Science in English! Finding out volcanoes' world!

Hi everyone! This year we are doing CLIL! What does CLIL stand for? CLIL means Content Language Integrated Learning. In Year 5 and 6 we are working Science in English in our school, apart from the subjects of Art and Culture and Psychomotricity that are one of the main characteristics of the school.

Today we are going to explain what we are doing in Year 5.  In this unit, we are dealing with the topic of Earth.  We are finding out what a volcano is. First, we looked for information, then we tried to make a volcano eruption and finally we made and designed 4 different volcanoes according to how they erupt: Hawaiian, Strombolian, Vulcanian and Pelean.

But, let’s get to know a bit more about volcanoes. A few hundred years ago, scientists believed that volcanoes were burning mountains of fire. Today we know they are really openings or ruptures, in the crust, which allows hot magma, volcanic ash and gases to escape from below the surface. 

By the way, did you know that about 1500 volcanoes around the world are classified as active? Their location is no accident. While the Earth's surface look's stable, its crust is made up of immense slabs of rock, like puzzle pieces that constantly shift. Where these tectonic plates interact, volcanoes often form. Friction from shifting plates melts the Earth's crust, causing rock beneath the crust to liquefy. This molten rock, or magma, then becomes a volcano by erupting through rifts in the plates. Once magma escapes from the Earth, it's called lava. But not all lava is the same. 

As you know, volcanic activity can vary greatly. Some volcanoes are extremely active, meaning they erupt quite often and violently. Other volcanoes are less active, and they erupt less frequently, with less intensity. Some volcanoes are dormant, meaning they seem to be asleep because they have not erupted form many years. Other volcanoes are considered extinct.

Well, according to how they erupt, volcanoes are classified into four groups: Hawaiian, Strombolian, Vulcanian and Pelean.  You will understand this easily with the following powerpoint presentation, slides of photos and video.

We hope you enjoy it! Have a nice weekend! ;)