I
Defining an Earthquake
Earthquake Curriculum, K-6  Scope and Sequence Chart
Unit I: Defining an Earthquake
Level
Concept
Laboratory
Mathematics
Language Arts
Social Studies
Art
K-2
An earthquake is a sudden, rapid shaking of the Earth caused by the release of energy stored in rocks.
Legends are traditional narrative explanations of natural phenomena that evolve when scientific explanations are not available.
Sand and box demonstration of earthquakes
Vocabulary development of earthquake words
Original earthquake legends
Effects of earthquakes on model buildings
Effect of earthquakes on people
Cultures and legend origins
Illustrations of legends
Illustrations of Earths interior
Mural making
3-4
An earthquake is a sudden, rapid shaking of the Earth caused by the release of energy stored in rocks.
Legends are traditional narrative explanations of natural phenomena which evolve, when scientific explanations are not available.
Earthquake energy is released in the forms of waves.
Silicone putty rocks
Gelatin simulation of earthquakes
Earthquake legends
Paragraph writing
Class discussion
Map study of cultures associated with earthquake legends
Map study of epicenters
Illustrations of earthquake causes
Illustrations of earthquake legends
5-6
Earthquakes result from the build-up and release of energy stored in rocks.
Earthquakes occur over much of the world and the United States.
Various societies have produced earthquake legends to explain these natural occurrences.
Stick simulation of earthquakes
Fault action game
Map scales to measure distances
Vocabulary development of earthquake words
Earthquake legends
Oral reading and note taking
Map study of earthquake locations
Map study of cultures associates with earthquake legends
Map study of state locations
Sign making
Diagram making
I
Defining an Earthquake
An earthquake is a natural phenomenon like rain. Earthquakes have occurred for billions of years. Descriptions as old as recorded history show the significant effects they have had on peoples lives. Long before there were scientific theories for the cause of earthquakes, people around the world created folklore to explain them. In simple terms, earthquakes are caused by the constant motion of Earths surface. This motion creates buildup and releases energy stored in rocks at and near the Earths surface. Earthquakes are the sudden, rapid shaking of the Earth as this energy is released.
At half-past two oclock of a moonlit morning in March, I was awakened by a tremendous earthquake, and though I had never before enjoyed a storm of this sort, the strange, thrilling motion could not be mistaken . . . Both glad and frightened, [I shouted]: A noble earthquake! A noble earthquake! feeling sure that I was going to learn something.
John Muir 1872
Defining an Earthquake
An earthquake is a natural occurrence, like rain. Earthquakes affect almost every part of the Earth and like rain they can be either mild or catastrophic. Over the course of geological time, earthquakes, floods, and other natural events have helped to shape the surface of our planet.
An earthquake may last only a few seconds, but the processes that cause earthquakes have operated within the Earth for millions and millions of years. Until very recently, the cause of earthquakes was an unsolved mystery. It was the subject of fanciful folklore and equally fanciful learned speculation by peoples throughout the world.
In a legend from Siberian Kamchatka, a god named Tuli drives an Earth-laden sled pulled by flea-infested dogs. When the dogs stop to scratch, the Earth shakes.
Some say the Earth was fevrous [feverish] and did shake.
Shakespeare, Macbeth, III
In the mid-1960s, many scientific observations and explanations of earthquakes came together in the theory of plate tectonics. Well be exploring that subject in later units. In this unit we consider both scientific and popular explanations for the phenomenon and look at the patterns of earthquake occurrence worldwide.
An Earthquake Is . . .
An earthquake is a sudden, rapid shaking of the Earth caused by the release of energy stored in rocks. This is a brief definition which students of all ages can master. A full definition of the term, however, would need to include a good deal more information.
Students may be surprised that we speak of rocks and rock layers, because in many places the rock material of the Earths crust is covered by accumulations of sand or soil. Remind them that even beneath the sediment in river valleys, plains, and beach areas, some kind of rock is always present.
Earthquake shaking may cause loss of life and destruction of property. In a strong earthquake the ground shakes violently. Buildings may fall or sink into the soil. Rocks and soil may move downhill at a rapid rate. Such landslides can bury houses and people.
Folklore and Scientific Theory
Because strong earthquakes have such disastrous effects, it is not surprising that people have always looked for ways to explain their origin. We find many nonscientific explanations of earthquakes in the folklore of civilizations around the world. We call these traditional narratives earthquake legends. Some of them are still being told today.
What we have learned in recent years, however, largely from the study of earthquakes, is that the Earth around us is not static, like a stage set for a play. The Earths rock layer is broken into large pieces. These pieces are in slow but constant motion. They may slide by smoothly and almost imperceptibly.
From time to time, the pieces may lock together, and energy that accumulates between the pieces may be suddenly released. This sudden release of energy, like the snapping of a rubber band that has been stretched too far, is what we call elastic rebound. Energy is released and travels through the Earth in the form of waves. People on the surface of the Earth experience an earthquake.
Earthquake Epicenters
The epicenter of an earthquake is the place on the Earths surface directly above the focus (or hypocenter), the place inside the Earth where the quake originates. Earthquake foci are usually somewhere between the surface and 100 km in depth. In some areas, however, foci may be as deep as 700 km.
Even a glance at an earthquake epicenter map shows that most earthquakes have occurred in certain well-defined regions of the Earth. Because these regions tend to be relatively long and narrow, they are sometimes referred to as earthquake belts.
One large belt of epicenters runs through the Mediterranean Sea, Asia Minor, the Himalayan mountains, and into the eastern Indian Ocean. A second large belt runs northward through the western Pacific Ocean, the Japanese islands, the Aleutian islands, and the west coasts of North and South America. The longest belt of earthquake epicenters runs through the central regions of most ocean basins. The world epicenter map also shows some shorter belts of epicenters.
Chances are, even if your school is far from any earthquake epicenter, your students already have some ideas about earthquakes and what causes them. In the lessons that follow, you will invite them to tell you what they think.
Master 7, World Map with Epicenters. The dots represent earthquakes with magnitudes > 5.0 recorded from 1980-1990 by the National Earthquake Information Center, USGS.
What Is an Earthquake?
Content Concepts
1. An earthquake is a sudden, rapid shaking of the Earth caused by the release of energy stored in rocks.
2. Legends are traditional narrative explanations of natural phenomena that evolve when scientific explanations are not available.
Vocabulary
earthquake
legends
Objectives
Students will
*describe personal experiences with earthquakes.
*construct an earthquake model.
*observe effects of a simulated earthquake.
*define the term legend, and listen to a legend.
*suggest possible causes of earthquakes.
*write and illustrate original legends.
*draw pictures to illustrate their ideas about the Earths interior.
Assessment
Restate The Turtle Tale. Draw or tell three imaginative, non-scientific explanations for Earth movement.
Learning Links
Language Arts: Writing a description of a demonstration (older students), sharing ideas about the possible causes of earthquakes, building vocabulary, listening to a legend, creating an original legend
Art: Illustrating the legends, expressing ideas about the Earths interior in drawing, contributing to a mural
Social Studies: Observing the effects of a simulated earthquake on model buildings, predicting the effects on peoples lives, discussing a Native American legend, locating San Gabriel on a U.S. map
Activity One: Tremble Here, Tremble There
earth * quake
An earthquake is a sudden, rapid shaking of the Earth caused by the release of energy stored in rocks.
leg * ends
Legends are traditional narrative explanations of natural phenomena that evolve when scientific explanations are not available.
Materials for the teacher
*A small table or desk that moves easily
Materials for each small group of students
*A shallow box partially filled with sand or soil
*An assortment of paper plates, cups, and small boxes that can be stacked to represent a building.
Procedure
1. Introduce the topic with a class discussion based on the following questions:
What does the word quake mean?
What do we mean when we say people are quaking in their boots? (Invite students to imitate a person trembling.)
Have you ever been on a bridge when it shook from heavy traffic, or near the railroad tracks when a train passed over? (Invite students to demonstrate shaking and vibrating.) What do you suppose is happening to the Earth when there is an earthquake?
Has anyone here ever felt an earthquake? (Allow students time to express their observations and feelings.)
2. Tell students they are going to make a model to demonstrate what happens during an earthquake. Follow these steps:
a. Invite a small group of students to pile plates, cups, and small boxes on top of each other in the filled box to form a tall structure. (Either have enough materials for each group to construct one model, or have the groups take turns.)
b. Place the large box on the cart, table, or desk.
c. Shake the cart, table, or desk until the structure topples.
d. Ask the students to comment on what they see.
What does the sand or soil represent? (the Earth)
What do the plates, cups, and, boxes represent? (a tall building)
What moves? (the Earth and the building)
What happens to the building? (various degrees of damage)
Children will enjoy simulating various levels of force and observing the results.
Activity Two: Tremors and Turtles
Materials for the teacher
Teacher Take Note: See the Appendix, Earthquake Legends, for more tremor tales from around the world.
*Master 1a, U.S. Map
*Master 2, The Turtle Tale
Materials for each student
*2 small (6") paper plates
*1 straw
*Green construction paper
*Handout from Master 3, Turtle Tale Pop-Up Puppet
*Scissors
*Markers or crayons
*Stapler
Procedure
1. Discuss the origin of legends.
How can we understand about earthquakes? (from science)
Yes, but earthquakes have been happening for a long time, and we have only been studying them with scientific instruments for a short time. How do you suppose people explained them before that? (with stories)
These stories are called legends.
2. Point out the San Gabriel Valley on a U.S. map. (Indicate the southwestern part of California, in the neighborhood of Los Angelessee map.)
3. Introduce the story on Master 2, The Turtle Tale, and read it aloud. This is a story that was told by a group of Native Americans who lived where earthquakes are common, in the San Gabriel Valley. People call them the Gabrielinos (Ga  bree  uh  le  nos).
4. Discuss the story.
Did you enjoy the story? Why or why not?
Do you think the story is true? Why or why not? (Students will give a variety of reasons why it is not: Turtles are not that big. Turtles are not that strong. Turtles cant talk.)
Why do you think the Indians developed this story? (When an earthquake or any other frightening event occurs, people want to understand what causes it. Understanding helps them to be less afraid.)
Have you ever asked an older person to explain something that frightened you, and felt better afterwards?
Master 1a, U.S. Map. San Gabriel is marked with an asterisk (*)
Teacher Take Note: Encourage older students to design their own puppets. Younger students may enjoy the turtle dot-to-dot exercise. (Master 4)
5. Have students make a Turtle Tale Pop-Up Puppet. Distribute Master 3 (pattern) to students and give these instructions:
Staple plates together top to top creating a rounded shell for the turtle.
Copy pattern onto green construction paper.
Cut out 4 feet, 1 head, and 1 tail.
Attach feet onto shell (paper plates).
Staple tail to one end of the straw and the head to the other.
Slip straw between plates at a space between staples.
Decorate the shell.
Pull the tail to make the head go into the shell. Push the tail to make it come out again.
6. Have students act out the legend of the Turtle Tale with their puppets. You will need seven students to portray the turtles and one for the Great Spirit. Students can mime the action and dialogue as the teacher reads aloud.
Activity Three: Earth Mural
Materials for the teacher
*A large roll of paper for the mural
Materials for each small group of students
*Drawing paper and crayons or oil pastels
*Scissors
Procedure
1. Ask each student to draw a large circle representing the Earth and draw a picture of what there might be inside to make it move. Help students dictate or write explanations that match their drawings.
2. Create a class mural by directing the students to cut out their drawings and paste them to a large piece of paper. The explanations students have written or dictated may be displayed beside the drawings.
3. Share all the student stories and the legends. Accept ideas without evaluation. End the lesson without providing any further information as to the actual causes of earthquakes. (Direct curious students to childrens encyclopedias and other classroom or library reference materials. When the discussion resumes in the next lesson, you will find that students have gained some information on their own.
Extensions
1. Ask students to create their own legends to explain earthquakes. Have them dictate, draw, or write their stories.
2. Act out the original legends with paper bag puppets. Provide lunch bags and art materials. Give the students time to make their puppets and rehearse before the final presentation.
3. Ask the children to describe an imaginary journey to the center of the Earth. What might they find there that could cause earthquakes?
One group of first graders made these drawings of the Earths insides.
Defining an Earthquake/Unit I, Level 2, Grades 3-4
People Explain Earthquakes
Content Concepts
1. An earthquake is a sudden, rapid shaking of the Earth caused by the release of energy stored in rocks.
2. Legends are traditional narrative explanations of natural phenomena that evolve when scientific explanations are not available.
3. Earthquake energy is released in the form of waves.
Vocabulary
earthquake
legend
culture
Objectives
Students will
*describe personal experiences with earthquakes.
*write and illustrate a paragraph about what they think causes earthquakes.
*read and illustrate earthquake legends.
*locate the cultures that developed the various legends on a world map.
*compare these locations to the major areas of earthquake activity around the world.
*state what scientists now believe is the cause of earthquakes.
*observe the effects of a simulated earthquake.
Assessment
Explain or draw a picture of what scientists believe is the cause of earthquakes.
Learning Links
Language Arts: Class discussion, writing expository paragraphs, sharing ideas
Social Studies: Locating countries on the world map
Art: Illustrating students earthquake theories, illustrating legends
Activity One: Earthquake Experiences
Materials for the teacher
earth * quake
An earthquake is a sudden, rapid shaking of the Earth caused by the release of energy stored in rocks.
leg * ends
Legends are traditional narrative explanations of natural phenomena which evolve when scientific explanations are not available.
cul * ture
A culture is the special way of life common to a group of people.
*Magazine or newspaper accounts of earthquakes, or books, slides, movies, and other media dealing with the subject
Materials for the students
*Drawing paper
*Crayons or markers
*Tape
Procedure
1. Begin a discussion by asking students what they think an earthquake is. List responses on the board.
2. Ask if any of your students has ever experienced an earthquake. Invite those who have to share their experiences with the class.
3. If the students do not have much personal experience to draw on, use some of the resources suggested above to provide a basis for the unit. You may also want to invite someone who has experienced an earthquake to visit the class.
4. Distribute paper and art supplies. Ask the students to make drawings illustrating what they think causes earthquakes. They may write paragraphs to accompany the pictures and combine them as a display for the wall or bulletin board. Volunteers can present their ideas to the class. Make no comments about the correctness of their ideas at this point.
Activity Two: Earthquake Legends
Teacher Take Note: Some of these legends come from parts of the world where quakes do not occur frequently. An earthquake is a highly dramatic, memorable event. Some cultures may have borrowed oral traditions based on events outside their own geographic region. Others may have carried legends with them as they migrated from one part of the globe to another. Be prepared to find a less than exact correlation between legends and earthquake activity.
Materials for the teacher
*Large wall map of the world, or transparency made from Master 5, World Map
*Tape or pins
*Colored yarn
*Transparency made from Master 6, World Map with Legend Sites
*Transparency made from Master 7, World Map with Epicenters
*Overhead projector
Materials for each student
*Booklet of earthquake legends (See Appendix)
*Large sheets of drawing paper
*Crayons or markers
Procedure
1. Explain that earthquakes have been happening on Earth for millions of years. Scientists have understood what causes them for less than 50 years. People who experienced earthquakes developed traditional explanations that suited their culture, or way of life. We call these explanations legends.
Master 6, World Map with Legend Sites
2. Distribute art materials and copies of the legends to every student. Divide the students into groups and have each group illustrate one of the legends. Label each illustration with the name of the culture or the region of the world it comes from.
3. On a world map, locate the region where each legend originated. (See Master 6. How you approach this part of the activity depends on your students geography background.)
4. Make a wall display by having students place their illustrations on the wall surrounding the world map. Use the yarn and pins or tape to connect each illustration of a legend to the appropriate spot on the map.
5. Ask each group to read or recount their legend, and tell why they think it does or does not explain earthquakes. You may need to start the groups off by asking such questions as these, for the first story:
Teacher Take Note: You may want to read all the legends with the students before they begin to draw.
Legend Book Assembly
Copy the pages (each one has two legends) for the legend book in sequence. Be sure to copy page 2 on the back of the cover page. Repeat this process for the rest of the pages. Fold and staple in the center to form a booklet.
Are elephants big enough to hold up the world?
Could an elephant stand on a turtle without crushing it?
Did the early Hindus imagine ordinary animals in this story, or magical ones?
Do you think there are any such magical animals?
6. Project the transparency of Master 7, World Map with Epicenters. Explain that each dot shows a place where an earthquake has occurred. You may want to highlight the areas of greatest earthquake activity. Ask students if they can see a relationship between these areas and the places where the legends originated.
Activity Three: Tasty Quake
Materials for the teacher
*One pan of prepared gelatin dessert (see recipe)
*A fist-sized rock
*Silicone putty or flubber (see recipe)
*25 coffee stirrers  5" (13 cm) plastic
*Scissors
*Ruler
Procedure
1. Prepare gelatin dessert in advance and refrigerate. These ingredients will make one pan. Prepare more if you wish to have several small groups performing the demonstration simultaneously.
2. Write the definition of an earthquake on the board.
3. Explain that under the soil there are rock layers. These layers are under stress because of activity within the Earth.
4. Explain that when these rocks are under extreme stress they react more like a plastic material, such as silicone putty, than like the hard rock we see above the ground. (Show rock and putty.)
5. Demonstrate with silicone putty (or flubber), or distribute several lumps so that each small group can do the activity for themselves. (The putty will be difficult to break if it has been warmed by too much handling, so work quickly.)
Teacher Take Note: This recipe has been carefully tested. To transmit waves that can be seen easily, the pan must be metal, and it must be full nearly to the top with the gelatin mixture.
Teacher Take Note: To get the best results follow the instructions for mixing ingredients in two separate bowls before combining all ingredients. Students should not eat the flubber. Students should wash their hands after handling the mixture.
a. First, stretch the putty slowly to show how rocks react to slow twisting and pulling.
b. Next, shape it back into a ball and give it a sharp tug with both hands. The putty will snap into two pieces.
c. Explain that this reaction is similar to what happens during an earthquake.
6. Explain that when rocks break in this sudden way energy is released in the form of waves. We can simulate this release of energy by watching what happens to a pan of gelatin.
7. Gently tap the side of the pan of gelatin, while holding the pan firmly with the other hand. Students should be able to see the waves traveling through the gelatin. Com- pare the gelatin to the ground, the tap of your hand to the rock breaking, and the waves in the gelatin to earthquake waves.
8. Ask the students to predict what happens when you tap the pan with more force. Tap the pan harder. Is their prediction confirmed? Repeat these two steps several times, and be sure that all the students have a chance to see the waves.
9. Coffee stirrers can be used to further enhance student observation of wave action. In the gelatin, insert to the bottom of the pan, four rows of stirrers parallel to the short side of the pan. (Place each row approximately 1.5" (4 cm) apart. Place each stirrer approximately 1.25" (3 cm) apart.)
10. Repeat steps 7 and 8 above (tap pan at side opposite the stirrers).
11. Ask students to compare their observations of waves in gelatin with and without stirrers. (The stirrers magnify the wave action, allowing greater visibility.) Discuss possible results of wave action on buildings (point out that stirrers could represent buildings). Ask how stirrers reacted to different amounts of force used in tapping the pan.
Extensions
1. Students could act out the legends with a few simple props.
2. Students could survey other students in the school to learn what they think causes earthquakes. Responses can be tabulated on the board or on butcher paper taped to the wall and become the basis for a class discussion.
3. In an area where earthquakes do not occur frequently, students could survey adults in the community to find out how many of them have experienced earthquakes. Small groups could divide responsibility for a set number of interviews such as ten per group and graph their results. No two students may interview the same person.
4. Instead of illustrating the legends on large sheets of paper, students may draw a small symbol for each legend, cut it out, and pin it directly onto a large wall map at the correct location. The Japanese legend, for example, could be represented by a fish.
Tap on this end
Energy Waves Cause Earthquakes
Content Concepts
1. Earthquakes result from the buildup and release of energy stored in rocks.
2. Earthquakes occur over much of the world, including the United States.
3. Various societies have produced earthquake legends to explain these natural occurrences.
Vocabulary
earthquake
legend
stored energy (potential energy)
earthquake waves (seismic waves)
fault
fault creep
focus
epicenter
Objectives
Students will
*watch one demonstration and participate in one activity on elastic rebound, and apply the principle to earthquake activity.
