KDoll

Exploring Pompeii

Two new things I learned: The volcano that covered Pompeii, Vesuvius, erupted for 19 hours. Most of what is known about the events at Pompeii came from eyewitness accounts by Pliny the Younger, who watched the eruption from across the bay at Misenum. They used this in addition to their previous knowledge of other volcano eruptions and the findings on Pompeii to piece together what happened.

One navigational strategy used: In order to find more information on a topic that is mentioned within the text, some words are blue instead of black. When the word is blue, it means that the word is hooked to a link and it can be clicked on to redirect the person to another website. Knowing this information makes it easier to find more information.

Reliable source: The website I visited, www.awesomestories.com, provided evidence within the text by providing additional websites a student could visit regarding the information being presented. This shows there is evidence to back up the information being written about Pompeii.

Additional useful feature: On the website I visited, the story of Pompeii was divided up into a timeline and allows students to click only on the certain chapters or parts they want to read, rather than reading a long page of information. Links were also provided throughout to provide background information and show evidence of the actual ruins of Pompeii.

Internet Workshop

Become a Pompeii Expert!

After reading Vacation under the Volcano, we learned a little bit about the events at Pompeii and the volcano Vesuvius. In order to learn more and become real experts about this topic, we are going to explore different websites that are dedicated to this topic. After visiting these sites, you will be able to really understand what happened in Pompeii.

Visit the Deadly Shadows of Vesuvius- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/vesuvius/

Click on the link at the bottom of the page “Volcano SWAT Team”. Read the description of what happens when this team of volcanologists goes to help another country with a volcano crisis. Pretend you are a volcanologist and write a short letter how describing what you have done while being there and the sights you have seen.

Dear Mom and Dad,

You will never guess what I did on my trip to help with the recent volcano crisis. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ _ ___.

Many people don’t think volcanoes can be predicted. Find evidence by clicking on the “Can we predict eruptions?” link. Look under the section titled The Volcanologist's Toolkit to find evidence to prove this question. List three reasons below: 1. 2. 3.

Pompeii, Death of a City- http://www.awesomestories.com/disasters/pompeii/pompeii_ch1.htm

Read Chapter 2, Pompeii in 79 AD and then sketch what you feel this city looked like before the eruption of Vesuvius. After sketching that, read Chapter 8, The People of Pompeii, and sketch what the town looked like once it was discovered.

Create a timeline of the events that happened in Pompeii, from before the volcano erupted, to during, and after the city was covered.

Rubric 3 points-letter written home explains the job and discusses in detail their experience 3 points- three different pieces of evidence discussed 2 points- both sketches are detailed and show differences 2 points- timeline of events accurate and detailed /10 points