Lava in the Kitchen Investigation

Context a year 5/6 class of similar ability levels. The lesson was used as an introduction for students to become familiar with many terms that are involved in the Earth and Space Sciences strand of the Australian Curriculum. The investigation was carried out in two different parts across two different days. Requirements Jelly, pudding mixture, base or tray for volcano, bowl or cup as mound for volcano, alfoil. Part 1 Watch youtube video showing different volcanoes erupting and how the lava flows along the contours of the land. Introduce terms like crust, mantle, core, tectonic plates, magma and lava to the class. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xExdEXOaA9A&feature=relmfu Explain task to students, showing them the tray/base they will be using for the experiment. Explain to them that they will be pouring three layers of different coloured food over the mound/volcano to simulate the flow of lava after an eruption. Get them to make a prediction about what will happen. Distribute jelly to groups and allow them to pour over the top of the volcano. Instruct them to watch how it runs and spreads across the tray/base. Put trays in the fridge to allow the jelly to set so it is as firm as possible. Ask students to complete a description of what they have done, and draw a diagram of the initial stage of their investigation. Part 2 Prepare pudding mixture; make sure you have two different colours to allow students to see the different layers. Distribute first pudding mix to groups and allow them to pour it over their volcano. Repeat the process for the second pudding mix. Make sure you get the mix to the students before it sets as other wise it will not be runny enough to slide and move like lava. Allow time for the pudding mix to set and then cut away a cross-section of the mixture. You should be able to see how the mixture has formed layers, much like different layers of rock and dirt are formed in the Earths surface. Complete report getting students to answer questions such as what happened and whether or not any improvements could be made to their investigation. Reflection Even though not all of the students volcanoes worked as desired it was a valuable introduction into our term studying Earth and Space Sciences. It allowed me to introduce a number of important scientific terms to the class and ironed out some of the misconceptions that students had about volcanoes. A volcanic eruption isnt always an explosive event! As the experiment didnt turn out exactly as planned it gave me a great opportunity to assess the students science investigation skills by focusing on their answer to the question, Could you have improved the experiment?

Tips If youre planning to carry out this investigation in your class I suggest the following things. Make the jelly so it is almost set then add a tiny bit of boiling water right before you distribute it to the students, this gives the most successful consistency. Timing with the pudding mix is vital as it sets so quickly. Give it to the students as soon as possible after it has been prepared. Having another adult present in the room is very handy when conducting this experiment as the timing of things being poured on and prepared is very important.

Links to Australian Curriculum

Science Understanding Earth and Space Sciences Sudden geological changes or extreme weather conditions can affect the Earths surface (ACSSU096). Investigating major geological events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis in Australia, the Asia region and throughout the world. Science as a Human Endeavour Nature and Development of Science Science involves testing predictions by gathering data and using evidence to develop explanations of events and phenomena (ACSHE098). Science Inquiry Skills Questioning and Predicting With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be (ACSIS232). Planning and Conducting With guidance, plan appropriate investigation methods to answer questions or solve problems (ACSIS103) Processing and Analysing Data Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations (ACSIS221) Evaluating Suggest improvements to the methods used to investigate a question or solve a problem (ACSIS108). Discussing improvements to the methods used, and how these methods would improve the quality of the data obtained.