*demonstrate the phenomenon of fault creep, and distinguish it from earthquake activity.
*list some events that occur during an earthquake.
*locate their own state on an outline map of the United States.
*determine from study of epicenter maps if their local area and state have experienced earthquakes.
Learning Links
Language Arts: Discussing, oral reading, note taking, following directions
Social Studies: Map reading, correlating different types of maps, discussing effects and explanations of earthquakes in past and present societies
Math: Using map scale to measure distances
Art: Creating signs, illustrating activity
*read and discuss earthquake legends.
*locate the place where each legend originated on an outline map of the world.
Assessment
Describe (write and/or draw) an event which releases energy and relate the results of that energy release.
Activity One: A Wet Wave Experience
fo * cus
The focus is the place where an earthquake starts.
ep * i * cen * ter
The epicenter is the point on the Earths surface directly above the focus.
fault
A fault is a crack in rock or soil along which earthquake movement has taken place.
earth * quake waves
Earthquake waves, or seismic waves, are waves caused by the release of energy in the Earths rocks during an earthquake.
Materials for the teacher
*Transparency made from Master 8, Elastic Rebound
*Overhead projector
*Strip of 1/16" wood lath the size of a ruler, or a 1/4" dried stick about l' (30 cm) long.
*Sink or basin large enough to hold wood
*Water to fill basin
*Goggle
Procedure
1. Gather students around sink or basin filled almost to the top with water.
2. Hold the wood completely under water. With one hand on each end, bend it slowly until it breaks.
3. Ask students to describe what they see: jerky movement of the water and waves radiating out from the breaking point.
4. Explain that energy was transferred to the stick by the hand movements, stored as potential energy until the stick broke, and then transferred to the water. This concept of buildup and release of energy in rocks is called elastic rebound theory.
5. Direct students to make a drawing of the demonstration in their notebooks.
6. Ask students to explain how the demonstration relates to an earthquake.
7. Project transparency of Master 8, Elastic Rebound, and use it to illustrate that when pressure from within the Earth is exerted on rocks, they bend and store energy until they reach a certain point, like the wood.
The stored or potential energy is released, in the form of waves, in an event we call an earthquake. The breaking point is the focus of the earthquake. Help students to relate this explanation to the demonstration.
Elastic Rebound
Original position
Buildup of potential energy
Breaking stuck produces energy release
Activity Two: Its Your Fault
Smooth surface slides easily.
A sticky drawer opens with a jerky movement.
Materials for the teacher
*Transparency made from Master 9, Dresser Drawers
*Transparency made from Master 10a, Earthquake Terms
*Overhead projector
Materials for each student
*A sign saying either Block A or Block B (Students can make them and letter them neatly.)
*String or tape for affixing sign
Procedure
1. Project the transparency made from Master 9, and explain that the pieces of Earths crust often move past each other as smoothly as our dresser drawers move. Project Master 10a, and point out the fault on the Earths surface.
2. Label the area to the left of the fault Block A and that to its right, Block B. Explain to students that they are going to demonstrate what happens when pieces of the Earths crust move.
3. Take the students to a location in or outside the classroom where they will not hit anything but the floor if they fall.
4. Ask them to form into groups of 8 to 10 students, and divide each group into equal halves. (The teacher can participate if necessary to even the groups.)
5. Line up two groups of students facing each other, and explain that each line represents a block of Earth. The area between the two lines represents a fault.
6. Students should stretch out their arms, from both sides of the fault, so that each is lightly touching the palms of a student on the other side.
7. Instruct students on both sides of each fault to shuffle smoothly to the students right, keeping their palms extended. (The two lines will move in opposite directions, and students will slowly change partners.) Explain that this simulates fault creep movement.
8. Line the groups up as before, but this time have them lock fingers across the fault. Again instruct them to move to the right by slow steps, but keep them moving past the point where they can hold on easily. Just before they have to let go or fall, call out earthquake! Ask students to drop hands and stand up straight. The sudden release of energy should cause them to stumble and fall into one another. Explain that this activity simulates an earthquake.
9. Compare and contrast the two events in a class discussion, referring to the Dresser Drawers (Master 9) and Earthquake Terms (Master 10a) transparencies. Be sure that students understand the difference between the smooth movement that simulated fault creep and the buildup and sudden release of stress that caused them to stumble in the second demonstration. According to the theory of elastic rebound, it is this buildup and release of stress that causes earthquakes.
Activity Three: Visual Vocabulary
Materials for the teacher
*Movie clip, video clip, slides, filmstrip, or written eyewitness account(s) of earthquakes
*Transparency made from Master 10a, Earthquake Terms
*Overhead projector
Materials for each student
*Student handout made from Master 10b, Earthquake Terms Worksheet
*Colored pencils
Procedure
1. Ask any class members who have experienced an earthquake to describe that event to the class.
2. Use one of the media listed above (movie clip, video, etc.) to give the class some common vicarious earthquake experiences.
3. Brainstorm to create a class list of things that happen during an earthquake (rumbling noises, swaying trees, etc.) on the board or an overhead.
4. Project Master 10a, and go over the definitions of focus, epicenter, fault, and earthquake waves. Instruct students to fill in the definitions on Master 10b, Earthquake Terms Worksheet, then shade over each one in a different color: the first in red, the second in blue, the third in yellow, and the fourth in green. Finally, ask them to color the part of the diagram that each definition refers to in the same color as the definition.
Master 10a. earthquake terms.
Activity Four: Local Legends
Extensions
1. If you live in an area that has ever been affected by an earthquake, check your local library for microfilm copies of old newspapers describing the event. On August 31, 1886, for example, the effects of the Charleston, South Carolina earthquake were felt in most of the states east of the Mississippi and south of New York state.
2. Current documentation on seismic activity can be obtained through the Internet. See References for Internet sites in the Appendix.
Materials for the teacher
*Standard classroom wall map of the world, or a transparency made from Master 5, World Map
*Transparency of Master 11, U.S. Map with Epicenters
*Transparency made from Master 7, World Map with Epicenters
*Booklet of earthquake legends (See Appendix.)
*Optional: Epicenter map of your state or area (obtain from state geological survey, U.S. Geological Survey or local college geology department)
Materials for each student
*Booklet of legends
*Worksheets made from Master 11, U.S. Map with Epicenters
Procedure
1. Using transparencies and/or student copies of the U.S. Map with Epicenters. Master 11, ask students these questions:
According to this map, which of the states experience a lot of earthquakes?
Which states experience very few or no earthquakes?
Where is our state on this map?
According to the map, does our state experience a small, medium, or large number of earthquakes?
People in states without epicenters, as shown on this map, may still experience earthquakes. How can this be? (Both seismographs and the human senses can register the effects of distant earthquakes, especially large ones. Also, this map only records quakes over a certain intensity. Some states may have quakes below those levels.)
Teacher Take Note: The terms intensity and magnitude will be discussed in later chapters.
2. Show students how to use the map scale on the U.S. Map with Epicenters to measure the distance from where they live to the nearest epicenter on the map. Use a local or state map if available.
3. Write the definition of legend on the board, and invite students to recount some legends they may have heard.
4. Have students read some of the earthquake legends out loud in class. Locate the origin of each on the world map before moving on the next.
5. Project the transparency of Master 7, World Map with Epicenters, and ask students if they see any correlation between the origins of the legends and the density of earthquake epicenters. (See Unit I, Level 2, Activity Two.)
leg * ends
Legends are traditional narrative explanations of natural phenomena which evolve when scientific explanations are not available.
6. Discuss with students:
Why did these legends develop? (Emphasize that they were creative attempts to explain frightening and puzzling natural occurrences.)
What real facts do these legends contain or reflect? (Siberia: that human beings and animals are interdependent; New Zealand: that the Earth is like a living organism; Romania: that human decency upholds the social world; Mexico: that the evil in the world is hard to understands; etc.)
Master 6, World Map with Legend Sites
Unit I. Defining an Earthquake
Materials List
Grades K-2
Grades 3-4
Grades 5-6
audiovisual cart on wheels
drawing paper
wood lath or dried stick
shallow box
crayons
large bowl
sand or soil
markers
sink or basin
paper plates and cups
tape
goggles
small boxes
straight pins
colored pencils
green construction paper
colored yarn
string or tape
straws
fist-sized rock
overhead projector
stapler
Silly Putty?
paper clips
writing paper
red or purple gelatin
pencil
unflavored gelatin
mural paper
boiling water
drawing paper
metal baking pan
crayons
overhead projector
oil pastels
coffee stirring sticks
scissors
II
Why and Where Earthquakes Occur
Earthquake Curriculum, K-6  Scope and Sequence Chart
Unit II: Why and Where Earthquakes Occur
Level
Concept
Laboratory
Mathematics
Language Arts
Social Studies
Art
K-2
The Earth is made up of layers.
Earths outer layer is broken into pieces called plates.
The movement of Earth plates is the cause of most earthquakes.
Egg analogy of the earth layers
Earth layer simulation game
Vocabulary development of earthquake words
Map puzzle of Earth plates
Color, cut, and paste Earth plates
Shape recognition of Earth plate puzzle
3-4
The Earth has a layered structure.
Earths outer layer, the lithosphere, is broken into pieces called plates.
Convention currents in the mantle might be the cause of plate motion which results in earthquakes.
Egg analogy of Earth layers
Hand movement simulation of Earth layer motion
Convection current demonstration
Scale measurements
Bar graph of Earth layers
Written description of Earths interior
Vocabulary development of earthquake words
Earth size and distances
Map study of epicenter and plate locations
Color in Earth layer diagram
Three dimensional model of Earth layers
5-6
The Earth has a layered structure and an outer layer broken into pieces called plates.
Three basic movements take place at the edges of the plates.
Plate movements create special surface features near the edges of the plates.
Convention currents in the mantle may be the cause of plate movements.
Models of Earth plate motions
Convection current demonstration
Scale model of Earth layers
Metric measurement
Vocabulary development of earthquake words
Map study of epicenter and plate locations
Geologic features of the Earths surface
Model of Earth layers
Model of formation and break-up of Pangaea
II
Why and Where
Earthquakes Occur
Although our Earth feels solid as we walk along its surface, it is really only partly so. The Earth is divided into three main layers that can be visualized by using a hard-boiled egg as a model. There is a hard outer surface, a softer middle layer, and a central core. The outermost layer of the Earth is broken into irregular pieces, called plates, which make the Earth resemble a spherical jigsaw puzzle. These plates are in very slow but constant motion. Plates move in three different wayscolliding with each other, spreading apart, or sliding past one another. Earthquakes can release the energy stored in rocks by any one or a combination of these three kinds of movement. Today many scientists believe that the plates float on currents created in hot plastic-like material beneath the plates.
Why and Where
Earthquakes Occur
In Unit I we defined earthquakes in a general way, particularly as they affect human beings. To really understand why earthquakes occur, however, we need to know something about the makeup of our Earth. Two concepts are basic to all of the lessons in this unit: that the planet we live on is composed of layers, and that its outermost layer and surface are broken into irregular pieces called plates.
The Layers of the Earth
The simplest way of describing the Earths layers is to compare the globe to a hard-boiled egg. It has a crust something like the shell, a middle layer, or mantle, something like the white, and a core that is something like the yolk. The crust and the upper portion of the mantle are often referred to together as the lithosphere, or rock sphere. Scientists further divide the core into the inner core and the outer core.
Crust and Lithosphere
The Earths crust varies in thickness from about 65 km on the continents to only about 10 km on the ocean floors. Even at its thickest, the crust is not nearly as thick in relation to the whole bulk of the Earth as the shell of an egg is to the egg. This becomes obvious when we compare 65 km to the radius of the Earth, 6,370 km.
The lithosphere is the outer solid portion of Earth that includes the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle. The lithosphere has an average depth of 100 km.
Lower Mantle and Core
Directly below the lithosphere is the asthenosphere, a region of the mantle with a plastic, semisolid consistency, which reaches to about 200 km below the surface. The mantle continues to a depth of 2,900 km.
Types of Plate Movements
The liquid outer core, which might be compared to the outer two-thirds of an eggs yolk, reaches from 2,900 km to a depth of about 5,100 km. The solid metallic inner core goes the rest of the way to the center of the Earth. Both are composed primarily of iron and nickel.
The oldest rocks of the crust have been dated by radioactive decay at about 4.0 billion years old. We do not know when the lithosphere began to form, but we assume that it broke into plates at this time.
The Earths Plates
Most earthquakes are caused by large-scale movements of the Earths lithospheric plates and occur at the boundaries between the plates. Experts recognize seven to twelve major plates and a number of smaller ones. The plates take their names from continents (the North American plate); from oceans (the Pacific plate); and from geographic areas (the Arabian plate).
Slow and Steady Motion
The plates are in very slow but constant motion, so that seen from above, the Earths surface might look like a slowly moving spherical jigsaw puzzle. The plates move at rates of 2 to 15 cm, or several inches, in a year: about as fast as our fingernails grow. On a human scale, this is a rate of movement that only the most sophisticated instruments can detect. But on the scale of geological time, its a dizzying speed. At this rate, those almost-four-billion-year-old rocks could have traveled all the way around the Earth eleven times.
Three Kinds of Plate Movements
The movement of the plates is generally one of three kindsspreading, colliding, or sliding. When plates are spreading, or separating from each other, we call their movement divergent. When they are colliding, or pushing each other, we call the movement convergent. Movement in which plates slide past each other is called strike-slip (or transform) plate movement. Earthquakes can accompany each of the three types of movement.
Divergent (spreading)
plate movement
Convergent (colliding)
plate movement
Strike-slip (transform)
plate movement
Plate Tectonics
Continental Drift: 1910 to 1960
The theory of plate tectonics originated early in the 20th century, although it did not gain general acceptance until the late 1960s. The German meteorologist, geophysicist, and explorer Alfred L. Wegener is now given credit for the first step in understanding the movement of the lithosphere. In the period 1910-1912 he formulated the theory called continental drift and collected evidence from the rocks, fossils, and climate of various continents to show that they had once been joined together. Wegener had little data on the oceanic crust, so he thought that the continents merely moved through that crust.
Earth land masses about
200,000,000 years ago.
Earth land masses about
50,000,000 years into the future.
Plate Tectonics: 1960 to the Present
In the early 1960s, Fred Vine and Drummond Matthews showed that the ocean floor was spreading apart at the mid-ocean ridges. They and others soon realized that the continents were also moving. By 1968 a new explanation for the dynamics of the Earths surface had been born, and christened plate tectonics.
Convection Currents
The force that drives the plates, however, is still something of a mystery. Wegener thought that centrifugal force, caused by the rotation of the Earth, was the cause of continental drift. The weight of modern scientific opinion favors convection currentssystems of heat exchange that form in the Earths mantle.
Beneath the lithosphere the mantle is semi-molten to a depth of about 260 km. Its plastic-like material rises in response to heat and sinks when the temperature drops. You can see this kind of movement if you boil water in a clear glass pot.
This convective movement acts as a drag on the underside of the lithospheric plates, causing them to separate where mantle material is rising and collide where it sinks. As the plates are dragged along over the mantle, like potato chips riding on honey, the leading edges of some plates are destroyed, while others pick up new material. Sometimes the edge of one plate slides under another, in the process we call subduction.
Some scientists explain the motion of plates as a downhill sliding. They are high at the mid-ocean ridges, and extend deep into the mantle at their leading edges. As a subducting plate sinks, it fractures from the stress and causes deep earthquakes. Eventually, because of the high temperature of the mantle, the subducting plate melts. Then this molten plate material rises into the crust, where it feeds volcanoes.
Somehow, these various processes maintain a kind of balance, so that the size of the lithosphere stays about the same. Remember to emphasize, with your students, the great sweep of geological time in which tectonic processes occur. Discovering the dynamic nature of this seemingly solid Earth should be exciting, but not frightening.
Master 18, Convection Currents and Plate Boundaries
Inside Planet Earth
Content Concepts
1. The Earth is made up of layers.
2. Its outer layer is broken into pieces called plates.
3. The movement of the Earths plates is the cause of most earthquakes.
Vocabulary
core
mantle
crust
plate
Objectives
Students will
*name and identify layers of the Earth.
*observe a model of the Earths plates.
*create a model of the Earths layers with their bodies.
*construct a representation of the Earths plates with jigsaw puzzle pieces.
Assessment
Construct a scientific drawing showing layers of the Earth.
Learning Links
Language Arts: Vocabulary building, following directions
Art: Coloring, cutting, pasting, shape recognition
Social Studies: Locating plates on a world map and identifying major global features (continents and oceans)
Activity One: Earth from the Inside Out
core
The core is the deepest layer of the Earth. It helps to heat the Earth from inside like a furnace.
man * tle
The mantle is the layer between the core and the crust. It is mostly solid. Just below its top is a semi-solid layer with a consistency something like modeling clay or gelatin dessert.
crust
The crust is the top layer of the Earth, solid and very thin compared to the other layers.
Materials for the teacher
*Transparency made from Master 12a, Layers of the Earth
*Overhead projector
*Hard-boiled egg with the Earths plates outlined in permanent marker (Crude markings will do.)
*Kitchen knife or dental floss
Materials for each student
*Batches of Play-Doh?, modeling medium (see recipe), or plasticine modeling clay
*Master 12b, Earth Layers Worksheet
*Small strips of yellow, blue, and red construction paper
*3 toothpicks
*Scissors
*Paste or glue
*Dental floss or butter knife
Procedure
1. Show the transparency on the overhead projector, pointing out the three basic layers of the Earthcore, mantle, and crustand describing each.
2. Show students the egg and point out the marks that indicate the plates.
Explain: The Earths top layer is broken into pieces called plates. The plates are always moving, but usually very slowlyabout as fast as your fingernails grow. Sometimes, when the plates move away from each other, bump into each other, or grind past each other, we experience earthquakes. Then we feel shaking, and sometimes we hear rumbling.
3. With a sharp knife, slice the egg, shell and all, and show students the layers inside. Explain that the crust is something like the shell, the white is something like the mantle, and the yolk is something like the core.
4. Prior to this activity make batches of modeling medium if Play-Doh? or modeling clay is not available.
5. Encourage students to create their own model of the inside of the Earth beginning with the core and working out to the crust.
Have students choose a small portion of red clay to represent the core of the Earth. They will need a greater portion of yellow (mantle), and then blue (crust) to create their model.
Using dental floss or a butter knife, have students cut their model in half, then label each section with a toothpick flag.
Model of inside of the Earth with labeling flags.
Toothpick flags: toothpicks with a piece of paper wrapped and glued around one end.
6. Distribute copies of Master 12b, Earth Layers Worksheet. Direct students to color the Earths layers in paper wrapped and glued around one end different colors: red for the core, yellow for the mantle, and blue for the crust. Readers can cut out the labels and paste them in the correct boxes.
Activity Two: Energy Transfer
Materials for each student
*A color-coded sign saying Core (red), Mantle (yellow), or Crust (blue), perhaps on a string to hang around the neck.
Procedure
1. Invite students to use their bodies to represent the layers of the Earth.
2. Select a small group of children (2 or 3) to represent the core, and give them red signs which say Core. Ask them to stand in the center of the room. Students should show that they are very hot, perhaps by mopping their brows and fanning themselves.
3. Select a larger group (8 to 10 students) to represent the mantle. Give them yellow Mantle signs and ask them to form a circle around the core group. Students should move very slowly around the core group.
4. Give blue Crust signs to about 15 more students and ask them to hold hands and surround the mantle group.
5. Tell the mantle students that when you call out Earthquake, they are to bump into the crust students, causing them to move and break their circle. This transfer of energy from mantle students to crust students simulates roughly what happens during an earthquake.
Teacher Take Note: In later grades students will also learn about the lithosphere, the layer to which the plates belong. For now the three basic layers are enough.
Activity Three: Giant Jigsaw Puzzle
Extensions
Materials for the teacher
1. Tell the turtle story from Unit One. How would you explain an earthquake if you were a modern Gabrielino who had studied about the layers of the Earth and its plates?
