St. Helens: Out of the Ash Learning Resource Guide

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St. Helens: Out of the Ash Learning Resource Guide Overview: In May of 1980 Mount St. Helens grabbed the world s attention by putting on a volcanic display never before witnessed in modern times.

1 St. Helens: Out of the Ash Learning Resource Guide Overview: In May of 1980 Mount St. Helens grabbed the world s attention by putting on a volcanic display never before witnessed in modern times. Today, it still fascinates millions. People from around the globe are drawn to the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Through eyewitness accounts and dramatic visuals, students will be able to better understand the effects of the eruption of Mount St. Helens and the changes that have occurred to the mountain and its surrounding areas ever since. Rating: G Subject Areas: Life Science, Earth Science, Pacific Northwest Geography/History Grade Levels: 6-9 Materials: Lesson handouts, laptops/handheld devices, dictionaries Learning Guide Objectives: Define and analyze the following words: volcano, magma, lava, eruption, dome, active, dormant, extinct, formation, plates, diverging, extrusive, and intrusive. Identify the types and key features of a volcano. Describe and analyze the geological and societal effects of volcanic eruptions, using Mount St. Helens as a case study. Standards Next Generation Science Middle & High School Standards MS-ESS3 Earth and Human Activity: MS-ESS3-2. Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects. HS-ESS3 Earth and Human Activity: HS-ESS3-1. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity. Washington State Social Studies Standards EALR 3: GEOGRAPHY: 3.2. Understands human interaction with the environment. Common Core English Language Arts Anchor Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.7 Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

2 Lessons

3 I. Before the Film Background Building (Part 1) (45 minute lesson) 1. Warm-up: Students complete a KWL (I Know-I Want to Know-I Learned) chart about volcanoes. 2. Turn and talk: Students turn to a neighbor and share their know and want to know lists. They add new information they hear in the know column. Select a few students to share their know and want to know lists (novel ideas only) to the class. Students add new information in the know column. 3. Knowledge building: In pairs, students explore the interactive resource, Volcanism, from PBS Learning Media. Laptops, handheld devices, or printed copies of the text can be used. Students write 5 new things they learned about volcanoes from exploring this resource. Give students about ten minutes to explore and skim the text. They will examine the text more deeply in the next activity. 4. Jigsaw reading: Students will split into expert groups and read a particular section of the Volcanism interactive resource and take notes on important facts. a. Expert group #1 (beginner): What is a Volcano? b. Expert group #2 (advanced students): Types of Volcanoes c. Expert group #3 (advanced students): Where Volcanoes Come From d. Expert group #4 (intermediate): Magma e. Expert group #5 (intermediate): Volcanic Rocks 5. Wrap-up: On post-it notes, students write one important thing they learned about volcanoes today and explain why this is important. Students place the post-it s on the board before they leave class. Variations: Students can explore assigned sections of the Volcanism interactive site with a partner and work together to take notes on important facts. Homeschooling students can explore each section of the site at their own pace and take notes in the note-taking chart.

4 II. Before the Film Background Building (Part 2) (45 minute lesson) Students should have the previous day s handout on their desks during this lesson. 1. Warm-up: Students complete a word web for the word volcano. They write down as many things they know and have learned about volcanoes. Encourage them to revisit the notes they took during yesterday s lesson. 2. Turn and talk: Students turn to a neighbor and share their word web list. They listen to their partner s list and add new information to their word web. Select a few students to share their ideas (novel ideas only) with the class. Students add new information to their word web. 3. Knowledge sharing: Students meet in their home groups or new groups (make sure a student from each of each of yesterday s expert groups is represented). Students should present the 5 facts they identified yesterday and summarize what this tells them about volcanoes. Group members listen carefully and take notes (they must write at least 2 facts). Stress that this is a speaking and listening activity. Students should not copy information from their peers but should write notes based on listening to their classmates. 4. Vocabulary Building: In pairs, students pick 3 interesting vocabulary words pertaining to volcanoes. They then complete a Freyer vocabulary chart for their three chosen terms. Complete one Freyer chart together as a class for the word volcano as a model. Suggested vocabulary: magma, lava, eruption, dome, active, dormant, extinct, formation, plate, diverging, molten, igneous, intrusive, extrusive. Select a few students to share their vocabulary analysis. 6. Wrap-up: On post-it notes, students write the most interested thing they learned from the knowledge sharing activity and one question they still have about volcanoes. Students place the post-its on the board before they leave class. Variations: In groups or pairs, students can create a poster of one of their Freyer vocabulary charts and present it to the class. Students can create a vocabulary journal, defining and analyzing multiple vocabulary words. More background building resources: PBS Learning Media s curriculum resources around volcanoes and NOVA s Anatomy of a Volcano

