Time Travelers: Volcanoes

• Introduction
• Learners
• Standards
• Process
• Resources


• Student Page

by Paula Kaplan, St. Mary, Star Of The Sea School

Student teams will study volcanoes and volcanic events from the distant and recent past, as well as the development of technology for monitoring and predicting volcanic events. They will produce a multimedia presentation including maps, charts, illustrations, and descriptions of volcanoes and technologies. They will analyze their research in order to recommend which monitoring and prediction technology is the most promising and most deserving of financial support.

Teacher Introduction

This lesson intends to take students on a journey through time to study plate tectonics, historic eruptions of volcanoes, recent volcanic events, currently active volcanoes, and the sites of possible future volcanic events.  In addtition, they will study the technology used to monitor volcanoes and predicting events.  Their goal is to evaluate the technology and determine which seem to be the most effective and therefore the most deserving of funding by the fictional group, SOLVE (the Society for Overcoming Lethal Volcanic Events).  The students are grouped in teams of four, although the teacher may adapt this to suit the needs of the class, or if they choose to incorporate the Possible Extensions listed below.

• use the Internet to do research;
• use graphics software to create maps OR use a scanner to create electronic images of handmade maps; 
• create spreadsheets and charts for documentation and analysis;
• create an electronic multimedia presentation to use as a visual aid during an oral presentation
• use a digital camera (optional) to take pictures of their group.   

If the technology suggested is not available, the teacher may make adaptations (see Teacher Process).

Students will evaluate their research and use the Process Guide for Building Consensus to determine which technology to recommend as the most promising and deserving of financial support.

Students will present their research and recommendation with the aid of their multimedia presentation.

This study will be done within a story framework.  In the scenario, the team has invented a reliable time travel device and has been hired by an international organization seeking to fund the most promising technology to monitor and predict volcanic events in order to protect people. This scenario is intended to add imaginative details around the central serious research, as well as to encourage evaluation of the research for the purpose of making a recommendation.  Students may be encouraged to add their own imaginative details to their presentations (see "Possible Extensions" below).