2. On a paper plate, draw a diagram of the layers of the Earth. Label each layer.
*Egg model from Activity One
*World Map
*Transparency made from Master 13, Earth Plates
*Overhead projector
Materials for each student
*Handouts made from Masters 13, Earth Plates, 14a, Puzzle Pieces, and 14b, Puzzle Pieces
*Crayons
*Scissors
*Paste
Some of the smaller plate regions are not cut apart into puzzle pieces on Masters 14a and 14b as they would be too small for the children to handle comfortably.
Teacher Take Note: To make a larger floor or learning center version of the puzzle, enlarge Masters 14a and 14b. Paste the enlargements onto tagboard, laminate (if possible), and cut out the pieces. Put Velcro? on the back of each piece so you can use it on a flannel board.
Procedure
1. Repeat the egg demonstration to establish the relationship of the crust to the shell and the existing plates. Draw continents onto the egg shell, crack the egg, and gently manipulate both parts of the egg back and forth, demonstrating the movement of the Earths plates.
2. Recall the turtle story in Unit I, and explain that the theory of plate movement gained general acceptance among scientists only in the late 1960s. Also remind students of the activity in which they represented the layers of the Earth. Ask:
What causes most earthquakes? (The Earth plates move.) When one part of the crust moves, what happens to the other parts of the crust? (They move too.)
3. Display Master 13, Earth Plates, on the overhead, and compare it to the world map. Explain that the Earths crust can be divided into major plates which fit together like the pieces of a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. Help students observe that some of the plate boundaries are under the ocean.
4. Hand out Masters 13, 14a, and 14b, and direct students in cooperative groups to color all the shaded areas on the Master 14 pages brown. These represent the Earths major land masses. Have them leave the remaining areas blue. These represent oceans and seas.
5. Ask students to count the puzzle pieces so that they perceive the boundaries and can point to each piece. (This is important to be sure that they are interpreting positive and negative space correctly.) Point out that one plate has no land on it, and another has very little land.
6. Direct students to cut out the Master 14 puzzle pieces, and paste them on the worksheet made from Master 13, the Earth plate outlines. Be sure they understand that their diagram represents a flattened view of the Earth and its plates.
Why and Where Earthquakes Occur4/Unit II, Level 2, Grades 3-4
Plates Going Places
Content Concepts
1. The Earth has a layered structure.
2. Its outer layer, the lithosphere, is broken into pieces called plates.
3. Convection currents in the mantle might be the cause of plate motion which results in earthquakes.
Vocabulary
crust
lithosphere
mantle
outer core
inner core
plates
convection current
magma
divergent plate boundary
strike-slip (transform) plate boundary
convergent plate boundary
Objectives
Students will
*describe the structure of the interior of the Earth.
*name and identity the layers of the Earth.
*interpret a graph of the approximate thickness of the Earths layers.
*observe a model demonstrating the layers of the Earth and its plates.
*relate earthquake epicenters to plate boundaries.
*identify 12 major plates of the Earth.
*demonstrate the motions of plates.
*observe a convection current.
Learning Links
Language Arts: Participating in class discussions, writing paragraphs, following directions
Social Studies: Locating plate boundaries, locating various geographic features
Math: Interpreting a graph of the thickness of Earths layers, observing the proportions of the layers to each other
Art: Drawing the interior of the Earth, constructing a model of the Earths interior
Assessment
Shakequake, USA (a fictitious town), has many earthquakes. Use what you learned in this unit to explain possible causes of earthquakes in that particular area.
Activity One: Whats Inside
con * vec * tion
cur * rent
A convection current is a circular movement in a fluid in which hot material rises and cold material sinks.
lith * o * sphere
The lithosphere is the solid outer region of the Earth in which earthquakes begin. It contains the crust and the uppermost portion of the mantle.
out * er core
The outer core is the liquid portion of the Earths core.
in * ner core
The inner core is the solid central portion of the Earth.
Materials for the teacher
*A globe of the Earth
*Transparency made from Master 15, A Pizza the Earth
*Transparency made from Master 16, Graph of the Earths Layers, colored according to the directions in 3 and 4 below
*Overhead projector
Materials for each student
*Worksheet made from Master 15, A Pizza the Earth
*Worksheet made from Master 16, Graph of the Earths Layers
*Crayons or colored pencils
*Metric ruler
Procedure
1. Show the students the globe. Define the term diameter, then tell them that the Earths diameter is about 12,760 km or about 7,900 miles. Put this distance in context by comparing it to a distance students are familiar with, such as the distance from their town or city to a distant, but familiar location.
2. Explore students ideas about the inside of the Earth. Is it the same all the way to the center? Distribute art supplies and ask them to draw what they think the inside of the Earth is like, then write a paragraph describing the drawing. (This activity will help you to know what background they are bringing to the topic.)
3. Project the transparency of the transparency of Master 15, A Pizza the Earth, and distribute the matching worksheet.
a. Explain that the drawing is a model of the layers inside the Earth. Briefly describe each layer, and have students label the inner core, outer core, mantle, lithosphere, and crust as you speak.
b. Ask students to color each of the Earths layers a different color. Color the area from the beginning of the lithosphere out to the surface yellow, then go over the outermost section with blue to indicate the crust. (The overlapping colors, which should produce green for the crust, will help students to understand that the crust is part of the lithosphere.
4. Distribute Master 16, Graph of the Earths Layers. Ask students to use the following data to construct a bar graph of the thickness of the Earths layers:
Layer
Thickness in Km
crust
	40
lithosphere
	100
mantle
	2900
outer core
	2000
inner core
	1400
Remind students that a graph should contain a title, scale, and labels. Ask students to color each bar the same color they used for that layer in their Pizza of the Earth (Master 15) worksheet. Use a transparency of Master 16, Graph of the Earths Layers, to discuss the proportions of the layers with your students.
5. (Optional) During another class period or as homework, invite students to make a three-dimensional model showing the layers of the Earth. Tell them they must label the layers and make them in correct proportion to one another. They may choose any material and manner of construction they like. You may want to display some of these models in a school display case.
Activity Two: Were All Cracked Up
Materials for the teacher
*Several hard boiled eggs
*Small kitchen knife
*Narrow permanent marker
*Free-flowing broad permanent marker
Teacher Take Note: It may take several tries to cut the egg neatly. A very sharp knife will help.
Procedure
1. Before class, cut a hard-boiled egg in half with its shell on. On one half, make a dot of color in the center of the yolk with a permanent marker to represent the inner core. Color the outside of the shell with the broad marker to represent the crust.
Rap another hard-boiled egg on any hard surface to produce a pattern of large cracks. When you have a design you like, outline the edges of the cracks with the narrow permanent marker. (This may also take several attempts. You do like egg salad, dont you?)
2. Use the marked half of the cut egg as a model to review the layers of the Earth with your students. Ask the following questions.
Which layer of the Earth does the shell represent? (The lithosphere. The color on the outside represents the crust, which is less than half as thick as the lithosphere itself.)
Which layer does the white represent? (The mantle)
Which two layers does the yolk represent? (The outer core and inner core)
3. Hold up a whole cooked egg and ask students what would happen to the shell if you rapped it on your desk. (It would develop cracks.)
Sliced, hard-cooked egg displays layers something like the Earths. (So does an avocado, if you dont like cooking.)
4. Show them the cracked egg you prepared in advance and point out that the shell is now divided into adjoining sections. The lithosphere is similarly divided into sections, which we call plates. The plates of the Earth include a portion of the upper mantle as well as the crust. We use the term lithosphere to describe the part of the Earth to which the plates belong, from the surface down to a depth of about 100 km.
5. Explain that unlike the sections of eggshell, the plates of the Earth are in motion. They move very slowly (at a rate of only a few centimeters a year), over a portion of the mantle that has plastic properties, rather like the silicone putty or flubber we used in Unit I. This movement can cause earthquakes.
Activity Three: Plates of the Earth
Materials for the teacher
*Transparency of Master 17, Plate Boundaries Map
*Overhead projector
Materials for each student
Cracked egg illustrates plates of the earth.
*Handout made from Master 7, World Map with Epicenters
*Handout made from Master 17, Plate Boundaries Map
*Crayons or colored pencils
Procedure
1. Distribute copies of the epicenter map and the plate boundaries map.
2. Ask students what relationship they see between the locations of earthquakes and the plate boundaries. They should be able to see a correlation.
3. Point out the arrows on the Plate Boundaries Map, Master 17, which indicate the direction in which each plate is moving. Ask them to color the arrows red.
a. Divergent: Begin with fingertips and slowly pull hands apart
b. Lateral (transform): Begin with hands side by side. Slide one forward and the other back, so they pass by each other.
c. Convergent: Begin with knuckles facing each other. Bring hands together, letting one slide (subduct) under the other.
4. Explain that each plate has a name, and point each one out as you read its name aloud. Instruct students to put their red pencils or crayons aside and use different colors to color all of the plateslightly, so the names and arrows can still be seen.
5. Either in a class discussion or on a worksheet followed by a class discussion, cover these points:
How many plates are there on the map? (Twelve. Explain that some experts identify twenty or more.)
Locate India. Where do you see a plate boundary in India? (on the northern border) What geographic feature do you find there? (mountains)
Locate the Atlantic Ocean. Are there any plate boundaries in that ocean? (Yes. Plate boundaries divide the ocean from north to south.)
Which large island in the Atlantic Ocean has a plate boundary going through it? (Iceland)
6. Project the transparency of the plate boundaries map.
7. Again point out the arrows which indicate plate movement, and explain that this movement is of three kinds: divergent, lateral (or transform), and convergent. Demonstrate hand motions to simulate each kind of movement, and practice them with the class as you give examples of each.
a. DivergentBegin with fingernails pressing against each other, and slowly pull hands apart. Explain that this kind of plate movement is happening on the floor of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. As plates move apart, melted rock, or magma rises from the upper mantle to fill the spaces. Examples: South American plate and African plate; North American plate and Eurasian plate.
b. LateralPlace hands side by side and slide them slowly past each other. Explain that this kind of activity is occurring right now along the San Andreas fault in California. Example: North American plate and Pacific plate.
c. ConvergentStart with hands facing each other and six inches apart. Bring them together so that one hand is forced under the other. The top hand should ride up and make a fist. Explain that converging plates may form high mountains such as the Himalayas.
As plates move together, one of the plates is pushed down (subducted) under the other: Examples: Australian-Indian plate and Eurasian plate, Nazca plate and South American plate.
Activity Four: Hot Stuff Rises and Cold Stuff Sinks
Materials for the teacher
*Clear heatproof glass baking dish, 23 cm x 13 cm x 7 cm
*Immersion heater (plug-in coil used to heat small quantities of water)
*Sandwich-size plastic bag with twist tie
*Tape
*2 eyedroppers
*Red food coloring
*Blue food coloring
*A handful of solid paper circles from a hole puncher
*Ice cubes
*Cool water
*Transparency made from Master 18, Convection Currents and Plate Cross Section
*Overhead projector
Teacher Take Note: An immersion heater is safer than most other heat sources. You can buy one for $3-4 at most hardware stores. It is also a handy way to heat a cup of water for tea, coffee, or broth. A larger container, such as an aquarium, could be used for better viewing.
Procedure
1. Review the concept that Earths lithosphere is broken into pieces called plates. Scientists believe that the plates move because of movement inside the mantle, the way groceries move on the conveyor belts in supermarket checkout lines. This demonstration illustrates what may take place.
2. Fill the glass baking dish almost completely full of cool water.
Be sure to add the blue colored drops
to the water just below the surface
as drops on the surface will
diffuse too quickly and not give
the best effect.
Extensions
1. Read Joanna Coles The Magic School Bus - Inside the Earth or Faith McNutlys How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World as a class activity or make it an additional reading assignment.
2. Show pictures of Icelandic rifts, the San Andreas fault, the Himalayan mountains, and other physical features of the sort that occur at plate boundaries.
3. Show the class a film, filmstrip, video, or computer animation on plate tectonics. (Because most of them were designed for older students, you may want to show just portions, or use the images and provide your own narration.)
3. Put about six ice cubes in the plastic bag and close it with the twist tie.
4. Place the bag in the water at one end of the dish and tape it to the side so it cant float away.
5. Place the immersion heater in the water at the other end of the dish and plug it in. Warn students to stay away from the heat source.
6. Wait about one minute for the water to heat. Then use an eyedropper to put several drops of red food coloring on the bottom of the dish near the heater. Ask students to observe what happens. (Some of the coloring will rise to the top and float toward the other end of the dish.)
7. Now use the second dropper to put a few drops of blue coloring into the water just under the surface, near the ice. Ask students to describe what they see. (The coloring will sink and move along the bottom of the water toward the other end of the dish.)
8. Put a few of the paper circles on top of the water in the warm end. Students will see them moving around on the surface of the water. Explain that the Earths plates may move on the semi-solid layer of the mantle in a similar way, because of temperature changes in the mantle. The systems of heat exchange that cause their movement are called convection currents. Hot material rises, while cold material sinks.
9. Project the transparency of Master 18, Convection Currents and Plate Movements, and point out that where two convection currents are rising together, the plates are forced apart. Where two currents are sinking together, the plates are forced together. Scientists hypothesize that these movements are the cause of many earthquakes.
10. If necessary, repeat the demonstration until all the students have had a chance to observe it at close range.
Layers, Plates, and Quakes
Content Concepts
1. The Earth has a layered structure.
2. The Earths outer layer is broken into pieces called plates.
3. Three basic kinds of movement take place at the edges of the plates.
4. Plate movements create special surface features near the edges of the plates.
5. Convection currents in the mantle may be the cause of plate movements.
Vocabulary
crust
lithosphere
mantle
outer core
inner core
plate
strike-slip (transform) plate
     boundary
convergent plate boundary
divergent plate boundary
volcano
magma
Objectives
Students will
*make a model of the layers of the Earth.
*be able to describe the composition of the layers and their interrelationships.
*model and describe activity at the three major types of plate boundaries.
*observe a demonstration of convection currents and relate the process to plate movement.
*construct a model of continental movement from ancient time through the present and into the future.
Learning Links
Language Arts: Discussion, note taking, vocabulary building, following directions
Math: Using a scale to build Earth wedge model
Art: Drawing, cutting, and taping paper models; building convection model
Assessment
Shakemeup, USA (a fictitious town) is located on the coast of California. Scientists know that subduction is occurring under this part of California. Describe what you think will happen to this town over the next 100 years.
Activity One:
Crust to Core: A Pizza the Earth
Master 15. A Pizza the Earth answers
Materials for the teacher
*Transparency made from Master 15, A Pizza the Earth
*Overhead projector
*Transparency markers
Materials for each student
*3 sheets of unlined paper, standard size
*No. 2 pencil
*Meter stick
*Tape
*Copies of Master 16, Graph of the Earths Layer
*Copies of Master 15 (optional)
Procedure
1. Elicit from class what they think the Earth is like below the surface. Accept various opinions. Depending on answers, class may need to use all or part of the first activity from Grades 3-4 in this unit.
2. Display the transparency of Master 15, A Pizza the Earth. Explain that the Earth is layered and that we have learned about these layers largely from the study of earthquake waves. Define crust, lithosphere, mantle, outer core, and inner core (see the lower-grade lessons in this unit), and ask students to write definitions of the layers in their notebooks for future reference. (Or give the students copies of Master 15, A Pizza the Earth, and have them add the definitions there.)
3. Tell the class that they are going to create a scale model of a slice of the Earth, from its surface to the center, using the following procedure:
a. Attach three pieces of unlined paper by taping together the shorter sides to make a strip about 80 cm long.
b. Turn paper over to the untaped side.
This Pizza the Earth sure has a thin crust.
mag * ma
Magma is liquid rock beneath the Earths surface. When it erupts it is called lava.
vol * can * o
A volcano is a mountain of erupted hardened lava or volcanic rock fragments at the surface of the lithosphere.
c. Draw, with the aid of a meter stick, a triangle 10 cm wide on top and 64 cm on its other two sides. (This is a scale of about one millimeter for each kilometer of the Earths radius.) Label the 10-cm side Earths Surface and the opposite end (the point of the wedge) Center of the Earth.
d. Compute the scaled distance from the Earths surface to the bottom of each of the layers, using the data from Master 16. Graph of the Earths layers. (Students will have to know the scale1 millimeter equals 10 kilometersand the definitions of the layers to be able to perform this task correctly. Be prepared to offer help as needed.)
e. Label the layers.
4. When the wedge models of Earth are completed, ask students to answer the following questions:
Which of Earths layers is the thickest and accounts for most of its volume? (the mantle)
On which layer or layers are the plates? (lithosphere, or crust and upper mantle)
In which layer or layers can faulting occur to create an earthquake? (again, lithosphere or crust and upper mantle)
Extensions
1. Research how scientists have discovered about the various layers of the Earth through the study of earthquake waves.
2. To the wedge model on Master 15 add the hydrosphere (average thickness of the oceans, about 3.8 km) and the atmosphere (about 960 km thick).
How does the part of the Earth we live onthe crust or lithospherecompare in thickness to the Earths interior? (Its the thinnest part.)
Activity Two: Slide, Collide, and Separate
Materials for the teacher
*Overhead projector
*Transparency made from Master 17, Plate Boundaries Map
Materials for each student
*Copy of Master 17, Plate Boundaries Map
*10 sheets of lined notebook paper or other 8 1/2" x 11" sheets
*One sheet of colored construction paper
*Scissors
*Transparent tape
*Metric ruler
Procedure
1. Use the transparency and student copies of Master 17, Plate Boundaries Map, to explain that different types of interactions occur among lithospheric plates at their boundaries. You may want to use the hand movements from Level 2, Activity Three, of this unit to demonstrate.
a. Lateral boundaries exist where two plates slide and grind past each other as they move in parallel or opposite directions.
Teacher Take Note: To conserve paper use recycled paper or have students work in small groups.
b. Convergent boundaries exist where two plates collide and destroy lithosphere by compacting, or shortening, and melting. There are two major types of convergence:
When two ocean boundaries or an ocean boundary and a continental boundary collide, an ocean plate edge sinks, and melting occurs. Plate boundaries of this type are associated with ocean trenches, coastal mountain ranges (e.g. Cascades), and island arc volcanoes. The melting forms magma, which rises, creating the volcanoes of the island arcs.
When two plates that have continental areas at their convergent boundaries collide, the lithosphere crumples up and new young mountain ranges form. This is happening today where India is colliding with Asia, forming the Himalayan Mountains.
c. Divergent boundaries exist where two plates diverge or separate, as at mid-ocean ridges. Divergence results in the formation of new lithosphere and crust, because separation allows liquid rock, or magma, to rise from the mantle below, forming volcanoes and new rock.
2. Tell the class that they are going to make some simple models of two major types of plate boundaries. If the class has never done hand motions to model the activity at plate boundaries, do Activity Three from the Grades 3-4 section of this unit first.
3. Ask students to get out their notebook paper and make two stacks of five sheets each. Then give them the following directions:
a. Using large letters, label the top sheet of one stack Plate A and the top sheet of the other Plate B. From now on, we will refer to the stacks of paper as plates.
b. With scissors, cut .5" (1 cm) slashes at 1" (2 cm) intervals, fringing the long side of each plate. These slashes will represent the broken-up, crushed rock at the plate boundary.
Lateral boundary: Edge slide, but sometimes catch and jerk.
Convergent boundary with continents: Plate edge humps up, and may form mountains over time.
Convergent boundary with oceanic crust: One plate edge is forced under the other. This process may account for the formation of oceanic trenches.
c. Hold the plates together, one in each hand, in front of you. Push one plate forward and pull the other back towards your body.
What did you feel? (sliding with frequent hitches as the slashed edges engage)
What do you think this model represents? (A lateral plate boundary. The sliding motion represents fault creep, and the jerky motion represents the buildup and release of energy in an earthquake. The San Andreas lateral boundary in California exhibits this kind of motion. Plates slide, but locking of sections occasionally results in earthquakes.)
