Shannon Carpenter
TE 804, Spring 2002
Mark Olson
February 17, 2002
Teaching Experiment Planning
My experiment will be centered on the idea that by providing opportunities for success and allowing
students to create a finished product, students will become more motivated to learn. For this teaching
experiment, students will be asked to work in pairs to complete a PowerPoint Presentation about a specific
volcano. This project will be worked on during the course of the two-week mini-unit on volcanoes.
Students will be asked to apply their knowledge of volcanoes during these two weeks to find information and
explain concepts regarding their particular volcano. Every pair of students will have their own volcano that
they will be assigned to. This will hopefully encourage students to complete the assignment individually
without using their peers to gather information for them. I believe that this project will provide an
opportunity for success for my students because of many reasons. First, it is my believe that the students will
be more motivated to learn the material because they will want to be prepared and knowledgeable for when
they have to present the material in front of the class. Also, I have planned out this project to be due in
small parts where students will be asked to turn in specific sketches of storyboards presentation slides. I
have done this for two reasons. First, because the students are asked to write/sketch the information on
storyboards, they will hopefully be more focused on the information instead of the technology. Secondly, by
having students turn in about four slides a week, as a teacher, I will be able to review their slides making sure
that there are no misconceptions or any confusions about the material. The overall goal of this activity is to
motivate the students to complete the assignment by leading up to the complex part of the making of the
PowerPoint slides and actual presentation. Using small simple step tasks will do this. Because this is a large,
complex project, I am also hoping that students will be more motivated to learn the material because they so
rarely in my class get to create a finished product that they can share with their peers.
Students will be asked to turn in about four storyboard sketches of slides a week. After completing
all ten slides on paper, students will spend another day in the computer lab transferring this information to
digital format using Microsoft PowerPoint software. My embedded assessment will primarily be based on
the storyboard sketches, which when the students turned them in, I will look for correctness and the
understanding of the material. Students will be encouraged to explain the main concepts of the unit in their
slides. While the students are working on their projects in the computer lab and during their presentations,
there will also be some verbal assessment where I will rotate around the room asking students to explain
their answers to me. Hopefully, by this I will be able to identify whether or not students get the “big picture”
and understand the main concepts in the unit. If I see that students are having difficulty with a section or are
not able to apply the knowledge to their own volcanic situation, I will take the time the next day and re-teach
part of the lesson to “guide” students in the right direction. Also, to make sure that students understand the
behavioral expectations, I have largely weighted their computer lab behavior in their final project grade. To
encourage students to actively listen to the presenters at the end, students will be given a worksheet that will
be worth homework points they will have to complete. For this worksheet, students will be asked to write
what they thought was the most important thing they learned about every presentation.
I decided to choose this as my experimental focus because my urban students have very poor writing
skills and this gives them an opportunity to communicate to me and to their peers that they understand the
material without having to write a long research paper or by completing the normal routine of boring
worksheets. Because it is funded by Michigan State University, I would like to say that technology is the
main focus of the school. Many students who struggle in academic classes can stay after school and
participate in a program called, “Klick” where students can learn and experiment with different forms of
technology (making movies, making web pages, taking pictures with digital cameras, etc.) I can honestly
say that there is no student I have met so far at this middle school that doesn’t love working with computers
and many of these students have already worked with PowerPoint before. However, a large majority of these
students don’t have the opportunity to work with them at home so I am interested to see if the students will
more actively participate in the experiment because it is something different and fun. Another thing I
considered when thinking about this experiment was that many of my students are very creative and I
thought that this would also give these students another opportunity for this creativity to shine. My tentative
hypothesis to what I think I will learn is that I believe that I will get an increased amount of student work as
compared to normal written daily exercises. I think this will be the case because of the large amount of time
spent on the project, students will be able to work in pairs, students will have to present the material to the
class (be a teacher for the day), and because technology is involved. However, I am interested to see how
well my students will be able to work in pairs and how many students will try to skip the storyboard sketches
due dates and wait until the end final presentation date to put the project together at the last minute.
Volcano PowerPoint Presentation Assignment
Final Presentation Due: March 17, 2002
Power point presentation – you will turn in an outline and a storyboard showing the evolution of your topic.
