Vale Middle School Reading Article

Vale Middle School Reading Article

Yellowstone Animals Fleeing Park. Supervolcano Eruption Imminent &
No a Supervolcano Is Not About to Erupt in Yellowstone (1060L)

Instructions: COMPLETE ALL QUESTIONS AND MARGIN NOTES using the CLOSE reading
strategies practiced in class. This requires reading of the article three times.

Step 1: Skim the article using these symbols as you read:
(+) agree, (-) disagree, (*) important, (!) surprising, (?) wondering

Step 2: Number the paragraphs. Read the article carefully and make notes in the margin.
Notes should include:
o Comments that show that you understand the article. (A summary or statement of the main idea
of important sections may serve this purpose.)
o Questions you have that show what you are wondering about as you read.
o Notes that differentiate between fact and opinion.
o Observations about how the writer’s strategies (organization, word choice, perspective,
support) and choices affect the article.

Step 3: A final quick read noting anything you may have missed during the first two reads.

Your margin notes are part of your score for this assessment. Answer the questions carefully in complete
sentences unless otherwise instructed.

Student ____________________________Class Period__________________

Yellowstone Animals Fleeing Park. Supervolcano Notes on my thoughts,
reactions and questions as I
Eruption Imminent? read:

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming: Could the Supervolcano which has been
dormant for the past 650,000 years be ready to erupt again? If you listen to some
animal experts, that answer is a definitive "yes".

Recall, if you will, the tsunami in late 2006. Do you remember reports that animals
were escaping and running for higher ground hours before the waves hit? This
mass animal evacuation brought into light the instinct which biologists have known
about for years which seems to tell animals when disaster is about to strike.

Fast forward to yesterday. At Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, there is a
mass animal exodus underway. Miles of buffalo can be seen running frantically
from the Northwest end of the park. They are even running down roads. Elk are
also evacuating at an astounding rate. Smaller animals such as rabbits and squirrels
are also fleeing Yellowstone.

What are the animals running from? According to one expert, Thomas Lupshu, the
only possible explanation is that the seismic activity in Yellowstone which has been
increasing over the past month could mean that an eruption is on the way.

Let's look at what will happen if the Yellowstone Supervolcano does erupt.
According to the US Geological Service, the initial eruption would immediately kill
everybody and everything in the kill zone. Within a few minutes, the ash would

Staff. Yellowstone animals fleeing park. Supervolcano eruption imminent. PoliticalEars.com. April 2, 2014.
Rhodan, M. No, a supervolcano is not about to erupt in Yellowstone. Time. April 4, 2014.

Vale Middle School Reading Article

Yellowstone Animals Fleeing Park. Supervolcano Eruption Imminent &
No a Supervolcano Is Not About to Erupt in Yellowstone (1060L)

begin to spread and would spread poisonous ash across the primary and secondary Notes on my thoughts,
ash zones: killing agriculture in those zones for years to come. Finally, much like reactions and questions as I
the Mount Saint Helens eruption in 1980, ash would spread across the planet read:
according to the wind patterns. However, the amount of ash expected to spew
from Yellowstone is an amount greater than 10,000 times that of Mount Saint
Helens. This could be potentially damaging to agriculture and human life as we
know it across the planet.

Could there be another reasonable explanation? Perhaps. It just hasn't been thought
of yet. To be fair, the US Geological Service says that there is no immediate danger
of massive eruption in Yellowstone.

So you must ask yourself. Do you trust the geologists or the animals' instincts?

No, A Super Volcano Is Not About To Erupt In
Yellowstone

Viral videos showing bison apparently fleeing Yellowstone National Park are not a
sign that a super-volcano will be erupting soon, park officials said. "It's a natural
occurrence and not the end of the world,” said a park spokesperson
Yellowstone National Park dismissed claims Friday that a super-volcano located
underneath the park would erupt soon. A YouTube video showing bison running
away from the park sparked rumors that the animals were attempting to avoid an
eruption.

The rumors began swirling following a 4.8 magnitude earthquake, which occurred
on Sunday in the northwest section of Yellowstone, Reuters reports. The quake was
the largest to strike the park since 1980, which led people to believe the volcano,
which has a 50 foot long and 30 mile wide mouth, could be erupting sooner than
the thousands of years it had been predicted to lie dormant.

But scientists have said the possibility of the volcano erupting is slim. “The chance
of that happening in our lifetimes is exceedingly insignificant,” Peter Cervelli, a
scientist with the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, told Reuters.

As for the galloping bison, Yellowstone spokesperson Amy Bartlett said they were
simply running deeper into the park. “It was a spring-like day and they were frisky.
Contrary to online reports, it’s a natural occurrence and not the end of the world,”
Bartlett said

Staff. Yellowstone animals fleeing park. Supervolcano eruption imminent. PoliticalEars.com. April 2, 2014.
Rhodan, M. No, a supervolcano is not about to erupt in Yellowstone. Time. April 4, 2014.

Vale Middle School Reading Article

Yellowstone Animals Fleeing Park. Supervolcano Eruption Imminent &
No a Supervolcano Is Not About to Erupt in Yellowstone (1060L)

Comprehension questions – answers may be in phrases.
1. What two factors do park rangers, in a direct quotation, attribute to the movement of animals in Yellowstone?
2. Name the spokesperson for Yellowstone National Park.
3. In one word, according to a Yellowstone scientist, what is the chance that a supervolcano will erupt?
4. What other northwest volcano is mentioned in the text?
5. Define dormant as used in the text.

RI.1,4
2. Answer each question in one or more complete sentences.
Explain what is meant when the author states “This could be potentially damaging to agriculture and human life as we know it
across the planet.”

How do the tones of each article differ from one another?

What evidence is presented in the first article to support the idea that animals are fleeing Yellowstone? Does this apply to all
animals?

RI.1.3.4

Staff. Yellowstone animals fleeing park. Supervolcano eruption imminent. PoliticalEars.com. April 2, 2014.
Rhodan, M. No, a supervolcano is not about to erupt in Yellowstone. Time. April 4, 2014.

Vale Middle School Reading Article

Yellowstone Animals Fleeing Park. Supervolcano Eruption Imminent &
No a Supervolcano Is Not About to Erupt in Yellowstone (1060L)

3. The articles presented in the text offer differing viewpoints on the same topic. Using a graphic organizer, compare and contrast
the information presented in the articles. Which do you believe is most reliable? Why? Cite directly from the text.

(
RI.9
4. What part do you believe the Internet played in the distribution of this article? Would the information presented be as
widespread without the Internet? Is Internet news reliable? Cite from the text to support your answer.

RI.8

Staff. Yellowstone animals fleeing park. Supervolcano eruption imminent. PoliticalEars.com. April 2, 2014.
Rhodan, M. No, a supervolcano is not about to erupt in Yellowstone. Time. April 4, 2014.