4. Tell students that next they will use their Plates A and B to model another type of plate boundary. Give these directions:
a. Label the top of each plate Ocean Crust.
b. Cut the sheet of colored construction paper in half lengthwise, and make a loop out of each section. Tape the loops closed, and press down on each one gently to flatten it.
c. Label one loop Continent C and the other Continent D, or make up names and write them on the loops. These loops will represent continents or continental crust.
d. Tape the middle of each loop to the short side of one of the plates with the closed side facing out.
e. Hold a plate-continent combination in each hand with the continent edges facing each other. Push the two plates together and observe what happens to the continents riding on the plates.
What do you see? (The plates will hump up and the edges of the continents will rise.)
What might this represent? (The demonstration represents the convergence of two plates, the shortening or folding of the crust and the formation of mountains.)
f. Turn the plates around so their plain short edges (without continents) face each other, then push those edges together.
What happened? (One of the plates slid under the other.)
What might this represent? (It represents two plates of oceanic crust converging. The depression which results represents an oceanic trench.)
5. Help students to summarize their observations, and answer any questions they may have.
Activity Three: The History of Geography
200,000,000 years ago
65,000,000 years ago
Today
50,000,000 years from now
Master 19, Formation and Breakup of Pangaea
Materials for the teacher
*Transparency made from Master 18, Convection Currents and Plate Cross Section
*Transparency made from Master 19, Formation and Break-up of Pangaea
*Overhead projector
*Materials and directions from Unit II, Level 2, Activity Four
*World map or globe
Procedure
1. Ask students what they think might cause the Earths plates to move. Accept various suggestions, then explain that the mechanism of plate movement is one of the major unsolved mysteries in Earth studies. The most widely accepted explanation is that convection currents in the Earths mantle drive the plates. If students are not clear on the definition of mantle, review the definitions in Level 1.
2. Briefly describe convection currents, and project Master 18, Convection Currents and Plate Cross Section. Give several common examples of convection, such as hot air rising and cold air falling in the classroom, or warm water rising to the top and cool water sinking to the bottom in a lake or pool.
3. Discuss possible energy sources for convection and the movement of plates. (Many Earth scientists believe that heat energy is produced within the interior of the Earth, perhaps by the decay of radioactive materials like uranium and radium within the core and mantle.)
4. Refer to a globe, a world map, or a transparency of a world map, and ask how Africa and South America could fit together, almost like parts of a jigsaw puzzle. Students may see a similar fit among Europe, North America, and Greenland. Query class for a reason for this fit, and lead up to a brief discussion of Pangaea, the supercontinent of 200,000,000 years ago.
5. Using the transparency of the breakup of Pangaea (Master 19), very briefly show how we think the supercontinent changed to become the continents of today. Be sure to emphasize that the continents move only as parts of plates, not by themselves.
6. Indicate to the class that they are going to observe a model showing how convection currents could move the plates and the continents that ride on them. This model may explain the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea over the last 200,000,000 years.
7. Do Activity Four, Hot Stuff Rises and Cold Stuff Sinks, from Level 2 of this unit.
8. Again direct students attention to the transparency of Master 18, Convection Currents and Plate Cross Section. Point out and briefly discuss what happens where convection currents rise and sink.
Activity Four: Flippin through Pangaea
Materials for the student
*1 copy of each Master 20a through 20d for each student
*Scissors
*Stapler (in classroom)
Procedure
1. Tell the students they are going to construct a flip book that illustrates the last 200,000,000 years on Earth. (You may want to show a finished book to emphasize careful cutting and to give the general idea.)
2. Direct students to very carefully cut masters 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d apart on the straight lines. After cutting, they should stack the rectangles in sequential order. Numbered corners should be face up and in the upper left corner. The two blank ellipse panels should be on the bottom.
3. Align lower edges by tapping on a hard surface. Then align the left edges similarly. Hold the stack with both hands, having thumbs on top. Bend the stack back and forth several times until the edges on both sides are slightly offset. Hold the book with your right hand and staple it together (in far enough to include all the pages, about .5 cm.)
4. Ask students to describe the changes in the pictures from panel 1 to panel 22. (The large dark mass, Pangaea, breaks apart, and the continents as we know them today are formed.) Ask students to make predictions about what will happen to the continents in the future. (There will be further movement of continents in the same direction.)
5. Direct students to draw their predictions on the last two blank ellipses. (Remind students that they should make their drawings sequential.)
6. Have students discuss their predictions and drawings.
Unit II. Why and Where Earthquakes Occur
Materials List
Grades K-2
Grades 3-4
Grades 5-6
hard-boiled egg
globe
unlined paper
permanent marker
crayons
pencils
dental floss or butter knife
colored pencils
metric stick
construction paper
glass baking dish or
watch with second hand
toothpicks
 aquarium
colored pencils or crayons
modeling clay
immersion heater
lined paper
paper
plastic bag with twist tie
colored construction paper
crayons
tape
scissors
markers
eyedroppers
transparent tape
scissors
red food coloring
metric ruler
paste or glue
blue food coloring
glass baking dish
overhead projector
ice cubes
plastic bag with twist tie
hard-boiled eggs
immersion heater
small kitchen knife
tape
overhead projector
red food coloring
narrow permanent marker
blue food coloring
broad permanent marker
eyedroppers
paper circles from hole
paper hole punches
 puncher
ice cubes
globe
overhead projector
transparency markers
d
III
Physical Results of Earthquakes
Earthquake Curriculum, K-6  Scope and Sequence Chart
Unit III: Physical Results of Earthquakes
Level
Concept
Laboratory
Mathematics
Language Arts
Social Studies
Art
K-2
Earthquakes cause changes in the Earths surface
Hand movement simulation of Earth plate motion.
Fault movement game
Milk carton simulation of earthquake results
Math facts practice
Vocabulary development of earthquake words
Features of a community
Map making
Illustration of a community
Model construction
3-4
Small-scale topographic changes are associated with plate movements.
Earthquake activity causes small-scale topographic changes.
Paper simulations of rock layers and models of faults
Sand simulation of liquefaction
Landslide simulation
Tsunami simulation
Planes and angles recognition
Measurement practice
Write-up of landslide activities
Vocabulary development of earthquake words
Effects of faults, landslides, and fissures
Geographic features locations
Fault model construction
Construction of seashore environments for tsunami simulation
5-6
Tectonic movements, including earthquakes, are among the major forces which create Earths landscape.
Mountains, plains, and plateaus are the major features of the continents.
Many of the Earths most significant landscape features are under the oceans.
Paper simulation of rock layer movement
Mountain building simulation
Ocean turbidity current simulation
Vocabulary development of earthquake words
Map study of plate boundaries
Construction of underwater landscape
III
Physical Results of Earthquakes
Over billions of years, Earth motions and earthquakes have played a major part in shaping the physical features of our Earth, both on land and under water. Over time, small-scale changes make foothills and minor cracks; large scale changes produce towering mountains and deep valleys. As the plates of the Earths surface move, warping slowly up, down, and sideways in relation to each other, we may feel these movements as earthquakes. The waves of energy they release not only shake the Earth, but also alter the nature of many soils, giving them an unstable liquid-like consistency. Then structures sink, tip, and topple, and hillsides crumble.
Physical Results of
Earthquakes
If there were no plate motions, our planet would not look like home. There would be no mountains, no valleys, and no plateaus. Without the uplifting of land caused by tectonic (mountain building) processes, most land above sea level would be uniformly flat, whittled down by the processes of erosion.
Earth-Shaking: Earth-Shaping
Earthquakes and other tectonic events have been occurring for as long as the Earth has existed. The changes in the landscape associated with these events range from small cracks in the soil to the raising (uplifting) or lowering (downdropping) of huge chunks (or blocks) of the lithosphere.
No large mountain or deep valley has been formed as the result of a single earth-shaking event. The raising and lowering of sections of the Earth generally happens gradually, in small increments. Over thousands and millions of years these increments add up to significant changes, such as fault block mountains and deep graben valleys.
Horizontal Fault Movement
Vertical Fault Movement
Faults and Folds
As a result of plate motions, the accumulated stress and strain within the rocks of the lithosphere may cause great warps or folds in rock layers. Where rock is strained beyond its limit, it will fracture, and the rock mass on either side will move abruptly.
Up, Down, or Sideways
A fault is a fracture within the Earths crust along which significant movement has occurred. Faults are often classified according to the direction of movement and whether movement is predominantly horizontal or vertical.
Displacement of rock along a fault can occur as a result of vertical or horizontal fault movement. Vertical fault movement changes the elevation of a rock mass on one side of the fault relative to the rock mass on the opposite side. Rock masses on one side of the fault can also shift horizontally in relation to the opposite side. Fault movement is always stated in relative terms.
Vertical fault movement may result in cliffs (scarps) along the fault line. Horizontal or lateral fault movement may cause roads and river banks to change their position. In the lessons that follow, students will use hand movements and paper models to illustrate these fault movements.
Folding Rock Layers
Folding is another way that rock layers respond to stress. They may crumple sideways, without fracturing, like wrinkles in a rug. We can see small folds in hand specimens of sedimentary rock; larger examples of folded rock layers can be seen in mountain sides and road cuts. Some mountain chains, such as the Alps or the Folded Appalachians, show primarily folded structures.
Soil Liquefaction
Although deep-down earthquake action takes place in the rocky lithosphere, much of the dollar damage that occurs in earthquakes results from the liquefaction of soil. When earthquake vibrations pass through soil which has a high water content, the soil loses the properties of a solid and takes on those of a semiliquid, like quicksand or pudding. The foundations of heavy buildings suddenly lose the support of the soil, and they may topple, or settle deeper into the Earth.
You have experienced liquefaction on a small scale if you have ever walked along the beach and seen water rise to the top of the sand at your every step. When liquefaction happens on a large scale, however, as it did at Nigata, Japan, in 1964, it spells disaster.
Why Land Slides
Earthquakes may trigger many landslides, particularly during the rainy season. The potential for landsliding is highest in soft sediments on steep slopes; where seasonal rainfall is high; where vegetation is shallow, rotted or sparse; where erosion is high; and where ground shaking is intense.
Underwater Earthquakes
Earthquakes on the ocean bottom may result in the up or down shifting of large blocks of the crust. Such motion can generate a special kind of ocean wave called a tsunami, or seismic sea wave. A series of these waves may travel at speeds up to 800 km/hr in the deep ocean, where they are too small to be seen. But, when they reach land, they mount to heights of tens of meters and break against the shore and its buildings. Low coastal areas can be flooded, and much loss of life can result.
It is difficult to adjust our focus wide enough, in both space and time, to recognize the geological events and structures that surround us on dry land. It is even more difficult to think about those events and structures when they occur underwater, where we cannot see them. Yet water covers about 70 percent of our planet, and the same tectonic forces are at work on the floors of the oceans as on the continents.
Although the same processes are at work, we need a new vocabulary to understand them. Mountain ranges in the ocean are called mid-ocean ridges; plains are called abyssal plains. Landslides (or submarine slides) occur as well, but we call them turbidity currents. The fourth activity for Grades 5 and 6 gives students a chance to model turbidity currents.
A Word to the Wise
If you can communicate the scope and magnitude of tectonic events to your students, and make them aware that earthquakes are something more than disasters on a human scale, you will have done a great deal. Enjoy these activities with them.
Earthquakes Shape Our Earth
Content Concepts
Earthquakes cause changes in the Earths surface.
Vocabulary
fault
rural
Objectives
Students will
*demonstrate three faulting actions.
*describe a rural community.
*draw a model of such a community.
*demonstrate the effects of earthquakes on the model community.
Assessment
Choose one kind of fault and describe its movement. If an earthquake occurred, tell what would happen to a new fence that a farmer built across that fault.
Learning Links
Language Arts: Discussing features of a rural community, describing results of earthquake simulations
Social Studies: Extending the concept of community, completing a map
Art: Drawing a diagram of a community, constructing a model
Activity One: Earth Movers
Horizontal Fault Movement
Vertical Fault Movement
Master 21, Fault Movements
Materials for the teacher
*Overhead projector
*World map or transparency of Master 13, Earth Plates
*Transparency of Master 2 1, Fault Movements
Procedure
1. Review with the students the concepts that the Earths surface is made up of plates, and that those plates have been shifting and moving over millions of years. Direct their attention to the map.
2. Explain that earthquake movement does not occur just at the edges of the plates, but also within the continents. Movements may happen at cracks in the Earth called faults. These movements are of two main kinds-up and down, and sideways.
3. Display Master 21, Fault Movements and point out the directions of the two movements. Demonstrate the types of faults with hand movements, and ask students to perform the movements along with you.
Up and down movements
Down movement (Normal faulting). Make your hands into fists and press the flat edges of the fingers together. Release the pressure and let one hand drop about 4 cm. The straight fingers and knuckles of the other hand will resemble a fault cliff.
Up movement (Reverse faulting). Press knuckles and fingers tightly together as before. Without releasing the pressure, let one hand slide up about 4 cm. Again, the result will look like a cliff, but students should be able to see the difference in the two processes.
Sideways movement (Lateral, or transform faulting). Press the sides of the hands together. As you release the pressure, slide your two hands past each other in a jerky motion. You will feel the vibrations and see the horizontal displacement of the two sides which occurs in this type of faulting.
Illustrate up and down plate movement
by raising and lowering fists in relation
to each other.
Illustrate lateral, sideways, movement
by sliding one hand next to the other.
Activity Two: Model Communities
Materials for each teacher
fault
A fault is a crack in rock or soil where movement has taken place.
ru * ral
A rural community is a farming community where people do not live close together as they do in cities.
*Overhead projector
*Transparency made from Master 22, Rural Community after an Earthquake
Materials for each pair of students
*Two 1/2-gal. milk or juice cartons
*Rubberbands
*Pencils and felt markers or crayons
*Paper to cover top and sides of each carton
*Colored construction paper (strips)
*Scissors
*Masking tape or glue
*Clay, Play-Doh?
*Odds and ends (e.g., toothpicks, string, paper clips)
Procedure
1. Review faulting actions with students. Project Master 22, Rural Community, and ask students what they see. Discuss the effects of the earthquake on the rural community pictured.
2. Tell students that they are going to construct a similar community. Ask them to name some physical features of a rural community, and list them on the overhead or on the blackboard. (Do not include people or animals.) Your list may look something like this:
long fences
crops plants in rows
roads
houses
barns
bridges
trees
utility poles and wires
Master 22, Rural Community After an Earthquake
3. Distribute 1/2-gal. milk cartons to each pair of students. Ask them to plan a model community and include some of the features they listed above.
a.
Open completely one end of each carton.
b.
Place the cartons side by side, with the open ends facing opposite direction.
c.
Place one or two rubberbands around the middle of both cartons, locking them together.
d.
Cover the top and side of each carton with construction paper. Wrap each carton from the long edge where the cartons meet and cover top and one side. Do not cover the ends.
e.
Use the materials provided to construct a 3-dimensional community on the top surface of the cartons.
4. Tell students that the place where the two cartons meet represents a fault.
Direct students to use the cartons to simulate the two faulting actions from Activity One that they have demonstrated with their hands: up and down faulting, and sideways faulting. (Note: Students can place their hands in the cartons while carrying out this step.) Remind them that earthquakes result from a release of energy, and ask them to place pressure on the fault and release it rapidly each time they want to bring the cartons into a new position.
5. Ask students to observe and describe the changes to their community after each simulation.
Landscape on the Loose
Content Concepts
1. Small-scale topographic changes are associated with plate movements.
2. Earthquake activity causes small-scale topographic changes.
3. Earthquakes on the ocean floor sometimes cause giant seismic sea waves, or tsunamis.
Vocabulary
normal fault
reverse fault
lateral (strike-slip) fault
Appalachian mountains
fault plane
fold
groundwater
landscape
landslide
liquefaction
tsunami
Objectives
Students will
*understand that many landscape features are a result of earthquake activity.
*construct models of three types of faults and be able to name and identify them.
*demonstrate the formation of folded rock.
*demonstrate liquefaction, and describe how it happens.
*demonstrate a landslide and describe some factors that influence the results of landslides triggered by earthquakes.
*identify tsunamis as an earthquake event, and demonstrate their mechanism and effects on shore faults.
Learning Links
Language Arts: Labeling types of faults, following oral instructions, writing paragraphs
Social Studies: Locating geographic features, discussing how faults, landslides, and tsunamis affect peoples lives and property
Math: Measuring materials for liquefaction demonstration
Art: Making fault models, constructing seashore environments for tsunami simulation
Assessment
You visited a town that had a leaning building. Use what you know about sandy soils and water beneath the surface to explain what may have caused the building to lean.
Activity One: Up, Down, and Sideways
fault plane
A fault plane is a surface along which faulting movement has occurred.
lat * er * al fault
A lateral fault is a fault with edges that slip past each other.
nor * mal fault
A normal fault is a fault in which the upper block moves downward.
thrust fault
A thrust fault is a fault in which the upper block slides over a lower block.
Materials for the teacher
*Map of U.S.
Materials for the students
*Worksheet made from Master 23, Fault Model
*Scissors
*Colored pencils or crayons
*Tape
Paper strip 5/8 inch wide from standard size paper
Procedure
1. Distribute worksheet with fault diagrams. Tell students that they are going to make a model to illustrate the three basic types of faults.
2. Explain that horizontal lines on sides of the diagram represent different rock layers below the surface, as we might see them exposed on the side of a cliff. Instruct students to color each layer a different color. (All layers with the same letter should be the same color.)
3. Instruct students to cut out the fault model. Fold the rock layer extensions down to form a box with the features (trees, train track, river) on the top. Taping sides together, the box will make a 3-dimensional model of the top layers of the Earths crust.
4. The dashed line on your model represents a fault. Carefully cut along the dashed line. You will end up with two pieces.
5. Place the two pieces of your model together so that point A is next to point C. Move the two pieces so that point A is next to point B. This represents a normal fault.
Ask students to describe how the Earths surface has changed after the normal fault occurred. (The surface is not level. The left side of the Earths surface along the fault line is higher than the right side.)
Ask students to predict what might happen to the river now that the rock layers have moved. (There may be the formation of rapids or a waterfall.)
Master 23, Fault Model
6. Place the two pieces of your model together so that point A is again next to point C. Move the pieces so that point C is next to point D. This represents a thrust fault.
Ask the students to describe how the Earths surface has changed after the thrust fault had occurred. (The right side is overhanging the left side.)
Ask students to predict how the landscape will change after the movement along the thrust fault. (The Earths surface will erode along the overhang and fall down to the ground below. Eventually a gentler slope will result.)
7. Place the two pieces of your model back to its original position (point A and C together). Viewing the model from above, move it so that point E is next to point F. This represents a lateral fault.
Ask the students to describe how the Earths surface has changed. (Surface features will not be aligned.)
What will happen to the flow of the river as a result of this lateral fault? (The river will change its course to follow the fault line.)
Ask students to describe how rock layers X, Y, and Z have changed as a result of the lateral fault. (The rock layers have slid horizontally past each other.)
8. Explain that sometimes, when rock layers are exposed to pressure, they do not break or fault, but fold instead. Give these directions for a simple model of folding activity.
Have students cut a narrow strip 5/8 (about 7 cm) wide from a standard sheet of paper.
Place it on top of a hardcover book, along the front edge. Hold it in place at the center with a paper clip.
Slowly push the paper from both sides toward the center. Notice the hills and valleys that form as it folds.
Point out the Appalachian Mountains on a United States map, and explain that parts of the Appalachians and other U.S. mountains were formed by the folding of rock layers.
Push the paper slowly from both sides toward the middle
Activity Two: Liquefaction Lab
liq * ue * fac * tion
Liquefaction is the process in which soil or sand suddenly loses the properties of solid material and instead behaves like a liquid.
Materials for each small group
*Newspapers to cover work surfaces
*About 300 mL (1-1/4 cup) of medium- to fine-grain sand in a container (e.g., plastic margarine tub)
*About 100 mL (1/3 to 1/2 cup) of water
*Measuring cup or breaker marked in metric units
Procedure
Introduce the activity by telling students that liquefaction accounts for considerable damage to property. Define the term. Tell students they have experienced it if they have ever felt a foot sink into a patch of extremely muddy ground or in the sand along a shoreline. Give these instructions for the simulation:
1. Place about three fourths of the sand in the bottom of your container. Spread it out to form a flat, even surface. Place the container on a table or desk. This represents soil in an earthquake zone.
