By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Paris, Tenn.–There were multiple “eruptions” at Union City Elementary School recently.
A four-part study of volcanoes in Mallory Powers’ 1st Grade Enrichment class culminated with student-built replicas erupting as part of the project’s completion.
Students initially learned what makes each type of volcano different and in what regions of the world each type of volcano exists.
Powers’ class then worked in different small groups to make their own reduced scale volcano for some hands-on experience.
Step one was the making of salt dough for their individual model. Once the dough became a finished product, the students molded it around a small bottle to form a volcano-like exhibit.
Students then added their own personal touch to their models with various paints and designs before learning about chemical reactions while using baking soda and vinegar to simulate volcano eruptions.
“At first, my intentions were just to take a break from our usual coding with our robots,” Powers said. “But, immediately, our students showed a great interest in learning about volcanoes, and they became more excited with each lesson and each of the four parts of the study.
“I’m really pleased and proud of their efforts and willingness to learn.”