Your final product will be the power point presentation. You will give the presentation in class and you’ll be
asked to answer three of the classes’ questions specifically concerning your PowerPoint. You will have to
answer one question from me.
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In class, you will draw a volcano name from a hat. You will be responsible for researching and
presenting information ONLY about this volcano.
Create a storyboard of your PowerPoint so that you have ten sketches of the ten slides you intend to
use.
Research your topic using your textbook or an encyclopedia in the library.
Research your topic using the Internet –
You may only use the following web pages to do your research on the Internet!!!
WEBSITE NAME
WEBSITE URL ADDRESS
Volcano World
http://volcano.und.edu/
Volcanoes of the World
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/framework.html
Ask an Earth-Scientist
http://imina.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/ASK/volcanoes.html
Volcano
http://www.fema.gov/kids/volcano.htm
Volcanoes Online
http://library.thinkquest.org/17457/english.html
Michigan Technological University Volcanoes Page
http://www.geo.mtu.edu/volcanoes/
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On your outline, write down a search term you use and three other search terms you get from the sites
you visit.
Pick at least three different sites you will use for information.
Create a power point presentation using the three different websites
You should have 10 total slides.
Five slides should include pictures – copy the pictures from the websites as shown in class (copy and
paste).
Include at the end of your presentation a list of the websites that you used (use copy and paste).
Information that you MUST include in your presentation:
Location of the volcano (explain where it is in the world) with coordinates, elevation (how high is the
volcano), and size of the volcano (what is the approximate diameter of it).
Explain why the volcano is located there in terms of Plate Tectonics (what plates are involved and are
they diverging or converging).
History of Eruptions (has this volcano erupted before).
Is this volcano currently dormant, active or extinct (dead)?
Identify the type of eruption. Quiet or Explosive – Describe the chemistry of the lava (what color the
lava was and what type of rock formed from this cooled lava) that causes this and if there was any ash.
Identify the type of volcano (Shield, Cinder Cone, Composite, Lava Plateaus, Caldera).
Did this volcano cause any damage and how does it or did it affect the people who live by it?
Example of Story Board Slide
History of Eruptions
Fuji has erupted at least 16 times since 781 AD. Most of
these eruptions were moderate to moderate-large in size.
The most recent eruption was in 1707-1708 from a vent on
the southeast side of the cone. The eruption ejected 0.8
cubic km of ash, blocks, and bombs. Five historic eruptions
have caused damage, including the 1707-1708 eruption, but
no fatalities. Fuji had two large eruptions in 1050 and 930
BC.
Graphic of Mount Fuji Here
Rubric for PowerPoint Presentations:
Student name:
Goals the students are trying to achieve.
Points Possible
Points Received
Student worked in lab without disrupting others.
10
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Student participated equally in creating the
PowerPoint.
5
012345
Student participated in presentation.
5
012345
PowerPoint includes an adequate sketch on the
storyboard slides.
10
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
PowerPoint focused on one theme
3
0123
PowerPoint includes evidence of three WebPages.
3
0123
PowerPoint includes proper number of slides with
information.
10
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Presenters answered student and teacher questions.
4
01234
Total Points
50
Comments:
Daily Lesson Plans for Volcano Mini-Unit
Week One
Monday – STUDENTS WILL DRAW VOLCANO ASSIGNMENTS OUT OF A HAT AND
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION WILL BE EXPLAINED.
Tuesday - REVIEW OF PLATE TECTONICS, STORYBOARDS #1 - #4 TO BE COMPLETED AND
RESEARCHED IN COMPUTER LAB.
Wednesday – BLOCK SCEDULING – INTRODUCTION OF VOLCANIC ACTIVITY,
STORYBOARDS #5 - #8 TO BE COMPLETED AND RESEARCHED IN COMPUTER LAB.
