Students, working in groups of 4, will follow directions to make a model of a volcano using modeling clay. Students will use one cup of sand, one cup stones, and one cup of soil to make a hill that will not wash away when one cup of water is poured over it. Students will brainstorm plans for constructing hills. Have them sketch several plans that they have discussed the advantages of. Have groups display their sketches and discuss how they would alter their hills based on the results of their tests.
Earthquakes Have students imagine they live in a town that is threatened by frequent earthquakes.
Instruct them to write a plan to protect their families during an earthquake. Design a brochure to distribute to family and friends to teach earthquake safety. If available, use Microsoft Publisher to make the brochure. 9- Icebergs Have students imagine they are serving on a United Nations committee that must decide whether icebergs should be used as sources of fresh water. Elicit questions that they would need to ask in order to obtain enough information in order to make a sound decision.