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Field Trip Destinations
• South
• Ape Cave Area
• Lahar Viewpoint
• Lava Canyon
• Stratigraphy Viewpoint
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• West
• Coldwater Lake Rec Area
• Hummocks Trail
• Johnston Ridge
• Mount St. Helens Vis Ctr
Online Library
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• Eruption History
• Pre Eruption Activity
• Eruption: May 18, 1980
• Post Eruption Activity
• Life Returns...

Lesson Plans and Worksheets

Photograph - Mount St. Helens from Rush Creek Sno*Park

Mount St. Helens from near the Rush Creek Sno*Park.
Forest Service photograph by D. Lapcewich

We have collaborated with teachers to design activities that meet specified Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements.  Each activity includes a lesson plan, worksheet, and answer key.  Each activity is easy to modify in order to adjust to different time constraints.

Focusing activities are critical to a successful field trip to the National Volcanic Monument.  Our lesson plans and worksheets will help students draw deeper meanings from exhibits and trailside features during their visit. The majority of the activities have students use evidence along trails and case facts inorder to test hypotheses  The indoor activities are particularly helpful on rainy days when large groups of students may all be in the Visitor Centers at the same time.

Please bring the number of worksheets you will need on your visit, we are not able to provide them at the visitor centers.

 

If you are planning a field trip to Mount St. Helens, please Register Online. If you wish to do a lesson involving a ranger; again, please Register Online and make sure a ranger is available by looking at the Visitor Centers Ranger Led Program Calendar.

There are two versions of each worksheet for your use. The Adobe PDF version produces the best copy for printing. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software to view and print the worksheet. Or you may download the Microsoft Word version.

Most lessons are geared toward Middle School. However, there are several Elementary School lesson plans geared toward 4th through 6th Grade students.

 
Image - Green Line
 

West of Mount St. Helens

South of Mount St. Helens

Pre Field Trip Classroom Lessons

Elementary School

 

Pre Field Trip Classroom Lessons

Elementary School

 

State Route 504 On-Bus Lessons

Elementary School

Volcanic Vocabulary

Middle School

Volcanic Vocabulary

High School

Forest Road 83 On-Bus Lessons

Elementary School

Volcanic Vocabulary

Middle School

Volcanic Vocabulary

High School

Castle Lake Viewpoint

Elementary School

Management & Environmental Ethics Issues

Middle School

Management & Environmental Ethics Issues

High School

English

Ape Cave

Elementary School

Middle School

High School

Coldwater Lake Recreation Area

Elementary School

Aquatic & Terrestrial Habitat Development

Management & Environmental Ethics Issues

Water Quality Studies

  • New and Old Lake Ecosystems

Small Mammal Studies

  • Tracks Tell Tales
  • Coldwater Lake Track Guide

Middle School

Rock Identification, Mathematics, and Physics

Management & Environmental Ethics Issues

Aquatic & Terrestrial Habitat Development

Water Quality Studies

  • Volcanic Lake Ecosystems

Small Mammal Studies

  • Tracking Small Mammal Populations
  • Coldwater Lake Track Guide (required)

Lava Canyon Trail

Elementary School

Middle School

High School

Hummocks Trail

Elementary School

Aquatic & Terrestrial Habitats on the Landslide

Middle School

May 18, 1980 Landslide and Erosion

Aquatic & Terrestrial Habitats on the Landslide

High School

May 18, 1980 Landslide and Erosion

Stratigraphy Viewpoint

Elementary School

Middle School

High School

Johnston Ridge Observatory

Elementary School

Focusing Activity for Visitor Center Exploration

Lateral Blast Impacts to Johnston Ridge

Plant/Animal Survival & Colonization in Blast Area

Landscape Level Biologic Recovery Studies

Middle School

Focusing Acitivty for Visitor Center Exploration

May 18, 1980 Geology and Geography Studies

Plant/Animal Surival & Colonization in Blast Area

Landscape Level Biologic Recovery Studies

 

High School

May 18, 1980 Geology and Geography

English

The Trail of Two Forests

Elementary School

Middle School

High School

Post Field Trip Classroom Lessons

Elementary School

Middle School

High School

Post Field Trip Classroom Lessons

Elementary School

Middle School

High School

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Education Resources - Teacher's Corner 2008

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