Teacher sheet · Ages 6–7 · about 45–50 minutes
Fire mountains
Lesson page: echoesof.science/school/volcanoes/ages-6-7/ · Pupil worksheet: echoesof.science/school/volcanoes/ages-6-7/print/
Learning aims
- Know that a volcano is an opening where melted rock, ash and steam come out.
- Use the words magma and lava correctly.
- Know that some volcanoes flow and some explode.
- Make and observe a simple model, and know it is only a model.
Lesson plan
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Show a photo or short clip of a lava flow and of an ash cloud. What do you see? |
| 10 min | Read the text together; draw a volcano on the board and label it. |
| 15 min | Fizzy model volcano. |
| 5 min | Play Volcano or not? |
| 5 min | Quiz together. |
Materials for the experiment
- A small plastic bottle
- A tray with sides
- Sand or play dough to build a mountain around the bottle
- 2 spoons of baking soda
- A cup of vinegar
- A squirt of washing-up liquid
- Optional: a drop of red food colouring
Safety: Wear safety glasses. The teacher pours the vinegar. Do not taste anything. Wipe up spills so nobody slips, and wash hands afterwards.
Common misconceptions
| Pupils may think… | Actually… |
|---|---|
| Lava is fire. | Lava is melted rock; it glows because it is so hot. |
| The model volcano shows real lava. | The model only makes gas bubbles from baking soda and vinegar; real lava is melted rock. |
| All volcanoes are erupting right now. | Many volcanoes are quiet for hundreds of years. |
Worksheet answers
- A volcano with magma inside (under the ground), lava coming out and running down, and an ash cloud above.
- 2 spoons (usually; more baking soda makes more gas).
- Magma is melted rock under the ground; lava is melted rock that has come out of the volcano.
Quiz answers
- What do we call melted rock that comes out of a volcano? Lava. Magma that has come out is called lava.[1]
- What do we call melted rock deep under the ground? Magma. Melted rock under the ground is magma.[2]
- Which lava is hotter? Glowing yellow lava. Yellow lava is hotter than red lava.[7]
- What can fall from the sky after an explosive eruption? Ash. Ash falls back down like powdery snow.[1]
- Do all volcanoes erupt all the time? No, some sleep for hundreds of years. Some erupt nearly all the time, others are quiet for centuries.[8]
Going further
Make a class 'volcano word wall' with magma, lava, ash, steam and crater, each with a drawing. Find one volcano on a world map with the children.
Sources used in this lesson
- [1] How do volcanoes erupt? (US Geological Survey (USGS)): reliability High
- [2] About Volcanoes (USGS Volcano Hazards Program): reliability High
- [7] How hot is a Hawaiian volcano? (US Geological Survey (USGS)): reliability High
- [8] Volcanoes (British Geological Survey (BGS)): reliability High
Full list with links and a note on each source's reliability: echoesof.science/school/volcanoes/sources/
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