2. DO NOT handle your container of sand until instructed to do so. (This is very important. Containers must not be disturbed throughout Steps 3 and 4.)
3. SLOWLY add water to the sand until water just appears at the surface. Let students know that the sand needs time to absorb the water. Discuss with the students that the water they are adding represents precipitation.
Teacher Take Note: For this activity to work, it is very important for students not to handle their containers until instructed to do so.
Extension
A possible extension is to use weights, such as fishing weights, to model buildings sinking because of liquefaction. Plastic buildings do not have enough weight to sink.
4. Carefully sprinkle dry sand over the wet surface so that the entire top of the sand is barely dry to the touch. Press gently with your index fingertip to test for firmness, and add more sand if necessary. (Sand should be firm to the touch.)
5. Place a hand over the top of the container and rapidly slide the container back and forth on the table (the container should not come off the table top). Continue sliding until you observe standing water at the surface. (Explain that the shaking simulates earthquake waves traveling through the ground.)
6. Now press your finger into the sand. What happened? (It should sink easily because the waves of energy you produced by sliding the container have caused water to move up and liquefy the sand.) What would happen to buildings on top of the soil that was liquefied? (They would topple over or sink into the soil.)
Liquefaction of soil can cause buildings to slump and sometimes to collapse entirely.
Activity Three: A Slippery Slope
Materials for the teacher
*Newspapers to cover work surface
*Large tray (Ask your grocer for a supply of large plastic foam meat trays.)
*Local soils of various textures, or potting soil
*Builders sand
*Fine gravel
*Aluminum foil
Teacher Take Note: Do some hill building of your own before class, to get the feel of the activity. Although this activity has been designed as a teacher demonstration, it could be done by students in small groups.
*Water
Procedure
1. Tell your students that you are going to make a model of a hillside. Follow the directions below:
a.Cover your work surface with several layers of newspapers. In the meat tray, build a hill from moistened sand or soil. It may be any height or shape you choose. You may want to make one side steeper than the other.
b.Wrap a sheet of foil around your hill to simulate the slippery layer of rock or soil that allows outer layers to slide off during an earthquake.
c.Completely cover the foil with another layer of sand, soil, or gravel.
d.Ask students to predict the effect of an earthquake on the model. Which parts will be most affected by the earthquake?
e.Hold the tray on which your hill rests with both hand, and slide it back and forth sharply on your work surface to simulate an earthquake.
Extension
Show pictures of famous landslides caused by earthquakes, such as those that happened at Hebgen Lake in Montana, and in Alaska during the 1964 earthquake. Invite students to research and present reports on these or other landslide events.
2. After producing a landslide, conduct a class discussion including these questions:
How did the shape of the hill affect the landslide? (The steeper the slope, the more easily the material will slide down.)
How did the type of material on top of the foil affect the landslide? (Various answers are possible.)
What would have happened if less water had been used in the soil mixture? What if more had been used? (Landslides are more likely when the surface is waterlogged.)
How should the potential of a site for landslides caused by earthquakes affect decisions on locating homes and other structures on or under it? (Such a site would make a poor choice unless it can be reinforced some way.)
What are some events other than earthquakes that can cause landslides? (Heavy rains, freezing and thawing of the ground, erosion).
3. Have students in groups write a report describing how the hill was built, what they observed during the landslide, and what considerations and precautions should be taken into account when building on or near a slope.
Activity Four: Tsunami!
Materials for the teacher
tsu * na * mi
A tsunami is a giant ocean wave caused by movements of the ocean floor, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
*Transparency made from Master 24a, Tsunami Facts and Master 24b, Notable Tsunamis
*Overhead projector
Materials for each pair or group of students
*Glass or metal baking pan or plastic shoe box
*About 1 liter of water
*Plastic lid of the type used to reclose coffee or margarine containers
*Punching tool or drawing compass
*Scissors
*String
*Sand
*Erasers, toothpicks, popsicle sticks, and other small objects to represent shore features
*Book or block of wood to serve as wedge
*Metric ruler
Procedure
1. Ask students the following questions:
Do earthquakes occur under the ocean? (Yes)
Do earthquakes under the ocean ever affect people: (Some students may think of tsunamis. If not, introduce the topic.)
2. Project the transparency of Master 24a, Tsunami Facts. Begin with what students already know about tsunamis, and share the information on the master. Then tell class that they are going to build a model of a tsunami.
3. Divide students into pairs or small groups, distribute materials, and give these directions:
Extensions
1. Read to your students:
The Magic Fan, written and illustrated by Keith Baker; The Big Wave by Pearl Buck; or The Wave, a Japanese folk tale by Margaret Hodges.
2. Use the art print of The Wave to initiate a critical review of the print. Discuss medium, colors and feelings when looking at the print.
a.Use the wedge to tilt the pan at an angle of about 20 degrees.
b.Pour water into the pan to cover the lower end, leaving about a third of the pan at the upper end dry.
c.Pack a layer of sand 1 in. (2-3 cm) thick on the dry end of the pan to simulate a beach or coastline. Use your hands to mold dunes or drifts. Draw roads parallel to the shore with a stick or your fingers. Build docks and other small, lightweight structures to complete the shore environment. Be creative.
d.Punch the plastic lid on one end near the rim to make a hole, and thread it with a piece of string 8 in. (20 cm) long. Tie knots to hold the string in place.
e.Gently (in order not to make waves) place the plastic onto the bottom at the deep end of the pan. Trim it to fit if necessary. The string should be next to the low side of the pan.
f.Have one student use several fingers to hold the plastic down tightly on the shallow end, while another student pulls the string up at the deep end with a rapid movement. Tsunami!
4. When all groups have completed the simulation, ask them to describe what happened and discuss their observations.
5. Project the transparency of Master 24b, Notable Tsunamis. Discuss data found on overhead. Ask students where do damaging tsunamis occur? (Along any shoreline) What kind of damage is caused by tsunamis? (Property damage, crop loses, etc.) Where do the earthquakes originate that cause tsunamis? (Ocean floor. They also can be generated when large coastal landslides occur on oceanic islands.)
Physical Results of Earthquakes
Building Up and Breaking Down
Content Concepts
1. The major landscape features we see on the continents are mountains, plains, and plateaus.
2. Tectonic movements, including earthquakes, are among the forces which create Earths landscapes.
3. Many of the Earths most significant landscape features mountain are under the oceans.
Vocabulary
mountain
plain
plateau
continental slope
abyssal plain
underwater delta
turbidity current
Objectives
Students will
*describe three major landscape features: mountains, plains, and plateaus.
*identify mountains, plains, and plateaus on a landscape map.
*construct models of various types of mountains and relate those models to specific places in the United States.
*identify, from observing illustrations of the Earths surface features, which of them were created by earthquakes.
*identify abyssal plains and underwater deltas, and model their formation.
Learning Links
Social Studies: Identifying landscape regions of the United States and identifying ocean bottom features
Art: Constructing model of underwater landscape
Assessment
Choose mountains, plains, or plateaus, and describe what Earth activity may have caused their formation. Illustrate your ideas.
Activity One: Mountain, Plain, and Plateau
moun * tain
A mountain is a portion of the landscape that is usually higher than surrounding areas and has steep slopes with faulted, folded, or tilted rocks.
plain
A plain is an area of horizontal rocks that is generally lower than surrounding regions.
plat * eau
A plateau is an area of horizontal rocks that is higher than surrounding areas and usually has some areas of steep slopes.
Materials for the teacher
*Transparency made from Master 25a, Landscape Regions
*Transparency made from Master lb, U.S. Map (with states)
*Master 25b and 25c for reference
*Overhead projector
*A variety of scenic photographs showing major Earth featuresmountains, plains, plateaus, and oceans
Materials for each student
*Crayons or colored pencils
*Class notebook
*Handout made from Master 25a, Landscape Regions Worksheet
Procedure
1. Explain that landscape features related to earthquakes range from major features like mountains, plains, and plateaus to smaller features like cliffs and valleys, and very small features like crushed and scratched rock along faults. This unit deals with the major features.
2. Have class members suggest some examples of mountains, plains, and plateaus in the world, the United States, and their own locality.
3. Distribute copies of Master 25a, Landscape Regions Worksheet. Project the transparency of the same master. Ask students to use a purple pencil or crayon to color in every region on their worksheets that has a 1. These are the mountain regions. Ask them to color the areas with 2s, the plains regions, in green; and the 3s, the plateau regions, in brown. Direct the students to complete the key on Master 25a.
4. Project Master 1, U.S. Map, with labels. Help students locate their own state and the two or three neighboring states on their worksheet. Ask the class:
What kind of landscape region do you live in?
Where is the mountain landscape region nearest to your area?
Where is the nearest plains region? What about plateaus?
5. Allow students to discuss their answers until they arrive at a consensus.
Master 25a, Landscape Regions Worksheet
Activity Two:
The Folding Mountains Mystery
Materials for the teacher
From Master 19, Formation and
Breakup of Pangaea
*Transparency made from Master 25b, Landscape Regions of the U.S.
*Transparency made from Master 17, Plate Boundaries Map
*Transparency made from Master 19, Formation and Breakup of Pangaea
*Overhead Projector
*A classroom map of U.S.
Materials for each small group
*Three to five hand towels or fabric scraps of approximately the same size.
Procedure
1. On a classroom map of the United States, and on Master 23b, locate the Folded Appalachians, the Ouachita Mountains, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the Basin Range regions of the United States. Explain that each of these regions has been molded by earthquakes or activity associated with earthquakes.
2. Tell students that the Folded Appalachians and the Ouachita Mountains were formed largely by a process called folding. Distribute three to five towels to each small group. Explain that the towels will represent rock layers of the lithosphere in the simulation they are about to do. Give these directions:
Master 25b. Landscape Regions of the U.S. See Master 25c for a complete list of the regions numbered. The four mentioned in the text include (6) Folded Appalachians, (15) Ouachita Mountains, (22) Basin and Region, and (24) Sierra Nevadas
a.Stack the towels.
b.Hold the stack by its two ends and gently push the towels toward the center. What happened? (The towels folded into several ridges.)
If the sheets of towel were layers of rock, what would provide the push to fold them? (The pressure of earthquake movements and convergent plate movements, or the squeezing of rock layers from opposite sides)
3. Project Master 17, Plate Boundaries Map, and ask: Do you see evidence of plates converging anywhere near either the Folded Appalachians or the Ouachitas? Challenge students: How could these layers have been folded? (Do not provide any answer yet.)
4. After some discussion, project Master 19, Formation and Breakup of Pangaea, and let students observe that plate boundaries were converging in those places hundreds of millions of years ago, when these old mountains were formed.
Teacher Take Note: This procedure can be done with any of several kinds of material, but youll want to experiment with whatever you select. Youll see what kind of cutting tool works best and know what to expect when you do the activity with your class.
Examples of mountain building action
Uplifting (or upwarping) may be caused by convergence
Downdropping may be caused by convergence or divergence
Activity Three: Mountain Modeling
Materials for each student or pair of students
*Dull table knife or scissors
*Rectangular block of plastic foam or furniture foam, at least 2" (10 cm) long and wide and 2" (8-10 cm) thick
*Newspapers to cover desks or work surfaces
Procedure
1. Distribute materials. Tell students that they are going to model another type of mountain building which formed the Sierra Nevadas and the Basin and Range areas of the United States. Give these directions:
a.
Cut a wedge-shaped section out of the middle of the block, lift it out, and then replace it in its original position.
b.
Hold the sides of the block in two hands and pull them apart slightly, allowing the inner wedge to drop.
What do the tops of the two cut surfaces represent? (faults)
What do the slopes along which the wedge slipped represent? (fault cliffs)
What could cause something like this to happen to the Earths lithosphere? (There are several possible answers. An earthquake could cause two portions of the lithosphere to separate. Plates could be diverging. Convergence could also cause this kind of movement, however, and is a likely explanation in the case of the Sierra Nevadas and the Basin and Range mountains.)
2. Ask students to put the wedge back in its original position to prepare for another simulation. Direct them to hold the three sections together with their two hands and push on the outside, causing the wedge to move up. Ask:
What could happen in the lithosphere to cause this kind of movement? (compression resulting from the convergence of plates or convergence due to fault movement.)
How could a small movement like this result in mountains thousands of meters high? (Mountains would be formed by a series of earthquakes, or many series over many thousands of years.)
Activity Four: Underwater Avalanche
a * bys * sal plain
An abyssal plain is a plain under the ocean between a continent and a mid-ocean ridge.
tur * bid * i * ty
cur * rent
A turbidity current is a downward flow of water and sediments such as mud or sand along the ocean bottom. These swirling currents may be caused by earthquakes.
Materials for the teacher
*Transparency made from Master 26, Ocean Bottom
*Overhead projector
Materials for each small group
*A trough 50 cm to one meter long (This could be a section of PVC rain gutter or a shipping tube cut and lined with plastic. Halves of quart milk cartons would also work.)
*2 liter container filled with water
*Trough supports (blocks of wood or old books)
*Sandy soil or mixture of sand and dry pottery clay (kaolin) to simulate sediment
*Plastic shoe box or baking pan to hold water and sediment
*Corrugated cardboard strips with the grooves exposed (Tear off the outer layer of paper.)
*Tape
Extensions
1. Use a stopwatch to calculate the speed of the turbidity currents.
2. Tie string across the trough to represent underwater communication cables, then observe and record what happens to these model cables in a turbidity current.
3. Show some other diagrams or maps of ocean bottoms, and discuss several other features and how their origin is related to earthquakes. (Other ocean features related to earthquakes include ocean trenches, rift valleys, mid-ocean ridges, island arcs, lava flows and volcanoes of the mid-ocean ridges.)
Procedure
1. Project the transparency of the ocean bottom, Master 26, Ocean Bottom. Orient students by pointing out the eastern United States, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Atlantic Ocean, and the abyssal areas in the underwater delta. Inform students that the abyssal areas are one of the largest landscape features of the Earth. Ask the class why they suppose there are such extensive flat areas on the ocean bottoms, and why the underwater deltas exist. Also ask why the deltas and abyssal areas are located where they are. (Accept various answers for now.)
2. Point out the angled underwater landscape of the continental slope and the rough topography near the mid-ocean ridge. Explain that earthquakes under the continental slopes can cause sediment on the ocean bottom to loosen, mix with water, and slide down the slope at speeds up to 100 km an hour. We call this movement a turbidity current.
3. Tell the class that they are going to build a model to demonstrate turbidity currents and their effects on the features of the ocean bottom. Give these directions:
a.Set up the trough, making sure it can hold water.
b.Place one end of the trough so that it overhangs the collecting pan.
c.Prop up the high end with books or blocks of wood, so that there is about a 10- to 20-degree slope to the trough, representing the topography of the ocean slope.
d.Place some corrugated cardboard in the collecting pan and tape it in place. If necessary, hold the cardboard in place during the next steps. It represents the rough landscape east of the abyssal areas on the ocean bottom. Cover the bottom of the trough with soil or sand and clay.
e.Slowly and continuously pour water into the upper end of the trough. While one student is pouring, another will shake the trough.
4. Have students create different kinds of turbidity currents by repeating step e above, possibly pouring at different speeds and shaking with different intensities. Ask:
What does the shaking of the trough represent? (an earthquake)
What has happened to the rough surface (corrugated cardboard) of the ocean bottom? (It has become smoother because sediments have filled it in.)
What has been produced? (An abyssal plain is produced by the deposition of sediment from the turbidity current.)
What has been formed where the trough overhangs the collecting pan? (An underwater delta has been formed. If students dont know what a delta is on landa more or less fan-shaped land area where sediments are deposited at the mouth of a riverexplain and give examples. The Nile Delta, the Mississippi Delta are good ones.)
5. To sum up, project the transparency of the ocean bottom again and reinforce the meaning and origin of abyssal plains and underwater deltas, and how they are produced (at least in part) by turbidity currents generated by earthquakes.
Unit III. Physical Results of Earthquakes
Materials List
Grades K-2
Grades 3-4
Grades 5-6
empty milk cartons
scissors
photographs
colored pencils
colored pencils
crayons
markers
unlined paper
colored pencils
crayons
paper clips
construction paper
drawing paper
light cardboard
2-liter soda bottle
masking tape
glue stick
foam block
overhead projector
metric measuring cup/beaker
furniture foam
scissors
small plastic tub
newspapers
rubber bands
sand
permanent markers
newspapers
PVC rain gutter, shipping tube,
foam tray
   or milk carton
soil
plastic shoe box
overhead projector
blocks of wood
gravel
sandy soil, or sand, or clay
aluminum foil
   (kaolin)
metal or glass baking pan or
corrugated cardboard
   or plastic shoebox
dull table knife or scissors
plastic margarine lid
overhead projector
punching tool
notebook
string
tape
metric ruler
IV
Measuring Earthquakes
Earthquake Curriculum, K-6  Scope and Sequence Chart
Unit IV: Measuring Earthquakes
Level
Concept
Laboratory
Mathematics
Language Arts
Social Studies
Art
K-2
Earthquakes have different strengths.
Earthquakes cause different amounts of damage.
Simulation of relative strengths of earthquakes.
Ordinal numbers
Concepts of most and least
Vocabulary development of earthquake words
Effects of earthquakes on buildings and people
Constructing earthquake simulation model
3-4
Earthquakes differ in the amount of energy they release.
Earthquakes may be measured by their effects (intensity) or by the amount of energy they release (magnitude).
Seismograph simulation
Measurement of distances
Graph of measurement data
Roman numerals
Vocabulary development of earthquake words
Written descriptions of Mercalli illustrations
Impact of earthquakes on society
Biographical study of earthquake scientists
Illustration of the Mercalli scale
5-6
Earthquake waves are either surface or body waves.
Earthquake body waves are either primary or secondary.
Earthquake waves detected by a seismograph are recorded as seismograms.
Slinky? simulation of earthquake waves.
Shoebox and rubber band simulation of earthquake waves.
Seismograph simulation.
Earthquake wave simulation game.
Ratio of earthquake wave speed
Metric measurement of wave amplitude
Computation, reducing fractions
Vocabulary development of earthquake words
Impact of earthquakes on society
Model designing
IV
Measuring Earthquakes
Magnitude and intensity are both measures of an earthquake, but they describe different characteristics. Magnitude is a measure of the amplitude of the earthquake waves. Wave amplitude is related to the amount of energy the earthquake releases. Intensity is a measure of the effect that the earthquake had on natural and human-made structures. Each earthquake has a single magnitude and a range of intensities.
Measuring Earthquakes
With few exceptions, earthquakes occur because of the release of energy stored in the rocks of the Earths lithosphere. In order to understand how this release of energy is measured, however, we must first understand how it occurs.
Stress and Strain
Compressional Stress
When rocks are squeezed we say that they are under compressional stress. The rocks will behave elastically. That is, they will absorb the stress by changing their shape, like the soles of good running shoes. This change in shape is called strain. But, just like rubber soles, or rubber balls that are squeezed, strained rocks will rebound to their original shapes when the stress is removed. When the rocks rebound we say that their strain energy has been released.
Tensional Stress
Alternatively, if lithospheric rocks are being pulled apart, we can say that they are under tensional stress. In this case the rocks will tend to stretch like a stretching rubber band. They will rebound to their original shapes when the tensional stress is removed.
Earthquake!
However, if the stress exceeds what the material can bear, the material will rupture, or break. What happens when you pull too hard on a rubber band?
When rocks are strained too much, they break, and the original pieces rebound to their original shapes. In the Earths lithosphere this rebounding and release of strain energy is accompanied by rubbing, grinding, and crashing, as the rock masses move past each other. The result is what we call an earthquake.
Waves and Vibrations
Regardless of the depth of the earthquake focus, vibrations from the release of strain energy travel in all directions. The earthquake vibrations are transmitted through the surrounding lithosphere, and even through the Earths mantle and core, by a variety of wave-like motions. Earthquake waves are of two kinds, body waves and surface waves.