5 III. During the film the geological and societal effects of volcanic eruptions Through these sets of critical thinking questions students can analyze the geological and societal effects of volcanic eruptions, using Mount St. Helens as a case study. You may use some or all of the video segments in your classroom. Make sure to preview the comprehension questions with students before watching each segment. After students write their response to the question, have them share their responses with a partner to encourage knowledge sharing. You may want to have students watch the segments and complete the discussion questions with a partner or in small groups. Segment One (0:00-.1:00): Introduction After watching this segment, students will complete an I see, I think, I wonder chart based on the images they see and sounds they hear from the film. Segment Two (1:01-8:01): Before the eruption 1. Why is it important to revisit the events of the 1980 eruption at Mount St. Helens and listen to first-hand accounts of the people who lived through it? 2. What did Mount St. Helens look like before the 1980 eruption (size, shape, height, characteristics, etc.)? 3. What physical changes did Mount St. Helens go through right before the eruption? 4. How did the city try to protect people living in the surrounding area? What were people s reactions? 5. What were some clues that showed that the eruption of Mount St. Helens would be more dangerous than first predicted? Segment Three (8:02-13:55): The eruption of Mount St. Helens 1. When the eruption finally occurred on May 18, 1980, what did it look, sound, and feel like? Include evidence from Joel Harvey and Dorothy Stoffel s first-hand experiences. 2. What surprised you the most as you watched the eruption unfold? Segment Four (13:56-20:35): Geological effects 1. What were three effects that the eruption of St. Helens had on the surrounding environment? (Possible answers: landslides, scorching of forests/ blasting of gases and rocks, mudflows, tidal waves, release of debris and ashes, etc.). 2. In your opinion, which effect was most damaging? Use specific examples from the film to support your claim. Segment Five (20:36-26:54): Societal effects 1. Why was driving in Central and Eastern Washington nearly impossible after the eruption?

6 2. Why did the population of Ritzville, WA nearly double in size? 3. What happened to the city of Spokane during this time? 4. How did the region change after the eruption? (Possible answers: more ash, debris, mountain became smaller, loss of wildlife, etc.) 5. How many people were saved from rescue efforts and how many lives were lost? 6. Describe the physical effects of the eruption on the survivors. 7. What do you think it would been have like to live in the surrounding towns during and after the eruption? Segment Six (34.28:-40:12): The National Volcanic Monument 1. What have been the advantages of preserving the affected areas of St. Helens as a monument? 2. How has the habitat in the areas in and around the monument changed? Segment Seven (47:21-54:08): Scientific findings 1. When scientists compared the dome of Mount St. Helen in 1980 to the dome in 2004, what differences did they find? 2. What are three important findings scientists have discovered by studying Mount St. Helen s years after the eruption? Segment Eight (54:09-57:55): The future 1. How has technology helped scientists analyze Mount St. Helen s past and future activities? 2. Why does the reporter say there is still much to be learned from the eruption of Mount St. Helen?

