Lesson 4:   Volcanoes
Before you begin:
The volcano lesson has only one activity, but it is the most challenging activity in the course. Plan to spend a few hours learning about volcanic hazards and the geology of the Hazard City area. Students in who completed this course in the past say that they spent between 3 and 6 hours solving the volcanic hazard assessment. Don't underestimate the amount of time that it will take. Start early, post your preliminary ideas in the "Helping Each Other" Conference, then go back, see what others have said, and refine your decisions based upon what you have learned. In real life, a team of geologists would be assigned to this problem and they would help each other towards a mutual understanding. You have about 40 teammates - take advantage of your collective abilities!
Step 1:
Read the Orientation Page to learn where we are going.
Step 2:
Complete Reading Assignments to learn about this topic.
Step 3:
Complete Activity 1 - The Hazard City Volcanic Hazard Assessment. After you have solved this problem you should submit your answers to Dr. King using the Answer Submission Form. (10 points)

(This activity is on the CD-ROM in the back of your textbook)

Step 4:
Each student is expected to post complete and accurate answers to two of the questions in the study question conference. These are to be highly polished answers that represent your original work. On at least two occasions in the course I will randomly select one of your postings from a specific study question conference for a course participation grade. Full details and instructions were posted in Lessons 2 and 3. Please refer to those instructions if you are unclear about this assignment or if you want to review the guidelines again.

Step 5:
Have you thoroughly prepared for your quiz? Here is some very specific guidance on what you should focus on while you are doing your work for this lesson.
  • the "Key Terms" listed in the back of each textbook chapter
  • the topics covered in the "Study Question" Conferences
  • the topics covered in the "Review Questions" and "Critical Thinking" questions listed in the back of the textbook chapter
  • key concepts from the "Activities" of each lesson
  • key topics covered in the website readings
  • photos and illustrations in the text (some of them could appear within your quiz).

When you are ready to take your quiz, press the "Assignments" button and find the quiz for this chapter in the "Quizzes" folder. Be sure that you know the material very well before attempting the quiz - your time will be limited. (15 points)