Body Waves
Body waves that travel through the Earth are either P- (for Primary) waves or S- (for Secondary) waves. P-waves travel faster than S-waves. The two types together are called body waves because they travel through the body of the Earth. Body waves are important because they allow us to locate the epicenters of earthquakes. They also enable us to study the structure and composition of the Earths interior.
Surface Waves
Earthquake waves that travel at or near the surface of the Earth are called surface waves. The two main varieties are Love waves, which move sidewise, and Rayleigh waves, which have an up-and-down (rotary) motion. Surface waves spread for thousands or tens of thousands of square kilometers around an earthquakes epicenter. They are primarily responsible for the shaking of the ground and damage to buildings that occur in large earthquakes.
Two Ways of Measuring Earthquakes
The Mercalli Scale: A Measure of Intensity
Earthquake intensity is a measure of the effects of an earthquake at a particular place. Intensity is determined from observations of an earthquakes effects on people, structures, and the Earths surface. A ten-value intensity scale which had been in use in Europe since 1883 was refined in 1902 by an Italian seismologist, Giuseppe Mercalli. The Mercalli scale we use today is a modification of Mercallis 12-value scale developed by two Americans, H.O. Wood and Frank Neumann, in 1931. The scale uses Roman numerals from I to XII to rank relative levels of destruction, ground motion, and human impact.
The intensity (or impact) of an earthquake in a given area will depend on the type of geological structures in the area as well as the type of buildings. Houses built on rock, for example, will receive less damage than houses built on sediments at the same distance from a quakes epicenter. Poorly built houses will receive more damage than those that have been reinforced to withstand earthquakes. In general, though, the further a site is from the earthquakes focus, the lower the amount of damage it will sustain.
Far-Ranging Effects
Even though the main shock lasts for such a short time the effects of a major earthquake may reach a long way in both space and time. People hundreds of miles away from the epicenter may experience shaking or damage. This is especially true in the eastern United States, where quakes are felt over a much larger area than they are in the West.
An isoseismal map shows zones or bands where earthquake effects of the same intensity have been reported. For example, the U.S. map on the next page shows the areas that reported Modified Mercalli intensities of VI or greater for two major earthquakes. All of the areas between the isoseismal line labeled VI and the line labeled VII could experience effects of Mercalli intensity VI. The effects would be less strong in the area outside the line labeled V.
The San Francisco earthquake of April 18,1906, and the New Madrid earthquake of December 16, 1811, had roughly the same magnitude on the Richter scale. However, the area which registered VII or above on the Mercalli scale was twenty times larger for the New Madrid quake than for the one in San Francisco.
The main shocks in the New Madrid area were followed by fifteen strong aftershocks. All were felt strongly enough to waken sleepers in Washington D.C. In the three months following the main shock, nearly 2,000 aftershocks were reported at Louisville, Kentucky, 320 km (or 200 miles) from the New Madrid fault zone.
The Charleston earthquake of August 31, 1886, had a Richter magnitude of 7 and a Mercalli intensity of X at the epicenter. Events of Mercalli intensity II to III were reported as far north as upper New York state and western New England and as far south as the tip of Florida.
The Magnitude Scale: A Measure of Size
A method of rating the size of earthquakes is by using scientific instruments to measure the amplitude of body waves and surface waves recorded on seismograms. The amplitude is the height of the wave tracing above the center line on the seismogram.
The instruments reading indicates the amount of strain energy released by an earthquake. This measure is called the earthquakes magnitude. The greater the wave amplitude, the greater the magnitude.
A magnitude scale was devised by the American seismologist Charles Richter in 1935. It uses Arabic numerals. Richters scale is logarithmic and open-ended; that is, there is no upper or lower limit to Richter magnitudes. Each whole-number increase in the magnitude of an earthquake represents about a thirtyfold increase in the amount of energy released.
The original Richter magnitude scale was devised to measure earthquakes in southern California. Later, over the years other types of seismographs have been developed. Precision in locating distant earthquakes and accuracy in determining their magnitudes have improved as the number and sophistication of seismograph designs have increased. Today computers are being used to analyze seismographic datasomething your students may want to research on their own.
However, Richter and his colleague Beno Gutenberg devised a scale to measure distant earthquakes. This scale is based on the amplitudes of surface waves. Body waves from distant earthquakes can also be used to determine magnitude.
Table: Earthquake World Records
Location
Date
Magnitude
Ecuador
January 31, 1906
8.9
Assam, India
June 12, 1897
8.7
Alaska
March 28, 1964
8.6
Alaska
September 10, 1899
8.6
Southern Chile
May 21-30, 1960
8.5
San Francisco
April 18, 1906
8.2
Kwanto, Japan
September 1, 1923
8.2
Erzincan, Turkey
December 27, 1939
8.0
Indonesia
August 19, 1977
8.0
Mexico
September 19, 1985
7.9
Bolivia
June 9, 1994
8.2
From Master 29, Seismographs
The Seismograph
The instrument used to record earthquakes is called a seismograph. The first seismographs were designed by British scientists working in Japan between 1880 and 1890. The most famous of these early seismographs was a horizontal pendulum model built by John Milne.
Pendulum seismographs rely on a simple principle of physics, the principle of inertia. A heavy weight that is allowed to move freely will tend to remain in its original position when the ground beneath it begins to move in response to earthquake waves.
Mechanical or electrical devices can be used to sense the motion of the ground relative to the heavy pendulum of the seismograph. Up-and-down or sideways ground motion sends a mechanical or electrical signal to a pen attached to a paper-covered drum. As the drum turns, the pen wiggles, producing an amplified recording of the ground motion. This recording is called a seismogram. Scientists use the amplitudes of earthquake waves recorded as seismograms to determine the magnitude ratings of earthquakes.
Earthquakes Great and Small
Content Concepts
1. Earthquakes have different strengths.
2. Earthquakes cause different amounts of damage.
Vocabulary
energy
Objectives
Students will
*demonstrate two types of energy.
*demonstrate that earthquakes have different levels of strength.
*construct a model to simulate earthquakes and earthquake damage.
*compare the movement in the earthquake model to ground movement during a quake.
*compare different levels of earthquake strength in terms of their effects on structures.
Assessment
Students will experiment with building shapes and methods of construction. Ask students to describe the effects of gentle and strong shaking on their buildings.
Learning Links
Language Arts: Discussion/oral communication, vocabulary building, reading (optional)
Social Studies: Discussing effects of earthquake damage on people and their property
Math: Using ordinal numbers
Art: Constructing earthquake simulation model
Activity One: Weak and Strong
Procedure
1. Conduct a class discussion on the concept of energy. Establish that energy has many forms (such as mechanical energy, heat, sound, and light) and many different strengths.
2. Have students demonstrate two familiar types of energy.
a.Ask them to clap their hands loudly and describe the sound; then to clap them softly and describe the sound.
Do you hear a difference? (Yes)
Why is there a difference? (Soft clapping releases a smaller amount of sound energy than loud clapping does.)
b.Ask them to rub their hands together slowly and describe how they feel, then rub them together quickly and describe how they feel.
How does the amount of energy change? As the amount of energy increases, what do you notice?
Why do you feel a difference? (Quick rubbing releases a greater amount of heat energy than slow rubbing does.)
Activity Two: Shakes Makes Quakes
Materials for the teacher
*A small table or desk that moves easily. See also Teacher Note and Master 27, Shake Table
Materials for each pair of students
Teacher Take Note: Before beginning this activity, you may want to have small groups or pairs of students construct their own shake table (Master 27).
*A shallow box partially filled with sand or soil
*Paper
*An assortment of objects for building structures:
small blocks
Legos?
penne pasta
sugar cubes
Lincoln Logs?
Play-Doh? or flubber
Procedure
1. Hand out paper and materials to each pair of students.
2. On one side of the paper, have students design plans for building a few structures of different heights that would withstand an earthquake. Students should include sentences that describe what they intend to build with and why they think it would withstand an earthquake.
3. With their partner and with the materials provided, have students construct the structures they just drew and wrote about above.
4. When their structures are completed, have partners take turns testing their structures on the shake table, or desk, shaking it gently the first time. (Nothing should happen to the structures.)
5. Shake it three more times, increasing the amount of force each time so that eventually the structures will gradually disassemble.
a.Each time the table shakes, have partners discuss the observations they are making.
b.On the other side of their paper, have students draw the results of the table shaking on their structures. Include with their drawing some reflective writing as to:
What caused the buildings to fall down? (the shaking of the table)
What caused the table to shake? (the students)
What did the students give to the table? (energy)
What happened to the buildings?  the first time?
 second time?  third time? (They eventually broke apart.)
Are earthquakes always the same? (No. Some are weak and some are strong.)
Does it make any difference what building materials are used? (Yes. Have students look at other peoples designs and models. Compare buildings made of stacking blocks with buildings made of materials that are connected to each other.)
What are some of the strongest shapes and materials used?
How did those factors affect the structures?
Summary: Different earthquakes have different amounts of energy, and cause different amounts of damage.
Activity Three: Shake a Minute
Materials for the teacher
*Large clock with second hand
*Blackboard and chalk
Materials for each student
*Pencils
*Paper
Procedure
1. Ask students to estimate on a piece of paper how long they think an earthquake lasts. (How long will the ground shake?)
2. Collect the estimates and list them on the board.
3. Explain to students that in most earthquakes, shaking rarely lasts for as long as a minute in any one area. Strong shaking from a major quake usually lasts for 30 to 60 seconds. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake lasted about 40 seconds. In the 1964 Alaskan earthquake, the shaking lasted 3 to 4 minutesan extremely long time. This does not happen very often.
4. Tell students that they are going to estimate how long a one-minute earthquake is without looking at a clock. Have them break up into pairs. One of each pair will be the timekeeper and recorder, while the other is the earthquake.
5. When you give the signal, the earthquakes are to begin shaking, and the timers are to begin timing. Ask the quakes (whose backs are to the chalkboard) to continue shaking until they think that a minute has passed.
6. Once the timing and shaking start, write the time elapsed on the board every five seconds. The timers, who can see the board, should record the last time listed when their partners stop shaking. Instruct the timers not to share the time with the earthquake students yet.
7. Ask the timers to report the actual times that each quake lasted. Write all the times on the board. Have the class compare the times:
How long was the shortest earthquake?
How long was the longest?
What was the average time for this group?
8. Have partners switch roles and repeat steps 5 and 6, then step 7. Ask the class:
Did the second group come closer to one minute than the first?
If the answer is yes, why? (Perhaps because the second pair of students had the advantage of observing the first pair.)
9. Now have everyone in the class shake for one minute at the same time. Tell them when to start and stop, but ask them not to watch the clock. Then ask:
Did the time you shook seem like more or less than a minute? (Explain that even though an earthquake is over in a short time, it usually seems much longer to those people experiencing it.)
What might happen to objects in this classroom if the ground shook strongly for a minute? (Answers will vary.) Explain that we will learn more about this in our next activity.
Different Shakes for Different Quakes
Content Concepts
1. Earthquakes differ in the amount of energy they release.
2. Earthquakes may be measured by their effects (intensity) or by the amount of energy they release (magnitude).
Vocabulary
energy
earthquake wave
amplitude
earthquake intensity
earthquake magnitude
modified Mercalli scale
seismograph
seismogram
Objectives
Students will
*construct drawings to illustrate the Mercalli scale as a measure of earthquake effects on, people, structures, and the Earths surface.
*identify the magnitude scale as a measure of energy released by earthquakes.
*construct and use a seismograph to demonstrate the measurement of earthquakes.
*chart the number of earthquakes that occur each year in different damage categories, mild to severe.
Learning Links
Language Arts: Reading sentences, sequencing ideas, discussing, building vocabulary, constructing paragraphs
Social Studies: Discussing the human impact of earthquakes
Math: Using Roman numerals, interpreting data
Art: Making illustrations
Assessment
Display a seismogram and explain what it represents and how it can be used to identify earthquake magnitude.
Activity One: Measuring with Mercalli
Materials for the teacher
*Master 28, Modified Mercalli Scale
*Large Roman numerals I through XII
Materials for each student or group
*A copy of the Mercalli scale made from Master 28, Modified Mercalli Scale
*A large sheet of drawing paper
*Art supplies-colored pencils, crayons, felt markers
*Scissors
*Tape
Procedure
1. Introduce the Mercalli scale by explaining its purpose: to measure the intensity of the damage an earthquake causes. You might want to add other information from the unit introduction. Explain that the use of Roman numerals distinguishes Mercalli measurements from those on another scale (The magnitude scale will be introduced in Activity Two.)
2. Teach or review Roman numerals.
3. Distribute copies of the Mercalli scale and have students take turns reading the descriptions aloud.
4. Divide students into groups and ask them to draw scenes illustrating the Mercalli numbers. Provide art supplies. Intensity I may only require one drawing, but the higher numbers may require more.
5. Distribute large Roman numerals I through XII around the classroom wall in order from lowest to highest. As students bring up their illustrations, the class will try to assign each to its correct numeral. Students may hang their pictures on the wall under the correct numeral.
6. Either before or after a class discussion about the social impact of each step on the scale, have students write paragraphs describing their illustrations and add them to the wall display.
earth * quake
in * ten * si *ty
Earthquake intensity is a measure of ground shaking based on damage to structures and changes felt and observed by humans. It is expressed in Roman numerals on the Mercalli Scale.
earth * quake
mag * ni * tude
Earthquake magnitude is a measure of the amount of energy released by an earthquake. It is expressed in Arabic numerals on the magnitude scale.
seis * mo * graph
A seismograph is an instrument for recording the motion of earthquake waves.
seis * mo * gram
A seismogram is a recording of the wavy lines produced by a seismograph.
Activity Two: Movin with Magnitude
Materials for the teacher
*Transparencies made from Master 29, Several Seismographs; Master 30, Seismogram Worksheet; Master 31, Earthquake Magnitudes; and Master 32, Seismogram Showing Amplitude
*Overhead projector
Materials for each small group
*Free-flowing overhead marker with fine tip for marking transparency
*Blank transparency sheet
*A light weight table or desk
Materials for each student
*Worksheet of seismogram tracings made from Master 30
Procedure
1. Place a blank overhead transparency on a light weight table or desk.
2. Have students take turns as holders and shakers. The first student holds the marker lightly with thumb, index, and middle fingers so it just touches the surface of the transparency sheet. As he or she holds the marker suspended, the other student shakes the movable object back and forth, varying the intensity of the shaking as much as possible. The markings that result will be similar to a seismogram. Show students the transparency of several types of seismographs (Master 29) and then Master 32, Seismogram Showing Amplitude.
3. Discuss the concepts of magnitude and amplitude. (Refer to the teacher background if necessary.) Explain that the amplitude of the earthquake waves (their height measured from a fixed reference line) reflects the amount of Earth movement, and therefore the magnitude of the earthquake. Magnitude is expressed as an Arabic number. Project the transparency of Master 31, Earthquake Magnitudes, and discuss.
4. Distribute the worksheets made from Master 30, and ask students to rank the seismograms from A to D, least amplitude to greatest.
Activity Three: Little Shakes and Big Quakes
Extension
Read Steven Kelloggs How Much Is A Million? to the class. Measure a ream of paper (500 sheets). Have students figure out how many reams it would take to get a million sheets. How tall would the stack be? If you were to type asterisks on a page, and it takes 500 asterisks to cover a page of paper, how many pages would it take to get to a million?
Materials for the teacher
*Overhead projector
*Transparency made from Master 33, Earthquake Severity Worksheet
Materials for each student
*Worksheet of Master 33, Earthquake Severity Worksheet
*Pencils
Procedure
1. Tell students that seismographs record over 3 million earthquakes every year. They are going to estimate how many of those cause serious damage.
2. Distribute worksheets. Have students place the numbers from the answer section at the bottom of the sheet where they think they belong in the right hand column, Estimated Number per Year.
3. Project the transparency and invite students to compare their answers with the actual figures. Discuss their reactions. Ask them to write in the correct figures on their own sheets.
4. Have students add the four lower numbers to see how many earthquakes cause slight to serious damage every year (about 15,141).
Master 33: Earthquake Severity Worksheet
Magnitudes
Earthquake Effects
Estimated Number Per Year Worldwide
1.0-3.0
Generally not felt but recorded.
3,000,000
3.1-4.0
Often felt, but only minor damage.
50,000
4.1-6.0
Slight damage to buildings.
15,000
6.1-6.9
Can be destructive in where people live.
120
7.0-7.9
Major earthquake. Causes serious damage.
20
8.0 or greater
Great earthquake. Total destruction to nearby communities.
1
Sizing Up Earthquake Waves
Content Concepts
1. Earthquake body waves are either primary or secondary.
2. Earthquake waves detected by a seismograph are recorded as seismograms.
3. Scientists, can use isoseismals to compare the effects of different earthquakes.
Vocabulary
earthquake wave
wave amplitude
earthquake intensity
earthquake magnitude
seismograph
seismogram
focus
epicenter
body waves
P- (primary) waves
S- (secondary) waves
expansion
compression
Objectives
Students will
*distinguish between primary and secondary body waves (P-waves and S-waves).
*construct a model to simulate S-wave motion.
*construct a model seismograph, and identify its parts.
*identify different amplitudes of simulated earthquake waves by using the seismograph.
*draw isoseismals on a map which includes Mercalli intensity data.
*compare and contrast P and S wave motions using their body movements
Learning Links
Language Arts: Discussing, following directions, taking notes
Social Studies: Discussing effects of earthquakes on people and structures; comparing effects to Mercalli intensity
Math: Metric measurement, computation, reducing fractions, computing ratios
Art: Creating models
Assessment
Use knowledge about seismic waves to relate this transfer of energy to the amount of damage following an earthquake.
Activity One: Popping P-Waves
Teacher Take Note: Metal Slinkies will be more effective than plastic ones for this activity. Mark one spot on each coil with bright permanent marker or a bit of white tape to make it easy for students to see the wave motion. Also note that P-waves vibrate in the direction in which they travel. Use the transparency of Master 34, P-Wave Motion and S-Wave Motion.
Materials for the teacher
*Transparencies made from Master 34, P-Waves Motion and S-Wave Motion, and Master 10a, Earthquake Terms
*Overhead Projector
Materials for each student
*Slinky? toys (One for every two students is ideal.)
*Sign post labeled Focus (Teacher or student volunteers can make it ahead of time.)
*Safety goggles
Procedure
1. Elicit from class the definition of an earthquake. Review or explain that the energy of an earthquake is released in the form of waves. (Use Master 1Oa, Earthquake Terms.) Point out that, all the energy moves out from the focus.
2. Divide students into pairs or groups of even numbers, depending on the number of Slinkies available. Distribute Slinkies.
3. Two students will hold each Slinky, one on either end. Instruct them to stretch it to a length between 6 and 9 feet (2 and 3 meters) on the floor or a wide work surface.
4. Ask one of each pair to compress between ten and twenty coils and then release them rapidly. Both students continue to hold the Slinky during compression and release.
5. Ask students to describe what they see, and let this lead into your explanation of body waves, P-waves, and S-waves (see unit overview). Be sure to point out that the Slinkys motion simulates the expansion and compression of P-waves.
6. Place the sign post labeled Focus in an open area of the classroom. Have all the students compress and release their Slinkies in this one area at the same moment. This demonstration will help students to realize that earthquake waves radiate in all directions from the focus.
fo * cus
The focus, or hypocenter is the place inside the lithosphere where an earthquakes energy is first released.
sur * face waves
Surface waves are earthquake waves that travel only on the surface of the Earth.
bo * dy waves
Body waves are earthquake waves that travel through the body of the Earth. They are of two types, P-waves and S-waves.
P-waves
P- (or Primary) waves are the fastest body waves, which travel by compression and expansion.
S-waves
S- (or Secondary) waves are body waves which travel more slowly than P-waves, and create elastic vibrations in solid substances.