7 IV. After the film suggested activities 1. Q&A session. Invite a speaker to the classroom who can recount their personal experience with the Mount St. Helen s eruption. The speaker could even be you, the teacher, or staff members within the school building. Have students write interview questions and hold a Q& A session. 2. Interviews. Have students find a person within the school or neighborhood community that had a personal experience with the Mount St. Helen s eruption or can recall the events of the day. Have students conduct an interview with their selected person and present what they learned with the class. 3. Letter writing. Students can write an imaginary letter to a person who lived in the areas or towns surrounding Mount St. Helen. 4. Narrative writing or art project. Have students identify a significant event that has occurred in their lives. Have students write a personal narrative about this event and its significance. Or, have students create a piece of art or an object that depicts this event and write a description of it. 5. First person narrative or creative writing: Students can write a first person account or a short story around the St. Helen s eruption, detailing its geological, personal, and societal effects. 6. Poster or model project: Students can create a poster or a model of Mount St. Helens before and after the eruption, noting the change in features and characteristics. 7. Essay writing: Students can write a research essay on the geological and/or societal effects of volcanic eruptions, using their learning from St. Helens as evidence and incorporating new research. Another essay option could be for students to compare and contrast the eruption of Mount St. Helen s with another volcanic eruption or natural disaster. 8. Blog or Facebook page: Students could create a blog page to share facts and personal stories of Mount St. Helens.

8 Handouts

9 Name: Date: St. Helens: Before Viewing the Film (Part 1) Volcano Types and Features A. KWL Chart Write 5 or more things you know about volcanoes and 3 or more things you want to know. After exploring the Volcanism resource with your partner, write 5 or more things you learned. I know I want to know I learned B. Expert Group Reading Note-taking Chart As you explore your assigned reading with your group, write 5 important facts in the chart below. Next, summarize what each fact tells you about volcanoes. Facts 1. What this facts tell me about volcanoes

10 Name: Date: St. Helens: Before Viewing the Film (Part 1) Volcano Vocabulary A. Word Web Write down everything you know about volcanoes (think about some of the amazing new things you learned yesterday!). VOLCANO B. Knowledge Share out Read aloud the 5 five things you learned about volcanoes from your expert group assigned text. Listen to each group member s presentation about what they learned and write at least 2 important facts you learned. Presenter s Name Name of Text Important Facts

11 C. Vocabulary Complete the Freyer vocabulary charts below to analyze 3 volcano related vocabulary words. We ll complete one chart together for the term volcano.

12 Name: Date: St. Helens: Viewing the Film Geological and societal effects of volcanic eruptions Segment One: Introduction As you watch the first minute of St. Helens: Out of the Ash, list the images you see then describe what you think and wonder about these images. See Think Wonder Segment Two: Before the eruption 1. Why is it important to revisit the events of the 1980 eruption at Mount St. Helens and listen to first-hand accounts of the people who lived through it? 2. What did Mount St. Helens look like before the 1980 eruption (size, shape, height, characteristics, etc.)? 3. What physical changes did Mount St. Helens go through right before the eruption? 4. How did the city try to protect people living in the surrounding area? How did people react?

13 5. What were some clues that showed that the eruption of Mount St. Helens would be more dangerous than first predicted? Segment Three: The eruption of Mount St. Helens 1. When the eruption finally occurred on May 18, 1980, what did it look, sound, and feel like? Include evidence from Joel Harvey and Dorothy Stoffel first-hand experiences. 2. What surprised you the most as you watched the eruption unfold? Segment Four: Geological effects 1. What were three effects that the eruption of St. Helens had on the surrounding environment? 2. In your opinion, which effect was most damaging? Use specific examples from the film to support your claim.

14 Segment Five: Societal effects 1. Why was driving in Central and Eastern Washington nearly impossible after the eruption? 2. Why did the population of Ritzville, WA nearly double in size? 3. What happened to the city of Spokane during this time? 4. How did the region change after the eruption? 5. How many people were saved from rescue efforts and how many lives were lost? 6. Describe the physical effects of the eruption on survivors. 7. What do you think it would been have like to live in the surrounding towns during and after the eruption?

15 Segment Six: The National Volcanic Monument 1. What have been the advantages of preserving the affected areas of St. Helens as a monument? 2. How has the habitat in the areas in and around the monument changed? Segment Seven: Scientific findings 1. When scientists compared the dome of Mount St. Helen in 1980 to the dome in 2004, what differences did they find? 2. What are three important findings scientists have discovered by studying Mount St. Helen s years after the eruption? Segment Eight: The future 1. How has technology helped scientists analyze Mount St. Helen s past and future activities? 2. Why does the reporter say there is still much to be learned from the eruption of Mount St. Helen?

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