Thursday – BLOCK SCEDULING – CLASS DOES NOT MEET
Friday –THE RING OF FIRE, ICELAND AND AZORES ISLANDS
Week Two
Monday – HOT SPOT VOLCANOES (HAWAII, YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK)
Tuesday – STRUCTURE OF THE VOLCANO (CRATOR, VENT, SIDE VENT, PIPE, MAGMA,
MAGMA CHAMBER, LAVA FLOW)
Wednesday – BLOCK SCEDULING – INTRODUCTION TO VOLCANIC HAZARDS,
STORYBOARDS #9 - #10 TO BE COMPLETED AND RESEARCHED IN COMPUTER LAB.
Thursday – BLOCK SCEDULING – CLASS DOES NOT MEET
Friday – OTHER TYPES OF VOLCANIC ACTIVITY (HOT SPRINGS, GEOTHERMAL ENERGY)
Week Three
Monday – MONITORING AND PREDICTING VOLCANIC ACTIVITY
Tuesday – COMPUTER LAB – TRANSFERRING STORYBOARDS TO DIGITAL FORMAT
(STUDENTS WILL BE SUPPLIED WITH A POWERPOINT TEMPLATE IF NEEDED.)
Wednesday – BLOCK SCEDULING – FINAL POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS
Thursday – BLOCK SCEDULING – CLASS DOES NOT MEET
Friday – VOLCANO EXAM
Lesson Plan #1
Normal Schedule Day
Lesson Plan Topic: Review of Plate Tectonics
Context:
This lesson plan takes place during one of the normal scheduling days during the first week of my volcano
mini-unit, which will be a total of 2-2 ½ weeks long. The first 15 minutes of this class period will be spent
reviewing with the students the basic concepts of plate tectonics including where the seven major earth’s
plates are located, the various types of plate boundaries are commonly found and what geologic features are
normally produced from them (i.e. volcanoes, mountains, etc.) During the rest of this hour, students will
then be asked to apply this previous knowledge and explain the formation of a volcano that was randomly
chosen for them to research. Students will be expected to present this information in the form of a
PowerPoint Presentation for their classmates at the end of the month of March.
Science Statement(s):
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Plate tectonics is the geologic theory that states that pieces of the Earth’s lithosphere are in constant,
slow motion, driven by the convection currents in the mantle. The theory of plate tectonics explains the
formation, movement, and subduction of the Earth’s plates.
Plates can slip past each other at transform boundaries, move apart at divergent boundaries, and come
together at convergent boundaries.
Volcanic belts form along the boundaries of the Earth’s plates. At plate boundaries, huge pieces of the
crust diverge (pull apart) or converge (push together). Here the crust is weak and fractured, allowing
magma to reach the surface.
Most volcanoes occur along diverging plate boundaries, such as the mid-ocean ridge, or in subduction
zones around the edges of oceans.
Objective(s):
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Explain the theory of plate tectonics.
Describe the three types of plate boundaries.
Identify where Earth’s volcanic regions are found, and explain why they are found there.
Activities:
1. Things to do Today:
a. Review Plate Tectonics
b. Research in Computer Lab
c. Homework: Finish Story Board Slides #1 - #4 By Tomorrow
2. First, students will take out their notes on plate tectonics and there will be a short review (in the form
of a class discussion) of where the major seven plates are found on the Earth and the various types of
plate boundaries.
3. Students will then spend the rest of the hour in the computer lab researching their topic. It is
important to note that students will NOT be able to search the Internet freely. Students must stick to
the strict guidelines on the assignment handout. Students will also not be able to work on their
PowerPoint Presentations on this day because all focus must be spent on finding the information.
Tell the students to write down all information and the location of where they want the text to be on
their storyboard slides. For graphics, have the students draw a box of where they want the graphic to
be located on their slide and then write the words graphic in the box with the URL of where they
located the image underneath it.
4. During class, students should be able to complete the four slides. If students are confused about slide
layout, a recommended setup of slides is as follows: Slide #1 – Title Screen with large image of
volcano, Slide #2 – Location of the volcano and coordinates, Slide #3 – Elevation and size
(diameter), Slide #4 – Plate tectonics
5. MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS SPEND THE MOST TIME ON THE EXPLAINATION OF THE
PLATE TECTONICS SLIDE!!!
