science as Inquiry

  • Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
  • Understandings about scientific inquiry

Standard D: Earth and Space Science

  • Structure of the earth system

Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

  • Natural Hazards

Topic

Volcanoes are a known natural hazard that can lead to great destruction. One area not normally thought about when discussing volcanoes are how they change the Earth’s climate. In this lesson we will learn how volcanoes affect the earth systems and climate.

Curriculum Links

*Prior to this unit students would have learned about other natural hazards, caused by plate tectonics. In prior lessons students would also have a brief to good understanding of global warming and how it is caused. Water Vapor and Carbon Dioxide are terms they would already know.

Objectives

Student will know by the end of the unit:

  • How volcanoes are formed by plate tectonics.
  • Materials that are released from volcanoes. Such as lava, and magma.
  • Volcanoes emit many different gases, which include water vapor, nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, and carbon dioxide.
  • How these gases, particularly sulfur dioxide, affect the earth systems.

-Sulfur dioxide causes global cooling

  • They will be able to define and explain how volcanoes form, and how the gases they release affect global warming.

*Words in italics are new vocabulary words the students should learn and be able to define by the end of unit.

The end of this unit students will be able to:

  • Define and explain significance of all the vocabulary words (concepts) mentioned above.
  • Carry-out experiments that would effectively test the question set-out to investigate.
  • Draw appropriate conclusions based on the data obtained from experiments.

Materials

  • Computers with internet access.
  • Other materials needed to accomplish labs.

Time

  • 1 week, 5 days.

Scope and Sequence

Day 1: Volcano Formation

  • Introduction: Show a video clip of an erupting volcano. Refresh the student’s memory on plate tectonics, convergent and divergent plates. Ask them to give their explanation of how volcanoes are formed through plate tectonics.
  • Guided Practice: Ask them to give their explanation of how volcanoes are formed through plate tectonics. Put them into groups of 4 and have each group draw up a poster of how volcanoes are formed. Then have them present their work to the class and explain why they set it up like they did.
  • Discussion: Bring out a poster of the actual formation of volcanoes and explain thoroughly how they are formed.
  • Homework: Prepare for next class, but reading about explosive volcanoes in student textbook.

Day 2: How Volcanoes Work

  • Introduction: Go to and explore the anatomy of a volcano.
  • Discussion: What did you learn from exploring about volcanoes? What causes them to erupt? What kind of dangers do volcanoes pose?
  • Lecture: How Volcanoes Work. Can reference:
  • Lab: the Lab from

this describes how volcanoes work.

Day 3: Materials produced by Volcanoes

  • Discussion: What did you learn about volcanoes yesterday? What types of material do they produce? How does this affect the environment around the volcano? What about the environment far from the volcano?
  • Lecture: Teach them about lava, magma, pyroclastic materials, and the gaseous produced by volcanoes, which include water vapor, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and other trace gases.
  • Lab: Create an erupting volcano by following the lab lesson: http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/lessons/Ch2CM/Handson5Volcanoes.html
  • Homework: Review global warming and write a short paragraph on why global temperatures could be affected by volcanoes.

Day 4: Sulfur Dioxide and Global Cooling

  • Introduction: Discuss homework from yesterday. How do you think volcanoes affect global temperatures?
  • Lecture: Explain briefly what causes global warming. They discuss how sulfur dioxide can cause global cooling. Show a PowerPoint about the backscattering of light in the sky because of the aerosols produced by sulfur dioxide. Discuss with the class the environmental affects of sulfur dioxide. Ask them if they think this would be a possible solution to global warming?
  • Homework: Study for exam, which will include: formation of volcanoes by plate tectonics, how they work, materials they extrude, and how sulfur dioxide causes global cooling.

Day 5: Exam

  • Exam: A multiple choice exam consisting of volcano formation, materials released, and the effects on the earth system. The exam will also consist of a written portion in which the student must explain why sulfur dioxide causes global cooling.

Assessment of Students

  • Students will turn in a graded lab report on all labs completed. They will be graded on understanding, correctness, and completeness of the laboratory assignments.
  • Students will also complete a final exam. The exam will be a multiple choice exam consisting of volcano formation, materials released, and the effects on the earth system.
  • The exam will also consist of a written portion in which the student must explain why sulfur dioxide causes global cooling.

Evaluation of Lesson

Success of lesson will be determined if 90% of students:

  • Effectively answer questions that demonstrate their understanding of these concepts.
  • Use the data given to make correct conclusions.
  • Carry-out “good” experiments that effectively test the question set-out to test.

A detailed comparison of your initial understanding with your current understanding and an explanation of how you’re thinking changed through the PBL process.

Originally I did not understand the Problem Based Learning process at all. I had never really heard about it before and did not know what it entails. After learning a little bit about it I understood that the PBL process is basically encouraging students to learn by presenting them with a problem and then guiding them through the solution process. By becoming a part of ESSEA and being a teaching and a student in the PBL process I understand even more clearly how the process works. I understand what you need to do as a teacher to guide the students through the steps they need to complete in order to solve a problem, and ultimately learn a topic.