A Webquest for Mathematics and Science Using Percent

VOLCANO ENCOUNTER

A WebQuest for Mathematics and Science Using Percent

Designed by

Shawn Haddix

Mt. Helens Volcano, Oregon

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Teacher Page

Introduction

You and your partner have been chosen by the American Geological Institute to observe and monitor a new volcano located near the small town of Filibuster, Washington. The American Geological Institute wants a report on what the conditions of the new volcano currently are. They are interested in how it was formed, how long it has been there, how big it is, what type of volcano it is, and what is going on inside the new volcano. They want you to compare it to other famous volcanoes by telling how this new volcano compares to others by the percent of magma being produced by the volcanoes. For example, there may be 50% more magma being produced by the new volcano than one of the other famous volcanoes or vise versa. It is up to your team to discover what the percentages are.

What your team discovers and learns about the volcano could help prevent a natural disaster from occurring. Since your team will be the first to visit this volcano, you and your partner get to name this cool geological creation! The name may be any one that you and your partner choose (remember, it must be appropriate!).

The Task

Your team will observe the volcano for three months, and then prepare a report for the American Geological Institute. Before being allowed to participate in this awesome adventure, the Geologic Institute requires your team to learn as much as you can about volcanoes and how they work.
Your team will visit a number of volcano-related websites that the American Geological Institute has set aside for your team’s training. You must demonstrate that you can deliver a report that meets the standards established by them.

Karymsky Volcano

The Process

1. First, you will be assigned to a partner.

2. After partners have been chosen, you and your partner will decide who will write down the information found on the websites and who will do the research (a good idea might be to share the responsibilities by taking turns).

3. You and your partner will visit the websites below, and gather information about 5 known volcanoes to answer the questions the American Geological Institute has set before you (the ones listed in the introductory part of the WebQuest). The directors of the American Geological Institute expect you to compare 5 known volcanoes to each other using percent. You can compare the size of the volcanoes to each other, the distance the lava flowed, the amount of magma being produced, and other comparisons that your team decides upon. The directors expect that you will compare the volcanoes in at least three different categories (height, magma produced, etc.).

4. After you and your partner have visited the websites listed below and gathered enough information to complete the task, it will be time to organize your findings (you and your partner may choose to use flowcharts, summary tables, concept maps, or any other organizational technique). Remember, it will make it much easier to write the report if your information is organized into some kind of system.

5. After your information is organized, then it is time to write the report. To make the report writing process easier, you and your partner should take turns working on the report. For example, one person might write the introduction and one supporting paragraph, while the other person writes another supporting paragraph and maybe the conclusion.

6. Finally, it is time to write the final draft of the report to give to the American Geological Institute. (Remember, to check grammar and spelling before printing off the finished product!)

Website Resources
How Volcanoes Work
Smithsonian Institution - Global Volcanism Program: Complete Holocene Volcano and Eruption Information
MTU Volcanoes Page
http://www.geo.mtu.edu/volcanoes
http://www.usgs.gov/themes/volcano.html
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/volc
Volcano_images

Evaluation

Your teacher will use the following rubric to evaluate your work. Take time to evaluate your work yourself – using this rubric. See if you are satisfied with the score you will receive. If not, review your work and see how you can improve it before turning it in.

Beginning
1 / Developing
2 / Accomplished
3 / Exemplary
4 / Score
Grammar and over all quality of the report / Paper has between fifteen and twenty grammatical mistakes and is hard to follow / This paper has between ten and fifteen grammatical mistakes and is easier to follow /

This paper has between five and ten grammatical mistakes and is easy to follow

/ This paper has between zero and five mistakes and is very easy to follow
Group work versus individual work / Students did not work well together and each student did not do his or her part of the project / Students worked well together, but each still did not do their part of the project / Students worked well together and each did their part of the project / Students worked exceptionally well together and each did an excellent job on their project
Different websites used / Students did not use any websites for their project / Students used one website for their project / Students used two websites for their project / Students used two or more websites for their project
Supporting facts for the report
/ Students did not supply enough facts to completely answer the questions mentioned in the introduction / Students supplied enough facts to answer a few of the questions mentioned in the introduction / Students supplied enough facts to completely answer the questions mentioned in the introduction / Students supplied more than enough facts to completely answer the questions mentioned in the introduction.
Used percentages (of magma being produced and other comparisons by the volcanoes) in the report / Students did not use percentages at all or did not compare the percentages correctly. / Students knew how to set up the percentages to compare two production rates together. They used only one percentage comparison. / Students used two percentage comparisons correctly. / Students used three or more percentage comparisons correctly.

Conclusion

After completing this activity, you and your partner will have learned how to do research on the Web, developed a basic understanding of volcanoes, how they work, how to compare them mathematically to other volcanoes, organized information into a formal report, learned how to work with a partner and stay on task, and hopefully developed a better appreciation for mathematics and science concepts.

Challenge to You and Your Partner: Pick a topic in science or mathematics that is of interest to you and do some research on the Web. Once you have found a topic, your task is to come up with a simple activity that goes along with your topic. This is your chance to be creative!

Question to Think About: How could a topic studied in science be related to a topic studied in math, social studies, English, or reading?

Veniaminof Volcano

Credits & References

Volcano websites

American Geological Institute - Serving the Geosciences Since 1948

G. Brad Lewis - Volcano Image Catalog

Teacher Page

In doing this WebQuest, I hoped to accomplish several objectives. I wanted the students who participated in my WebQuest to better their understanding of the Web. I feel the Web is a very useful tool for conducting research and I think students would benefit greatly from utilizing the Web for this purpose.

Next, I wanted the students to gain experience in gathering and organizing information and then writing a simple report. My hope here was that the students would get to practice their writing skills at the same time they are learning how to write a simple report.

I allowed the students to work with a partner because I feel students need experience working with other students. I wanted each pair of students to learn how to work successfully with each other. During the process of working together, I wanted each pair of students to take responsibility for their part of the project.

Finally, I wanted to pick a topic in a subject area that would spark interest in students and allow them to explore and have fun. I think it is very important students see learning is fun. I chose the topic of volcanoes to try and generate an interest of mathematics and science in students. If you can develop an appreciation for a subject in your students, I think it makes it easier for your students to get into what is being studied.

Last updated on 02 April 2004. Based on a template from The WebQuest Page