Would you like to be a volcanologist? Or use a seismometer to measure your own earthquake?
Year 5 all had the opportunity to be volcanologists on their recent trip to the Natural History Museum. They attended an interactive workshop in a hi-tech space called the ‘Attenborough Studio’. In the middle of the room stood a huge model of a volcano that was about to erupt. It was Year 5’s job to learn as much as they could about volcanoes so that they could save the villagers living in the vicinity before it was too late! It was important that they were able to tell the difference between an effusive eruption and an explosive eruption. Luckily, they got all of the villagers out alive and each earned a certificate.
Earthquakes were the next focus. Do you know how to read a seismometer? Year 5 watched excitedly as children were selected to go out to the front and create their own earthquake. They had to jump high and land really hard on the ground. A special device called a seismometer measured the size and characteristics of the earthquake they had created. Everybody could see the recordings that had been produced by each earthquake on the screen. We could see how long each earthquake lasted and how intense it was at different points.
On returning to school, Year 5 were excited about their new Geography topic, Extreme Earth. They couldn’t wait to create fact files in their books all about what they had learnt on their morning out.
Categories: School News