Assessment:
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Formal assessment will be included at the end of the volcano mini-unit when students will have a
comprehensive exam over the material. This exam will cover plate tectonics, the types of volcanoes,
structure of the volcano, characteristics that affect eruptions and its cultural affects on humans.
Informal assessment will be based on whether the students correctly applied and were able to explain the
main concepts of this mini-unit for the PowerPoint Presentations.
Notes:
Sample Storyboard Slide Worksheets
Names: _________________________
_________________________
Hr: _______
Slide #1
Slide #2
Slide #3
Slide #4
Lesson Plan #2
Two-Hour Block Schedule Day
Course Topic: Volcanic Activity
Context:
This lesson plan takes place during one of the block scheduling days during the second week of my volcano
mini-unit. The first hour of this block will be spent explaining to the students what affects volcanic activity
and how this determines the type of volcano formed. During the second hour, students will then be asked to
apply this knowledge to research volcanic activity of their specified volcano. Students will be expected to
present this information in the form of a PowerPoint Presentation for their classmates at the end of the month
of March.
Science Statement(s):
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The force of the volcanic eruption depends partly on the amount of gas dissolved in the magma, how
thick of thin the lava is, its temperature, and its silica content. The hotter the lava, the thinner it will be
thus, causing the eruption to be mild. Also, magma that is low in silica flows readily and will also help
to create a quiet eruption.
Geologists often describe volcanoes with terms usually reserved for living things, such as sleeping,
awakening, alive or dead. An active, or live, volcano is one that is erupting or has shown signs that it
may erupt in the near future. A dormant, or sleeping, volcano is like a sleeping bear. Scientists expect a
dormant volcano to awaken in the future and become active. However, there may be thousands of years
between eruptions. An extinct, or dead, volcano is unlikely to erupt again.
Rock and other materials formed from lava create a variety of landforms including shield volcanoes,
composite volcanoes, cinder cone volcanoes, and lava plateaus. Shield volcanoes are formed when
repeated lava flows during quiet eruptions gradually build up a broad, gently sloping volcanic mountain
known as a shield volcano. When cinder erupts explosively from a volcanic vent, they pile up around
the vent, forming a cone-shaped hill called a cinder cone. Lastly, composite volcanoes are formed when
layers of lava alternate with layers of ash, cinders and bombs (which has both quiet and explosive
eruptions).
Objective(s):
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Explain how the two types of volcanic eruptions differ depending on the characteristics of magma.
Identify types of volcanic activity other than eruptions.
Explain the three different stages of a volcano (dormant, active and extinct).
Identify landforms that lava and other volcanic materials create on the Earth’s surface (shield volcanoes,
cinder cone volcanoes, composite volcanoes, lava plateaus).
Activities:
6. Things to do Today:
a. Take Notes on Volcanic Activity
b. Research in Computer Lab
c. Homework: Finish Story Board Slides #5 - #8 By Tomorrow
7. First, students will take notes on some of the main concepts of volcanic activity such as the
characteristics of magma, types of eruptions (quiet and explosive and what causes these), stages of a
volcano (dormant, active and extinct) and the various types of volcanoes and how they are formed. If
students still seem confused about the subject matter, a worksheet can be included reviewing some of
the main ideas. For example, a worksheet can be made where students can identify the different
types of volcanoes based on images and then student will be accountable for explaining how they
were formed, what the color and chemistry of the lava that will come out of this volcano and whether
the eruption will be more likely to be explosive or quiet when the volcano becomes active again.
8. Students will then spend the next hour in the computer lab researching their topic. It is important to
note that students will NOT be able to search the Internet freely. Students must stick to the strict
guidelines on the assignment handout. Students will also not be able to work on their PowerPoint
Presentations on this day because all focus must be spent on finding the information. Tell the
students to write down all information and the location of where they want the text to be on their
storyboard slides. For graphics, have the students draw a box of where they want the graphic to be
located on their slide and then write the words graphic in the box with the URL of where they located
the image underneath it.
9. Mention to students that they will be provided with a template if needed when they actually start
working with the PowerPoint program.