Activity Two: The S-Wave Machine
Materials for the teacher
*Handout or transparency made from Master 35, The S-Wave Machine
*Transparency made from Master 34, P-Wave Motion and S-Wave Motion
*Overhead projector
Materials for each group
*1 shoe box without its top, or a 1- or 2-qt. paper milk carton, cut as shown
*Compass point or other punching tool
*A rubber band long enough to stretch the length of the box or carton
*Scissors
*2 metal washers 2 cm or larger
*5 to 7 metal paper clips
Procedure
1. Gather students in pairs or small groups and distribute materials. Inform students that they are going to build and operate a device to illustrate the type of body waves called S-waves. Project Master 35 or hand out copies.
2. Instruct students to assemble their machines, referring to the projected illustration or the handout.
Master 35. The S-Wave Machine
a.Stand box on end and punch a small hole in the top and bottom, near the center.
b.Cut open a rubber band and thread it through the top hole, tying the end to a washer to keep it from pulling through.
c.While another student holds the band stretched, thread the free end through the bottom hole and fasten it with the second washer. (The rubber band should be taut enough to twang when it is plucked.)
d.Attach 5 to 7 paper clips evenly along the length of the band so they are centered horizontally and they all face in the same direction. Allow the band and clips to come to rest.
e.Pluck the band and observe the motion of the clips.
3. Ask students to describe what they see. (Theyll see paper clips swinging in all directions, at right angles to the movement of the wave up and down the rubber band.)
4. Project the wave transparency, Master 34, and explain the motion of S-waves through the Earth in terms of the demonstration. Point out that S-waves cause vibrations perpendicular to the direction of their movement. Compare this movement with the movement of P-waves.
Teacher Take Note: To increase visibility of wave action try these ideas: Use dark paper in the back of the box. Illuminate the box by shining a light into it (an overhead projector light works great). As a teacher demonstration, cut out the back of a box, lay the S-wave machine on the lighted overhead surface. Project the enlarged silhouette on the screen.
Activity Three: Drum Rumbles
Materials for the teacher
*A drum (any type thats portablea coffee can will do)
*2 posters, one labeled S-wave and one labeled P-wave
*A watch that indicates seconds (Most digitals would work.)
Materials for each student
*A pencil and a notebook
Procedure
1. Line students up single file in a long corridor indoors, or outdoors along a wall or fence.
2. Choose three volunteers: two to hold the S-Wave and P-Wave posters at a starting point (call it the focus) and one to beat the drum.
3. Students assemble in two parallel lines: S-waves on one side and P-waves on the other. The drummer will begin a steady beat of one tap per second. The P-wave line and S-wave line start walking: P-wave students take one step per second and the S-wave students take one step every two seconds for 20 seconds and stop.
4. Ask students to compare where lines ended. (P-waves travel approximately twice as far in the same amount of time. This 1:2 ratio approximates the 3:5.5 ratio of the actual P- and S-waves traveling times.)
Activity Four: Set Up a Seismograph
Extension
Students may wish to build other types of seismographs, such as those described in the references. Master 29 suggests some possible designs, but you might be surprised at what students can do on their own, without following a pattern.
Materials for the teacher
*Transparencies made from Master 29, Several Seismographs: and Master 32, Seismogram Showing Amplitude
*Overhead projector
Materials for each small group of students
*Three blank sheets of paper
*Thick-point felt marker
*Quart to gallon size container with handle
*Approximately 16 oz. of sand or water
*Strong string, 1 to 3 feet (depends on student height)
*Table or desk
*Tape
*Scissors
*Timing device
Procedure
1. Inform students that they are going to build and operate a simple seismograph. Display the several seismographs on Master 29. Point out the basic parts they have in common: weight, support, pen, and recording paper. Give students these directions:
a.Attach string to handle of container.
b.Pour the sand (or water) into the container.
c.Firmly tape the felt tip marker to the outside of the container with the tip sticking out below the bottom of the container.
d.Hold the sand-filled container over the desk.
e.Place a sheet of paper on the desk and position the container over one end of the paper with the felt marking tip just touching the end of the paper. One member of the group will hold the container in this position.
2. While one member of the group gently shakes the table, another member gently and steadily pulls the paper under the felt marker. Use a timing device so that the pull lasts between 5 to 10 seconds.
3. Have students label the sheet of paper Gentle Shaking, and tell students that they have made a seismogram.
4. Ask the students to make two more seismograms, shaking the desk harder each time. Ask students to number the seismograms that result from 1 to 3, with 1 being the most gentle shaking.
5. Explain and define wave amplitude, using Master 32, Seismogram Showing Amplitude. Help students to measure the amplitude of their own seismograms and relate them to the degree of force with which they shook their desks. Ask:
How does the amplitude of the wave on the seismogram (Master 32) relate to the magnitude of the earthquake it records? (The higher the wave amplitude, the higher the magnitude.)
Which of your own seismograms would have the highest magnitude? (The one with the highest amplitude, or the one which received the hardest shaking.)
Activity Five: The Mercalli Scale  Calling Station KWAT
Materials for the teacher
*Overhead projector
*One copy of Master 36a, KWAT Television Script
*Transparency made from Master 28, Modified Mercalli Scale
*Transparency made from Master 36b, Wattsville Map Key
Materials for each small group of students
*Handouts made from Master 28, Modified Mercalli Scale
*Handouts made from Master 36b, Wattsville Map
*Handouts made from Master 36a, KWAT Television Script
*Pencil and colored pens
Procedure
1. Project the transparency of Master 28, Modified Mercalli Scale, and distribute copies to students. Review the background information about the two earthquake scales. Explain that the magnitude scale measures the amount of energy released by an earthquake. The Mercalli scale measures the observed effects (amount of damage) caused by an earthquake. Emphasize that a single earthquake will have only one magnitude, but several measures of intensity. If some students in the class have experienced an earthquake, ask them to estimate its intensity from the Mercalli scale.
2. Ask students to compare and contrast the differences between the two types of measurements. Ask: Why do you think magnitude is more often reported than intensity? (Most earthquake-prone areas have equipment already in place to determine magnitude, so this measurement can be quickly established. Measures of intensity are sometimes not arrived at until several days later, when a full estimate of the damage can be made.)
3. Tell students that in this activity they will be using data adapted from reports of an earthquake that struck California in 1989. Distribute copies of Master 36b, Wattsville Map. Appoint one student to be Jake Wilde, a television news anchor, and tell the other students that they are the citizens of Wattsville and the surrounding area. The town has just been struck by an earthquake.
4. Distribute the strips cut from Master 36a, KWAT Television Script, and have students take turns reading them in order, starting with the news anchors report. Distribute student copies of the script as well.
5. As each student reads a part, have the other students locate the site of the report on their maps, scan the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, and mark a Mercalli intensity (using appropriate Roman numeral) in pencil next to the location on the map.
6. After the last student has read, have each student use a colored pen to connect areas with equal intensity ratings to develop an isoseismal map. (They will be drawing a series of concentric lines.)
Unit IV. Measuring Earthquakes
Materials List
Grades K-2
Grades 3-4
Grades 5-6
shallow box
drawing paper
overhead projector
sand or soil
colored pencils
Slinky? toys
pencils & paper
crayons
safety goggles
small blocks
felt markers
shoe box or 2 qt. paper milk
sugar cubes
scissors
   carton
Legos?
tape
punching tool
Lincoln Logs?
overhead projector
long rubber band
penne pasta
blank transparencies
scissors
Play-Doh? or flubber
overhead marker
metal washers
large clock
pencils
paper clips
blackboard
drum
chalk
colored paper
timing device
pencils
notebooks
paper
felt markers
quart- to gallon-size container
   with handle
sand
strong string
tape
V
Earthquake Safety and Survival
Earthquake Curriculum, K-6Scope and Sequence Chart
Unit V: Earthquake Safety and Survival
Part
Concept
Laboratory
Mathematics
Language Arts
Social Studies
Art
1
Earthquake shaking is possible everywhere in the United States.
People may feel, see, hear, and smell the signs of an earthquake.
Earthquakes affect people in many ways.
Earthquake simulation
Describe experiences
Earthquake vocabulary
Locating states and corresponding level of earthquake hazards
Demonstrating earthquake-safe behavior
Coloring an earthquake hazard map
Drawing pictures or constructing diagrams of earthquake damage
2
Every environment contains potential earthquake hazards.
Students can identify hazards and eliminate them or reduce their impact.
Classroom hazard hunt
Home hazard hunt
Community hazard hunt
Discussion and list making
Discussion of damage to buildings caused by earthquakes
Hazard hunt and ways to reduce danger
Illustrations of earthquake hazards in classrooms
3
Students can increase their chances for survival in an earthquake by having essential supplies before they are needed.
Students can help to assemble emergency kits of supplies for their classroom, home, and family vehicle.
Students can help to inform others about earthquake safety and survival.
Safety kit preparation
Disseminating information to family and neighbors
Group solutions
Slogan writing
Discussion of essential items needed during evacuation
Earthquake safety kits
Poster distribution
Earthquake safety posters
4
Students can cope with hazards during evacuation.
Students are responsible first for their own safety and can then help if others are injured.
Students can cope with the disturbed environment and their own emotional reactions.
Evacuation drill
Hazard descriptions
Discussion of hazards during evacuation
Giving aid to the injured
Feelings and events after an earthquake
Drop and cover procedures
Safety kit decorating
V
Earthquake Safety
and Survival
Scientists cannot accurately predict when and where an earthquake will occur. We can teach our students what to expect, however and how to protect themselves. Teaching our students to recognize an earthquake and take immediate positive action can help them and those around them to come through the disaster safely. Students can also learn to recognize earthquakes hazards and learn how to eliminate some and avoid others. Classroom activities and discussions provide opportunities for students to develop pride in the competency they have gained.
Earthquake Safety
and Survival
All 50 states and all U.S. Territories are vulnerable to the hazards of earthquakes. Earthquakes have caused, and can cause in the future, enormous loss of life, injury, destruction of property, and economic and social disruption.
Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977
(Public Law 95-124, as amended)
Part 1: What Happens During an Earthquake?
Most people caught in earthquakes have a feeling of helplessness. Especially if they have never experienced a quake before, they have no idea how long it is going to last or what will happen next. In this unit you will take your students through several steps that will help them know what to expect and what to do if an earthquake occurs.
What to Expect
The first indication of a damaging earthquake may be a gentle shaking. You may notice the swaying of hanging plants and light fixtures or hear objects wobbling on shelves. Or you may be jarred first by a violent jolt (similar to a sonic boom). Or you may hear a low (and perhaps very loud) rumbling noise. A second or two later, youll really feel the shaking, and by this time, youll find it very difficult to move from one place to another. A survivor of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake compared the physical sensation to riding down a long flight of stairs on a bicycle.
Its important to take quake-safe action at the first indication of ground shaking. Dont wait until youre certain an earthquake is actually occurring. As the ground shaking grows stronger, danger increases. For example:
Free-standing cabinets and bookshelves are likely to topple. Wall-mounted objects (such as clocks, maps, and art work) may shake loose and fly across the room.
Suspended ceiling components may pop out, bringing light fixtures, sprinkler heads, and other components down with them.
Door frames may be bent by moving walls and may jam the doors shut. Moving walls may bend window frames, causing glass to shatter and send dangerous shards into the room.
The noise that accompanies an earthquake may cause considerable emotional stressespecially if students are not prepared to expect the noisy clamor of moving and falling objects, shattering glass, wailing fire alarms, banging doors, and creaking walls. The noise will be frightening, but a little less so if its anticipated.
Part 2: Hazard Hunts
Contrary to popular imagination, an earthquake does not cause the Earth to open up and swallow people. Especially in the smaller earthquakes, which make up the vast majority of all quakes, most injuries and fatalities occur because the ground shaking dislodges loose objects in and on buildings.
Anything that can move, fall, or break when the ground starts to shake is an earthquake hazard if it can cause physical or emotional harm.
Classrooms, homes, and all the other places where children spend time indoors contain objects that could cause injury or damage during a quake. Because students have already learned a great deal about earthquakes in the previous lessons, they are able to identify many of these objects themselves. They make class lists of the hazards in different settings and then work with teachers, parents, and other adults to eliminate as many hazards as they can.
Students can remove objects that could fall and cause injury during earthquake shaking. Those objects that cannot be removed should be securely fastened. In the classroom these may include fish tanks and animal cages, wall maps, models, and wheeled items such as pianos and rolling carts for audiovisual equipment. At home, bookcases, china cabinets, and other tall furniture should be secured to wall studs. Hanging lamps, heavy mirrors, framed pictures, and similar ornaments should be removed or permanently fastened.
There will be some hazards in the classroom, home, and community that students will not be able to eliminate. Be sure they know how to avoid those things they cannot change.
Operation A-R-R-R
*Anchor
*Refit
*Relocate
*Remove
Part 3: Prepare and Share Emergency Kits
After a quake you and your students may spend several days together, cut off from many of the normal sources of community support. In Part 3 of this unit the class will devise emergency kits for several settings and make one for the classroom. Students will also make posters as a way of sharing their knowledge of earthquake preparedness.
Part 4: Earthquake Simulation and Drill
During an earthquake, the most important thing for any child or adult to remember is the Drop and Cover drill:
At the first indication of ground shaking, get under a desk or table, face away from windows, bend your head close to your knees. Use one hand to hold onto the table leg and protect your eyes with your other hand. If your shelter moves, move with it.
After the quake it is important to get out of the building and into a clear space, taking the emergency kit along with your roll book. In Part 4, students will point out various hazards that might occur in the course of leaving the building and discuss ways of dealing with various obstacles.
Aftershocks may occur without warning, minutes or even months after the major earthquake. Practice Drop and Cover on the way out of the building, and in as many other settings as possible, until the drill becomes second nature to you and your students.
Give your students several opportunities to ask questions and discuss their fears and concerns. Theyll have plenty of what if questions. Dont feel that you must provide all the answers. Let your students hold problem-solving sessions. Class and group discussions provide opportunities for students not only to express their negative (and normal) feelings, but also to emphasize the positive skills they have gained.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This unit is intended to be used by all the grades, kindergarten through sixth. Feel free to modify the materials and procedures to suit your students.
Part 1: What Happens
During an Earthquake?
Content Concepts
1.Earthquake shaking is possible everywhere in the United States.
2.Students might feel, see, hear, or smell the signs of an earthquake.
Vocabulary
natural hazard
Objectives
Students will
*identify the earthquake hazard for their state.
*identify hazards caused by earthquakes.
*demonstrate safe behavior during an earthquake simulation.
Assessment
Explain why, when, and (demonstrate) how to Drop and Cover.
Learning Links
Language Arts: Describing experiences
Social Studies: Locating states and corresponding level of earthquake hazard, experiencing a simulation of an earthquake
Art: Coloring an earthquake hazard map, drawing, picture, or constructing dioramas of earthquake damage
Activity One: Size Up Your State
nat * u * ral
haz * ard
Any of the range of natural Earth processes that can cause injury or loss of life to human beings and damage or destroy property.
Materials for the teacher
*Transparency made from Master 37, Earthquake Hazard Map, colored according to directions in step 3 below.
*Overhead projector
Materials for each student
*Copy of Master 37, Earthquake Hazard Map
*Crayons or colored pencils
Procedure
1. Read and discuss the definition of natural hazard. Ask:
If an earthquake occurs in an uninhabited region and has no impact on human beings or their property, is it a hazard? (Not for human beings, though it may be for other life forms.)
2. Tell students that thousands of earthquakes occur in the United States each year. Most are too small to be felt by people. Only a few are strong enough to cause damage.
Allow students to speculate on the following questions: Are all regions of the U.S. likely to receive earthquake damage? What states are most likely to receive earthquake damage?
3. Tell students that earthquake shaking is possible in all 50 states and all U.S. Territories. People hundreds of miles from the epicenter of a strong earthquake may experience shaking and damage.
Master 37. Earthquake Hazard Map
Distribute a copy of Master 37, U.S. Earthquake Hazard Map, along with crayons or colored pencils, to each student. Give these instructions:
a.Use green to color in the states marked with a VL. In the legend, use green to color in the box in front of the word Very Low.
b.Use blue to color in the states marked with an L. In the legend, use blue in the box in front of the word Low.
c.Use yellow to color in the states marked with an M. In the legend, use yellow in the box in front of the word Moderate.
Teacher Take Note: If your school is not in a moderate to very high earthquake hazard state, help students realize that they may visit one or move to one someday. Tell them that it is important that they learn how to protect themselves.
d.Use orange to color in the states marked with an H. In the legend, use orange in the box in front of the word High.
e.Use red to color in the states marked with a VH. In the legend, use red to color in the box in front of the word Very High.
4. After the maps have been colored, project the overhead and conduct a class discussion around the following questions:
What is the earthquake hazard for our state?
How many states in the U.S. are believed to be totally free from earthquake hazards? (none)
How many of you have favorite places to visit (on vacation or to see relatives) that are in states with moderate to very high earthquake hazards?
Activity Two: Earthquake Simulation
Materials for the teacher
Teacher Take Note: Do not excuse children with special needs from participating in earthquake drills. Children who are blind, deaf, or have impaired mobility especially need experiences which build confidence in their ability to avoid and cope with dangers. Plan with other teachers and the school nurse to determine quake-safe actions for these children.
It may not be possible for children with impaired mobility to get under a desk or table. They can, however, learn to react quickly and turn away from windows; move away from light fixtures and unsecured bookcases; and use their arms or whatever is handy to protect their heads.
*Master 38, Earthquake Simulation Script
*Transparency made from Master 39, Drop and Cover Master 40, Coalinga Schools Report (teacher background only)
*Overhead projector
Materials for the students
*Desks or tables to get under
*Optional items for simulation activity (chairs to rattle; pencils, books, and other objects to drop)
Procedure
1. Explain that you are going to talk through an imaginary earthquake to help students understand what might happen during a real one. Display the transparency of Master 39, Drop and Cover, and direct students to practice the following actions:
*Get under a desk or table
*Face away from windows
*Bend your head close to your knees
*Use one hand to hold onto the table leg (approximately 6 from the floor to avoid pinching fingers) and protect your eyes with your other hand.
2. Create Special Effects. (This step is optional. If you decide to carry it out, warn your teacher-neighbors.) Appoint student helpers for the simulation. Before the simulation, describe what each helper should do according to the script.
3. Read the simulation, Master 38 (the first three paragraphs should take approximately 45 seconds).
4. Take time after the simulation to let students respond to the experience. Encourage them to ask questions and discuss their fears and concerns.
Teacher Take Note: Once, you are confident that your students have learned and practiced the skills to protect themselves, place yourself in a safe position (e.g., under your desk) during future drills. Your students need to know that you too will be safe.
5. Discuss what to do in various situations.
6. Practice Drop and Cover in as many other settings as possible, until the drill becomes second nature to you and your students. You may want to time how long it takes to get into a safe position in a safe manner (too much haste may cause bumps and bruises).
In teaching this activity lesson, be sensitive to your students fears and concerns, and give them chances to talk and ask questions. Let your students know that fear is a normal reaction to any danger. Remind them that they will become less afraid when they learn how to take care of themselves if an earthquake happens.
Earthquake Safety Reminders for Students
If youre outside
*Stay outside.
*Go to an open area away from hazards.
If youre inside
*Crouch under a desk or table,
*Face away from windows,
*Bend your head close to your knees,
*Use one hand to hold onto the table leg (approximately 6 from the floor to avoid pinching fingers) and protect your eyes with the other hand.
If no desk or table is nearby:
*Kneel against an interior wall
*Face away from windows,
*Bend your head close to your knees,
*Clasp hands on the back of your neck.
Activity Three: Know What Might Happen
Materials for the students
*Pencil and paper
*Crayons or colored pencils
Procedure
1. Review with the students information they have learned about the different locations where earthquakes occur, emphasizing that earthquakes occurring where people live is our greatest concern.
2. Tell the students that during an earthquake, the Earth beneath their feet moves like a deck of a ship. The actual movement of the ground, however, is seldom the direct cause of injuries or deaths. Most injuries and deaths are caused by falling objects and debris from damaged buildings. Point out that the Earth does not split open and swallow people and homes. Emphasize that we can avoid or reduce our chances of being hurt if we know what to expect and what to do during an earthquake.
