A teachers guide to the geology of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park; an example of research-based instructional material developed for diverse audiences and presented in print and electronic media; Geological Society of America, 2000 annual meeting

Mattox, Stephen

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park encompasses 217,000 acres and ranges from sea level to the summit of the Earth's largest volcano, Mauna Loa. Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, has been erupting continuously since 1983 and provides safe access to a dynamic landscape. The volcanoes are monitored by the U. S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory; every year about 60 research papers are published on volcanism in Hawaii. The park receives 2.5 million visitors a year that includes hundreds of educational groups.In the early 1990s, local teachers indicated a need for instructional materials. The park submitted a proposal to the National Park Foundation and received funding to produce "A Teacher's Guide to the Geology of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park". The guide was written by a geologist /interpretive ranger with close ties to the Volcano Observatory. Hawaii Natural History Association published the guide.The guide contains 18 lessons for K-16 teachers. Topics include hot spots and mantle plumes, evolution of Hawaiian volcanoes, landforms, kinds of eruptions, the current eruption, rocks and minerals, monitor techniques, volcanic products, and earthquakes. Each lesson consists of Lesson at a Glance, Key Concepts, Lesson Outcomes, Teacher Background, Teaching Suggestions, and Useful References. The Teaching Suggestions contain 165 activities targeted for specific grade levels (K-3, 4-6, 7-8, and 9-16). Sixty annotated slides complement the lesson topics. The grant provided funds to supply a guide to each of Hawaii's 200 public schools. An additional 700 guides have been sold. The guide has served as a foundation for numerous other educational products. In 1995, an electronic version of the guide was posted on the VolcanoWorld homepage (http://volcano.und. edu/vwdocs/vwlessons /atg.html). In that same year, the Jason Foundation for Education based their curriculum for an expedition to Kilauea on the content of the guide. In 1997, Fire Work Studios used parts of the guide to build an educational CD-ROM that navigates a virtual landscape on Kilauea. The Jason Foundation for Education is returning to Hawaii in 2001 and is again using parts of the guide in their curriculum.

A teachers guide to the geology of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park; an example of research-based instructional material developed for diverse audiences and presented in print and electronic media; Geological Society of America, 2000 annual meeting

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