Teaching Volcanoes

Teaching Volcanoes Packet is available here. Click here to see the Table of Contents. The Packet contains over 100 pages of ready-to-run materials covering: Types of Volcanoes & Lava, World Volcano Zones, & the Relationship between Earthquakes & Volcanoes. The CD or Email-Delivered Download contains: detailed lesson plans & ideas, bellwork and journal suggestions, labs and worksheets with answers, tests & quizzes with answers, active learning suggestions including Types of Volcanoes & Types of Lava Foldables©, and several Team Game suggestions you can run off on colored paper. Also includes: Three PowerPoints! Can be purchased as a Download or a CD. Several items from this Packet are also available below at NO CHARGE!

You are welcome to use these ideas in your classroom, within your science department, within your school district, or to distribute to any teacher who may find these lessons useful. I only ask that:
1. You cannot sell these lessons or make a profit on them in any way.
2. You cite the lessons original source, and do not white-out the copyright footer on the pdf files
3. Do not copy and paste lessons onto your website. A link to the original is to be used.
4. Do not claim these lessons as your own work.
NOTE: This disclaimer is modeled after a couple of my favorite websites: The Science Spot and Middle School Science. Thanks, teachers!

Volcano Study Guide

Based on Heath Earth Science. You can make a similar one, related to your own textbook. Add your own diagrams for labeling. Click here for my version.

UPDATE: I don't use Study Guides much anymore. Boring isn't educationally sound, in my opinion. Much better to do a Cut & Paste FactSheet. Students cut out provided answers and paste into the correct position on the FactSheet. Provide space for some written answers, usually higher compare/contrast questions, such as How are Mafic and Felsic Lavas different? Great interaction between students as they strive to paste answers correctly. I usually see 100% of the students involved which can't be said for the traditional Study Guide!

Types of Volcanoes

Emphasizes the three main different volcanoes. Also hits on Felsic and Mafic lava. Follow up with Volcano Skits. Click here for pdf worksheet. Add your own sketches or ask the student to do the sketches!

Volcano PowerPoint Presentation

Click here to download.

Volcano Skits

Assign groups one of the three main types of volcanoes: composite, cinder cone, or shield. Require each group to illustrate the following in their skit: the slope of their volcano, the type of eruption, and the type of lava. they cannot talk, but can makes noises, especially to make the eruption noises. Everyone has to participate for full points. Let the rest of the class guess which one is being presented instead of having a group announce it. I've seen some great stuff with this assignment and I think they remember them better.

Construct a Volcano

This is a deceptively simple lab. Even high schoolers are challenged by having to correctly construct the three types of volcanoes out of "play dough." This works well in tandem with Types of Volcanoes worksheet. Click here for the lab.

Plotting World Earthquakes & Volcanoes

One of the best ways to wrap up a Plate Tectonics Unit is to use the plotting of earthquakes and volcanoes on a world map and have the students DEDUCE the plate boundaries. This works even better if you use recent world volcanoes and earthquakes. You'd need to start early in your Tectonics unit. I've done this on a world map on a bulletin board with different colored push pins. Students also plotted on their world maps. Click here for one version with "canned" plot points.

Created by MJKrech
URL: http://www.mjksciteachingideas.com/volcano.html
Email: mjkrech@yahoo.com