10. During class, students should be able to complete the four slides. If students are confused about slide
layout, a recommended setup of slides is as follows: Slide #5 – History of Eruptions, Slide #6 – Stage
of the Volcano, Slide #7 – Type of Volcano, Slide #8 – Type of Eruption (including chemistry of the
lava)
11. MAKE SURE THAT STUDENTS SPEND THE MOST TIME ON THE EXPLAINATION OF THE
TYPE OF VOLCANO AND TYPE OF ERUPTION CAUSED BY THIS VOLCANO!!! THESE
ARE THE MAIN CONCEPTS I WILL BE ASSESSING STUDENT KNOWLEDGE FROM!
Assessment:
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Formal assessment will be included at the end of the volcano mini-unit when students will have a
comprehensive exam over the material. This exam will cover plate tectonics, the types of volcanoes,
structure of the volcano, characteristics that affect eruptions and its cultural affects on humans.
Informal assessment will be based on whether the students correctly applied and were able to explain the
main concepts of this mini-unit for the PowerPoint Presentations.
Notes:
Lesson Plan #3
Two-Hour Block Schedule Day
Course Topic: Volcano Hazards
Context:
This lesson plan takes place during one of the block scheduling days during the second week of my volcano
mini-unit. The first hour of this block will be spent introducing the students to the damages caused by
volcanoes and how they affect humans that live by them. Students will then be asked to spend the rest of the
two-hour block, applying this knowledge by researching on the Internet what damage was caused by their
designated volcano. Students will be expected to present this information in the form of a PowerPoint
Presentation for their classmates at the end of the month of March.
Science Statement(s):
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Although quiet eruptions and explosive eruptions involve different volcanic hazards, both types of
eruptions can cause damage far from the crater’s rim. Some volcanic hazards include, lava flows, hot
and burning clouds of gas, cinders and bombs, volcanic ash, landslides and mudflows.
Volcanoes present both short-term hazards to human life, and have long-term environmental impact
locally and globally. Short-term dangers are mainly due to lava, volcanic particles, avalanches and gases
produced in an eruption whilst the long-term consequences concern the environmental impact of the
released materials. For example, volcanic ash can bury entire towns, damage crops, and clog engines. If
it becomes wet, it can cause roofs to collapse. If a jet plane sucks ash into its engine, the engine may
stall.
Objective(s):
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Be able to explain how environments have changed over time as a result of volcanoes and what is their
impact on humans.
Activities:
12. Things to do Today:
a. Take Notes on the Cultural Affects of Volcanoes
b. Research in Computer Lab
c. Homework: Finish Story Board Slides #9 - #10 By Tomorrow
13. First, students will take notes on some of the main concepts of the cultural affects of volcanic activity
such as the types of volcanic hazards and some background history may be explained to show
students some actual devastation caused by a specific volcano. If students still seem confused about
the subject matter, a worksheet can be included reviewing some of the main ideas.
14. Students will then spend the next hour in the computer lab researching their topic. It is important to
note that students will NOT be able to search the Internet freely. Students must stick to the strict
guidelines on the assignment handout. Students will also not be able to work on their PowerPoint
Presentations on this day because all focus must be spent on finding the information. Tell the
students to write down all information and the location of where they want the text to be on their
storyboard slides. For graphics, have the students draw a box of where they want the graphic to be
located on their slide and then write the words graphic in the box with the URL of where they located
the image underneath it.
15. Mention to students that they will be provided with a template if needed when they actually start
working with the PowerPoint program.
16. During class, students should be able to complete the two slides. If students are confused about slide
layout, a recommended setup of slides is as follows: Slide #9 – Damage Done By Volcano, Slide #10
– How it Affected the Humans that Lived Near it.
17. If students complete this task before the end of the two-hour block, students can spend the rest of the
time editing their storyboard slides and adding more detailed information OR they can start with the
actual PowerPoint Presentation on the computer.
Assessment:
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Formal assessment will be included at the end of the volcano mini-unit when students will have a
comprehensive exam over the material. This exam will cover plate tectonics, the types of volcanoes,
structure of the volcano, characteristics that affect eruptions and its cultural affects on humans.
Informal assessment will be based on whether the students correctly applied and were able to explain the
main concepts of this mini-unit for the PowerPoint Presentations.
Notes: