This lesson gives students the opportunity to explore volcanoes and their impact on our planet. Students will take a virtual field trip of a dormant volcano and answer research questions about its formation and its after-effects. Next, students will discover which volcanoes in the United States are currently active. Finally, students will use an interactive map activity to explore famous eruptions from around the world. They will be given clues about the date and consequences of the eruption. Once they locate the volcano, they will place a virtual pin in its location on the world map. This lesson aligns with 6th grade Alabama Science Course of Study.
This activity was created as a result of the DLCS COS Resource Development Summit.
Weathering and erosion are continuous processes that gradually change the natural environment over time. Weathering is the process of wearing down materials into the sediment. Erosion occurs when this sediment is moved.
The classroom resource provides a video that will describe how weathering and erosion shape Earth's surface over a long period of time. There is also a short test that can be used to assess students' understanding.
Volcanoes produce some of the Earth's most violent geologic changes, but they are not always violent. Different kinds of volcanoes, including shield, cinder cone, composite, and ashflow caldera, produce different kinds of eruptions.
The classroom resource provides a video that will describe the different varieties of volcanoes and how their eruptions cause changes to Earth's surface. This resource will provide background information to students before they create their own models. There is also a short test that can be used to assess students' understanding.
This is the second of a strand of three lessons entitled Great Rivers: Where Ecology Meets History. The lessons address the concept of large rivers as dynamic ecological systems that have had vital influences on human history. This lesson focuses on flooding, both because of its importance to human history, and because it is often misunderstood. Central to this lesson is the concept that while some floods may be predictable in a general way (i.e., in the springtime), floods do not occur on a schedule.
This is the third lesson of a three-part series entitled Great Rivers: Where Ecology Meets History. These lessons address the concept of large rivers as dynamic, ecological systems that have had vital influences on human history. This lesson consists of a variety of brief sketches that illustrate how rivers have influenced human history from the dawn of civilization.