Monday, May 21, 2012

Why Montserrat?

Montserrat is a tiny island in the Caribbean Sea. In looking for places to learn more about volcanoes and such, I googled "active volcanoes in the Caribbean" and Montserrat was one of the locations. Soufrière Hills Volcano began erupting in 1995 and has intermittently erupted since (with the last flow in 2010), and still shows signs of activity today. Prior to its eruption, there was seismic activity for a three year period. I would love to learn more about this magnificent volcano, its seismic activity, and how its eruption affected the island as well as the climatic changes it caused. Studying the volcano will allow me to bring my own experiences and knowledge into the classroom when we study earthquakes and volcanoes. To enhance our unit on biomes, I would like to take guided tours through the rainforests of Montserrat. This will help me to better describe the layers of the forest, animal and plant life, as well as the vital importance of forests like these. I also teach an enrichment class focusing on oceanography. I would love to snorkel through the reefs of Rendezvous Beach as well as others in order to get a first-hand experience with the underwater world and the importance of the ecosystem that thrives in the coral reefs in Montserrat.