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Earthworks
Earth System Science for Secondary Teachers
Identifying and Mapping Differences in Lava Flows on Mt. St. Helens, Washington
5th Grade Earth Science
Time : This project will take approximately five weeks to complete with fifth graders. Sampling, testing, interpreting and reporting will be the four parts.
Link to Science Standards : Washington State Essential Learning Requirements Grade 5:Changes: Benchmark 1: Understand how interactions within and among systems cause changes in matter and energy. 1.3 Processes and Interactions in the Earth System. Identify processes that change the surface of Earth such as earthquakes, erosion, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and weathering. Inquiry: Benchmark 2: The student knows and applies the skills, processes, and nature of scientific inquiry. 2.1 Investigating Systems: Develop the knowledge and skills necessary to do scientific inquiry. 1 Ask questions about objects, organisms and events in the environment. 2. Plan and conduct simple investigations, using appropriate tools, measures, and safety rules. 3. Use data to construct reasonable explanations. 5. Record and report observations, explanations, and conclusions using visual, oral, written and mathematical expression. 2.2 Nature of Science: Understand the nature of scientific inquiry. 1. Understand that all scientific observations should be reported accurately even when they contradict expectations. 2. Distinguish between questions that can be answered with science and technology and those that cannot.
Background Needs : In the fall I teach a unit on volcanoes and earthquakes. This includes doing many labs. One lab on" Lava Layering", a second on "Jello volcanoes" (showing how magma intrudes) and an "Evacuation Scenario" lab should they be trapped in the vicinity of an erupting volcano. I take my class on a trip to Mt. St. Helens as a culminating end to this unit.
After the St. Helens trip I start in on teaching the students about rocks and minerals and erosion and deposition. This learning experience would fit in nicely with volcanoes and rocks and minerals since it does deal with both.
Learning Objectives : Students shall be able to pose a question, collect data, test results using testing chemicals, interpret data, write a report of their findings, make a report board and report orally to the class on their findings.
Procedures :
- Students learn the basics of volcanoes including a unit in their science books about earth's processes (including volcanoes)
- Students take several tests on the unit in their science books.
- A local volcanologist visits to tell students of the hazards of living near a volcano (like Mt Rainier), and to teach students about the role of a volcanologist.
- Students do a "Lava Layering" lab.
- Students work on an "Evacuation Scenario" (if they were camping next to a volcano that suddenly erupts and they have limited supplies….how will they evacuate?)
- Students make a trip to Mt. St. Helens to get GPS waypoints of lava flows (with a volcanologist or geologist if possible).
- Data is brought back to classroom and students work on assembling information into a map on ArcView.
- Students start on group projects where they analyze their data, keep notes in a journal and write a report showing their findings.
Assessment : Students will work in groups of two to organize their questions, collect data, test samples and write a report. Students weekly will turn in journals showing what they have accomplished. Students will write up a concluding report which will be shared with the class orally. A report board will be constructed showing a map and waypoints of where their data was taken from.
Each of these parts will be graded according to a rubric with points attached.
Enrichment : Students will study caves later in the year with a fieldtrip to the largest lava tube cave in the continental U.S.
Resources: Resources include; parent involvement in driving for fieldtrips; materials from Mt. St. Helens Visitor Center showing age, composition and type of lava flows; GPS's from National Geographic grant; supplies for labs; ArcView software for map; expertise from area geologists.
Barriers and strategies for overcoming barriers: Barriers that I see at this time are getting up to Mt St. Helens on an additional fieldtrip to collect samples of lava flows. (get parent involvement going) Another barrier would be to interpret information when we get it….how can you tell the differences between lava flows? How can you date them?
I feel by having a geologist/volcanologist to assist us we can find a way to work with these barriers.
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