Students often fail to remember, understand, and apply what they have learned in science classrooms. The sample lesson described in this article illustrates how teachers might move science education toward an authentic, engaging process that excites students while deepening their understanding of important concepts in an inquiry-based format. The lesson is based on the tragedy at Lake Nyos, Cameroon. On the night of August 21, 1986, the lake, which sits atop a dormant volcano, silently killed the 1,700 inhabitants of the village below. Teaching the science behind natural disasters is especially timely due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.