Volcanic Eruption at Barnesville School!!

Making a volcano that erupts is one of those classic science projects that all students love doing.  Here at Barnesville School of Arts & Sciences, Mrs. Melissa Ash and 6th-grade students have taken it to another scientific level. Not only do students get the opportunity to build paper-mâché volcanoes, but they also practice the core value of cooperation by working together in groups to build their realistic models. When an eruption occurs in a volcano, the displacement of gas that is formed from the reaction must go somewhere, typically out of the opening to the environment. Having studied volcanoes, students made small, controlled explosions in 2 volcanos – one with a single opening at the top and another with two openings, at the top and side. Students were able to carry out the eight steps of the scientific method: observation, asking a question, gathering information, forming a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, making conclusions, reporting, and evaluating. In addition to conducting their geological experiments, our middle schoolers invited the 4^th graders to watch (and Ryan Carr even practiced his video skills to film it). It’s this type of shared excitement and mentoring that builds our joyful community of learners. To find out more about volcanic activity, how to predict volcanic eruptions, and to view data about current and historical volcanic activity, you can visit the United States Geological Survey (USGS)/Smithsonian website.