Blow the roof off your classroom with this multimedia science lesson plan on volcanic eruptions. A short online video teaches young geologists about shield and composite volcanoes and explores the examples of Kilauea and Mt. Vesuvius, before children are asked to complete a Venn diagram comparing these two types of volcanoes.

Concepts

volcanoes, volcanic eruptions, volcano types, lava, magma, geology, physical geography, the ring of fire, geographic features

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Watch this video during an introductory lesson on volcanoes in the upper-elementary or middle school grades
• Have students watch the included video and complete the Venn diagram as homework in your flipped classroom, discussing their work in class the following day
• Extend learning by having learners research any volcanoes that the USGS map indicates are active

Classroom Considerations

• If computers are not available in your classroom, schedule time in the computer lab for students to watch the video and complete the Venn diagram worksheet independently

Pros

• Resource provides a link to a US Geological Survey map that shows the current activity of North American volcanoes
• A Venn diagram is provided for comparing the eruptions of shield and composite volcanoes

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.6.2 SL.7.2 SL.8.2 RST.6-8.4 RST.6-8.9