Interactive Models
Volcanic Eruptions Story Map
Overview
This story map is intended to be used with students who have access to a computing device in a 1:1 or 1:2 setting. Features included in this story map may be used by the instructor in isolation to support lesson plans and related activities. By using the various visualizations (i.e., images, charts, and graphs) in this story map, students will explore volcanic eruptions featuring volcano and aerosols data. Throughout the lesson, students will investigate how ash and aerosols produced from volcanic eruptions are hazardous to the human ecosystem and will analyze concentrations of aerosols from a volcanic eruption over time.
Virtual Teachers: Make a copy of the 
Google Form of your choice so that you may assign it directly from your Google Drive into your Learning Management System (e.g., Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, etc.). Do you need help incorporating these Google Forms into your Learning Management System? If so, read this 
Guide to Using Google Forms with My NASA Data.
Materials Required
Resources Needed Per Student:
- Student Data Sheet - Link
Resources Needed Per Group:
- Computer/Tablet
- Internet Access
- Link to the "Volcanic Eruptions" Story Map - Link
Teacher Note
A volcano is an opening on the surface of Earth that allows material warmer than its surroundings to escape from its interior. When this material escapes, it causes an eruption. An eruption can be explosive, sending material high into the sky, or it can be calmer, with gentle flows of material. Volcanoes can be active, dormant, or extinct. Active volcanoes are volcanoes that have had recent eruptions or are expected to have eruptions in the near future. Dormant volcanoes no longer produce eruptions, but might again sometime in the future. Extinct volcanoes will likely never erupt again. Volcanoes occur when material significantly warmer than its surroundings is erupted onto the surface of a planet or moon from its interior. On Earth, the erupted material can be liquid rock ("lava" when it's on the surface, "magma" when it's underground), ash, cinders, and/or gas.
To learn more, visit:
- The MND Volcano Phenomena page for background information
- Explain tab found in the Story Map for more information
Teachers who are interested in receiving the answer key, please complete the Teacher Key Request and Verification Form. We verify that requestors are teachers prior to sending access to the answer keys as we’ve had many students try to pass as teachers to gain access.
Supported NGSS Performance Expectations
- MS-ESS2-1: Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.
- MS-ESS3-2: Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
- HS-ESS2-2: Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth's surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems.
- Students will analyze maps and time series data to understand changes from volcanic eruptions.
- Students will construct data-based explanations and conclusions.
- Students will compare multiple variables as they analyze aerosol data from volcanoes.
- Students will consider the impact of volcanoes on the human ecosystem.
- How do volcanoes influence changes in the atmosphere?
- How do aerosols and ash produced from volcanoes influence the human ecosystem?
- How are volcanoes formed?
National Geography Standards:
- How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.
- Internet Required
- One-to-a-Group
- Visualization Tool Required
Complementary Lesson Plans
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Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Modeling Plate Tectonics and Volcanoes
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Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Using Aerosol Data to Find Evidence of Volcanic Activity
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Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12
Mount Saint Helens Volcano
