Have students write news accounts as if they were reporters covering the eruption in Kalapana, Hawaii, detailing the sights and sounds of the city's destruction. Help students find references to research the eruption. They should include mock interviews with Kalapana citizens and volcanologists on site. Have students lay out their articles using a computer, and display their work around the school. Smog and its offspring, acid rain, are serious problems in some of the world's largest cities.
People create smog by burning fossil fuels.
Vog is like smog that is produced by a volcano, and it is a serious problem on the Big Island of Hawaii. Since 1986, Kilauea has been in a continuous quiet eruptive state, with daily lava flows giving off deadly vog-causing fumes. Have students research and make lists of the components of both smog and vog. They should compare and contrast the two lists and describe how both smog and vog affect the quality of life. Encourage students to suggest ways to curb both smog and vog.