Support for long-term classroom planning and professional development. Information covering important topics for today's educators and parents. Discussion of the events reveals students' prior knowledge of related science concepts, while an authentic group project helps students to refine their knowledge and to explore new concepts and processes. The 1991eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippine Islands is the focus of this unit's six week study of earth science concepts. For their group project, students then develop a public information campaign to inform other middle school students about volcanoes and about hazards related to living in the shadow of Mount Rainier.
Some information is obtained through science activities, discovery files, and stories in the module.
Individual student research provides additional information. The unit contains six science activities in which students create a demonstration showing how the composition of a liquid affects its viscosity, classify and identify igneous rocks, and build a model of a volcanic caldera and observe and record the relationship between different variables. Four interdisciplinary activities in the unit incorporate mathematics, social studies, technology, and writing. The assessment component of this unit consists of rubrics for performance assessments, along with a comprehensive writing assignment that employs peer responses and self evaluation. Maps, answer keys, and masters for student worksheets are also provided.