3. Review the classroom earthquake drill, call out Drop and Cover, and ask students to demonstrate quake-safe procedures.
4. Read to the class descriptions of what they might see, feel, hear, or smell if they were at home during an imaginary earthquake.
a.Before you begin to describe what may happen in a living room, ask students to pretend they are in a safe place in their own living room (or that of a relative or friend).
b.After you described what may happen in the living room, ask students if the place they selected would keep them safe. If some students are concerned about their safety, allow time for the class to discuss how to become quake safe.
c.Repeat 4a and 4b for the bedroom and neighborhood.
Teacher Take Note: As an alternative activity to the drawings, ask student groups to design and construct a shoebox diorama of a setting that has been affected by an earthquake.
5. Ask the students to draw or write about what they saw, heard, and felt during the imaginary earthquake and share with the class. If one or more of your students had experienced a damaging earthquake, allow them to describe to the class what they saw, felt, etc.
Living Room
You might become aware of a gentle movement which grows stronger, or you might be jarred by a sudden jolt and wonder if a truck hit your home.
You would see hanging objects swing and sway, and possibly fall from their hooks. You might see tall pieces of furniture topple over. Plaster may drop, windows may shatter. Electric lights may flicker and go out.
You would hear a low rumbling noise that quickly grows louder. You might also hear creaking and grumbling from the house itself. You might smell odors from spilled food and liquids.
Bedroom
You would see pictures and mirrors fall and break. Things on shelves will topple over. Water would slosh out of aquariums. Books would fall off shelves.
You might hear the house creak and grumble. You might hear bricks tumbling from chimneys. You might hear animals make loud, excited noises.
Outside
You might see bricks come loose and tumble from buildings. Separate parts of buildings such as signs and decorations may fall and cause damage. Water pipes may begin to leak and flood the streets.
You may hear church bells ringing, cars honking, and sirens wailing. You may smell gas, or smoke from gasoline leaks and fires.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This unit is intended to be used by all the grades, kindergarten through sixth. Feel free to modify the materials and procedures to suit your students.
Part 2: Hunt for Hazards
Content Concepts
1. Every environment contains potential earthquake hazards.
2. Students can identify hazards and eliminate them or reduce their impact.
Vocabulary
hazard
cornice
parapet
Objectives
Students will
*identify potential hazards in their classroom that may cause damage, injury, or death during an earthquake.
*list, and if possible, make changes in their classroom to reduce potential hazards.
*identify potential earthquake hazards in their homes.
*list, and, if possible, make changes in their homes to reduce potential hazards.
Assessment
List three things you have done to make yourself, your family, and/or your classmates safer from earthquake hazards.
Learning Links
Language Arts: Discussing hazards and making lists, using and applying action verbs, sharing information with parents and families
Social Studies: Identifying hazards throughout the community on several levels: school, home and beyond
Art: Drawing home hazards that are not on the Home Hazard Hunt worksheet
Activity One: Classroom Hazard Hunt
Materials for the teacher
haz * ard
An object or situation that holds the possibility of injury or damage.
*Transparency made from Master 41, Fourth Grade Classroom
*Overhead projector
*Transparency marker
Materials for each student
*Handout made from Master 41, Fourth Grade Classroom
*Crayons or colored pencils
*Handout made from Master 42. Classroom Hazard Hunt
*Drawing paper (optional)
Procedure
1. Review with students the definition of an earthquake hazard:
Anything that can move, fall, or break when the ground starts to shake is an earthquake hazard if it can cause physical or emotional harm.
Tell students that there will be many hazards that we cannot correct, but identifying these hazards will help us to anticipate them and avoid danger and injury.
2. Invite students to conduct a hazard hunt in their classroom to identify things that might hurt them during an earthquake. Refer to Master 42, Classroom Hazard Hunt, to help students identify hazards.
3. Distribute Master 41, Fourth Grade Classroom. Have students circle or color those hazards which are found in their classroom. Ask them to make a list of any other hazards that are in their classroom but are not included in the picture, or to draw their own classroom and point out additional hazards.
4. Conduct a class discussion about the hazards you have identified and how they might cause harm. Use the overhead of Master 41 in your discussion.
Ask students to decide what they can do as a group to make the room safer. Actions might include tying down objects, moving hanging objects, placing objects on lower shelves, and so on. You may want to write the following action verbs on the blackboard:
move
anchor
relocate
replace
attach
remove
fasten
eliminate
secure
change
Teacher Take Note: This activity will take about 60 to 90 minutes, or longer if students modify their classroom to make it safer during an earthquake. You may want to divide the procedure between two separate sessions.
tie down
5. If appropriate, have students spend time changing the things they can change to make their room safer.
6. Have students make a list of things that could be changed, but not without adult help. These might include putting latches on cabinets, blocking wheels on the piano, and attaching cabinets to walls.
If appropriate, have students help to make these changes. They might want to meet with the principal or work with the custodians to help make their room safer.
When changes cant be made, be sure students are aware of the remaining hazards, and know they must avoid or move away from them if an earthquake occurs.
Activity Two: Home Hazard Hunt
Materials for the teacher
*Transparencies made from Master 43a, b, and c, Home Hazard Hunt Worksheets
*Overhead projector
Materials for each student
Teacher Take Note: How you use the Quake-Safe Home Checklist will depend on the grade level of your students. K-2 teachers may want to adapt this sheet.
*Handouts made from Master 43a, b, and c
*Handout made from Master 44, Quake-Safe Home Checklist
*Pencil or pen
Procedure
1. Explain to students that there may be many possible earthquake hazards in their homesobjects that can fall, break, spill, or cause damage and injury in other ways.
2. Conduct a brainstorming session with your students and see how many home hazards they can think of. List these on the board.
3. Tell students that they are going to conduct a hazard hunt at home to identify things that might hurt them or their families during an earthquake. Distribute the student worksheets. Discuss each of the pictures with the students and ask why the item pictured could be a hazard. Remind students that this sheet does not include all the possible home earthquake hazardsjust some of them.
4. Instruct students to take the worksheets home and have other children and their parents or guardians join them in looking through the house for hazards. Some hazards may exist in more than one place. Give these instructions:
a.Put a check in the box beneath every hazard you find in your home. (If the hazard occurs more than once, students may write a total number in the box instead of a check.)
b.If you can, write the name of the room(s) in which the hazard is located.
c.On a separate piece of paper or on the back of the worksheets, list or draw any potential earthquake hazards that are found in your home but are not on the list.
d.Bring your completed worksheets back to class.
Extension
Since homes without young children also need to be prepared for earthquakes, you and the class might explore ways of disseminating the Quake-Safe Home Checklist to other members of your community. What about grocery stores, community centers, libraries and churches? Students may have other ideas.
5. Conduct a classroom discussion about the hazards that students found in their homes. Especially discuss hazards they identified that were not on the list. You may want to use transparencies of the home hazard worksheets during your discussions.
6. Explain to students that now that they have identified earthquake hazards in their homes they can take action to reduce their danger. Emphasize that there are some actions they can take which cost little or no money, while other actions will cost quite a bit and will have to be done by adults.
7. Distribute copies of the Quake-Safe Home Checklist (Master 44) to students. Discuss the items on the list. Determine which changes can be made easily and which will be more difficult. Again, emphasize that this list does not include everything that can be done to make a home safer.
8. Have students take the list home to discuss with their families. Families may decide which changes could be made immediately in their homes and which ones will have to wait. Encourage students to help their parents in any way possible to make the changes that can be made. As you did in Activity One, remind students that they will have to be responsible for avoiding the hazards they cannot remove.
9. You may want the children to bring back the completed checklists so they can have a follow-up discussion in class.
Activity Three: Community Hazard Hunt
Materials for the teacher
*Transparencies made from Master 45, Neighborhood Hazard Hunt
*Overhead projector
*Transparency marker
Materials for each student
cor * nice
The exterior trim of a structure at the meeting of the roof and wall
par * a * pet
A part of a wall which is entirely above the roof.
*Handouts made from Master 45, Neighborhood Hazard Hunt
*Crayons or colored pencils
*Handouts made from Master 46, Safety Rules for Shoppers
*(Older students) Handouts made from Masters 47a, b, and c, Community Hazard Hunt
Procedure
1. Review materials from Unit Four about ways in which ground shaking from earthquakes can damage buildings. Remind students that the movement of the ground during an earthquake seldom causes death or injury. Most deaths and injuries from earthquakes are caused by falling debris from damaged buildings.
Building damage can include:
*Toppling chimneys
*Falling brick from walls and roof decorations, such as parapets and cornices. (Show pictures or draw pictures of these decorations; or if theyre attached to your school building, point them out to the students.)
*Collapsing exterior walls, falling glass from broken windows.
Damage inside the building can include:
*Falling ceiling plaster and light fixtures
*Overturned bookcases (Have students mention some of the hazards they discovered in Activities One and Two.)
In the community, earthquake ground shaking can cause:
*Downed power lines
*Damage to bridges, highways, and railroad tracks
*Flooding from dam failures, damage to reservoirs and water towers
*Fires from spilled gasoline and other chemicals
*Liquefaction and landslides
*Water sloshing in ponds, pools, etc.
*Tsunami (in coastal areas)
2. Sum up: There are many things in our environment that could cause us harm during an earthquake. There will be many hazards that we cannot correct, but identifying these hazards will help us to anticipate them and avoid danger and injury.
3. Distribute copies of Master 45, Neighborhood Hazard Hunt.
4. Use an overhead of Master 45 and ask students to use red pencils to circle everything they see that could come loose and cause damage during an earthquake. Share and discuss answers.
5. Distribute copies of Master 46, Safety Rules for Shoppers. Discuss the rules in class then ask students to take the page home and share it with their families.
6. For older students: Distribute copies of Masters 47a, b, and c, Community Hazard Hunt. Challenge students to identify the hazards. Follow up with a class discussion.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This unit is intended to be used by all the grades, kindergarten through sixth. Feel free to modify the materials and procedures to suit your students.
Part 3: Prepare and Share
Content Concepts
1. Students can increase their chances for safety and survival in an earthquake by having essential supplies assembled before they need them.
2. Students can help to assemble emergency kits of supplies for their classroom, home, and family vehicle.
3. Students can help to inform others about earthquake safety and survival.
Objectives
Students will
*demonstrate an awareness of responsibility for their own well-being and the well-being of others during an emergency.
*list items to include in classroom, home, and vehicle emergency kits.
*list uses for the kits in emergencies other than an earthquake.
Learning Links
Language Arts: Reaching consensus in a group, copying lists of kit materials, writing preparedness slogans
Social Studies: Sharing kit lists with families, discussing ways to inform the community about quake-safe actions, distributing posters
Art: Planning and decorating the classroom kit, making safety posters
*prepare an emergency kit for their classroom.
*take home lists of suggestions for home and vehicle kits.
*make posters illustrating what they have learned, and distribute them around the school and community.
Assessment
List three things you would want in your emergency kit, and explain why you want to include them.
Activity One: Brainstorming
Teacher Take Note: Taking an active role in preparedness will help students to deal with their natural and reasonable fear of earthquakes Nevertheless, tears and anxieties are inevitable, even among older children who have learned to hide their emotions. Express your own concerns openly, and let students know that its normal to be afraid.
Materials for the teacher
*Blackboard and chalk
Procedure
1. Review the earthquake hazard hunts in Part 2 of this unit to be sure students have a clear idea of the most common earthquake hazards.
2. Remind the students that they may have to evacuate their school, home, or other location after an earthquake. If this happens, they will want to have some essential items in a convenient place, ready to pick up and take.
3. Invite students to name some things they could not take with them if they had to leave their houses in a hurry. Take suggestions for only about five minutes keeping the mood light. This exercise should help young children, in particular, to see the difference between essential and nonessential items.
4. Now invite students to name some thing they really need to have in order to live. Write suggestions on the blackboard or overhead. After food and water have been named, there will be differences of opinion on the remaining items. Remind students to choose things that can be easily carried and have more than one use.
5. Ask the class:
Which of these things should we have ready in the classrooms? (Make a classroom list.)
Which of them should we have at home? (Make a home list.)
Which of them should we have in the family car, van, or other vehicle? (Make a vehicle list.)
6. When the class has reached agreement on a number of items, invite them to brainstorm one more list: a list of emergencies other than an earthquake for which their list of supplies would be appropriate. Accept all answers and discuss them briefly.
Teacher Take Note: Students might visit local businesses to request donations of the pack itself and its contents. This would be a way to involve the community in earthquake preparedness.
Activity Two: Create a Kit
Materials
*Inexpensive backpack or other ample container with shoulder straps
*Art supplies
*Writing paper and pencils
*Items for the kit (will vary)
Procedure
1. Tell students that they are going to assemble an easy-to-carry kit which can be kept in the classroom for emergencies. Ask them to suggest appropriate containers, or show them an inexpensive backpack obtained for this purpose.
2. Invite students to identify essential items for the class-room kit. Emphasize that the kit must be easy to carry. Write their suggestions for a final list on the blackboard.
Essential items for the kit will include:
*bottled water and cups (Use plastic containers to cut weight, avoid breakage.)
*class roster with students names and addresses
*first aid checklist and supplies
*flashlight and spare batteries
Other items might include:
*pocket transistor radio and spare batteries
*paper and pens
*permanent marker
*colored flag to summon aid
*playing cards and pocket games
*hard candy and other compact, durable foods
*trash bags (for raincoats, ground cloths, etc.)
3. Divide the class into teams and assign responsibilities to each team. Roles might include:
a.Decorators: design and produce a logo or other distinctive decoration and fasten it to the kit.
b.Listmakers: copy the class list from the board or overhead (see Part 3, Activity One, Step 5) neatly and with correct spelling, and fasten it to the inside or outside of the container as a checklist. Also provide a copy to the suppliers.
c.Suppliers: decide which items on the list are already in the classroom, which will have to be purchased, and which can be brought from home. With the teachers help, arrange for supplies to be bought or brought.
4. Invite the school nurse or someone from the Red Cross or the Fire Department to visit the classroom and discuss first aid procedures. After this visit the students may want to assemble a small medical kit and add it to their emergency supplies.
5. When the kit is completed, decide where to keep it. Explain that the teacher will carry the kit during evacuation drills or actual evacuations.
Activity Three: Poster Party
Materials for each small group
*Poster board
*Art supplies
*Pencils and scrap paper for rough drafts
Procedure
1. Read the chant to your class. Repeat the chant with the whole class several times, then ask students to create hand motions to accompany it. Suggest combinations of clapping, finger snapping, and patting on legs. As individual students work out their own rhythmic combinations, encourage them to demonstrate to the class so all can learn the same motions.
2. Tell students that now that they have learned a great deal about earthquakes and earthquake preparedness, they have a responsibility to share their knowledge. One way of doing this is to make a set of posters and put them in places where they will be seen. Each poster would feature the word Earthquake and a reminder of some quake-safe action. Ask them to suggest appropriate slogans. These might include:
Safety Chant Procedure
If inside, drop and cover.
Thats where youll be safe.
If outside, stay outside.
Find an open space.
Wheres Your Emergency Kit?
Drop and Cover
If Outside, Stay Outside
Keep CalmSelf Control is Contagious
After the Quake, Evacuate
3. Divide students into small groups, and have each group agree on the slogan they want to illustrate.
4. Distribute materials. Suggest that each group work out a rough version of their poster first, allowing everyone to have input into the design. If necessary, suggest ways for group members to share the execution of the poster: perhaps one student lettering, one sketching the design in pencil, and another painting.
5. When the posters are finished, discuss places to display them other than the classroom. Placing them in the hallways or the cafeteria would spread the message to other grades.
6. Encourage students to take on the role of teacher and help their families learn how to take care of themselves. Many adults believe there is nothing they can do to protect themselves. This belief stems from lack of knowledge. We cant do anything to prevent earthquakes, but we can learn to increase our safety. We can help ourselves and others to do many things that will make our homes and schools safer.
Extension
Students might make arrangements to display some of the posters in stores, libraries, and other public places.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This unit is intended to be used by all the grades, kindergarten through sixth. Feel free to modify the materials and procedures to suit your students.
Part 4: Evacuation Drill
Content Concepts
1. Students can cope with hazards during evacuation.
2. Students are first responsible for their own safety, but also can help if others are injured.
3. After an earthquake, students can cope with the disturbed environment and their own emotional reactions.
Objectives
Students will
*identify hazards they might find during evacuation.
*describe ways of helping others who are injured during earthquakes.
Learning Links
Language Arts: Writing and reading hazard descriptions, discussing hazards and coping strategies, discussing and writing (older children) about what happens after an earthquake.
Social Studies: Practicing Drop and Cover and evacuation procedures, discussing responsibility for ones own safety in an emergency, and what can be done for others.
*describe feelings they might have and dangers they might face after an earthquake.
Assessment
Draw a person you saw doing something helpful after an earthquake.
Activity One: Get Ready, Get Set
Materials for teacher and students
*Materials and procedure for earthquake drill, Transparency of Master 39, Drop and Cover
*Overhead projector
*Index cards
Procedure
1. Review classroom earthquake drill procedures with students and have them practice Drop and Cover. You may choose to do the drill without using the simulation script (Master 38) this time.
2. Take the class to the cafeteria and school library and discuss quake-safe actions to take in each of these settings. Have the children demonstrate those actions.
3. Tell students that during an earthquake its important to stay where they are and take immediate quake-safe action. After the ground stops shaking, students will check themselves and their neighbor; and listen quietly for instructions. Explain some of the hazards that may exist even after the major quake has passed, including aftershocks, fires, live electrical wires, and fumes.
Teacher Take Note: Point out to students that as they are evacuating, the most dangerous places are directly under and next to the exterior doors. Therefore, students should move swiftly beyond this area. Check to be sure your open-space assembly area is safe. It should be away from electrical wires, metal fences, buildings, underground utility lines. Your school custodian will help you locate the latter.
Earthquake Safety Reminders for Students
If youre inside:
*Crouch under a desk or table,
*Face away from windows,
*Bend your head close to your knees,
*Use one hand to hold onto the table leg (approximately 6" from the floor to avoid pinching fingers) and protect your eyes with the other hand.
If no desk or table is nearby:
*Kneel against an interior wall
*Face away from windows,
*Bend your head close to your knees,
*Clasp hands on the back of your neck.
If youre outside
*Stay outside.
*Go to an open area away from hazards.
fore * shock
A foreshock is an earthquake which comes before the main quake and is less severe.
af ter * shock
An aftershock is an earthquake which follows a major quake and is less severe.
4. Walk the class through your regular fire drill route to an open area outdoors that you have chosen in advance. Ask students to make mental notes as they go along of things that might become hazards during an earthquake, and share their ideas when you reach your designated site. Write each appropriate suggestion on an index card. The list of possible hazards may include:
*power failure (Is there emergency lighting available?)
*halls or stairways cluttered with debris (Are there lockers or trophy cabinets along hallways that could fall and block your path?)
*smoke in the hallway
*an exit door that jams and will not open
*an aftershock (Students should stop walking immediately and begin Drop and Cover.)
*bricks, glass, and debris outside the doorway
*electrical wires fallen on the ground
5. Return to the classroom. Hand one of the students an index card with a description of a hazard. Discuss this hazard and its impact on evacuation. Continue handing out the cards, one at a time, until all the hazards have been discussed. Give students an opportunity to express ideas about how they can cope with the hazards and evacuate safely.
6. Explain to the class that if there is a strong earthquake, each students first responsibility is his or her own safety. However, every student can learn what to do to help if someone else is injured. Present some What if questions for discussion. What would you do if:
A student or teacher were injured? (If someone is injured and cant walk, dont move the person unless there is immediate danger of fire or flooding. Instead, place a sturdy table carefully above the person to prevent further injury. Then go for help.)
Someone was cut by shattered glass and is bleeding? (Even the youngest child can learn to apply pressure to the wound.)
Someone is hit by a falling lamp or a brick? (If the person is conscious and able to walk, take him or her to an individual in charge of first aid. Even if the person appears to be unhurt, have someone stay nearby to report signs of dizziness or nausea.)
Activity Two: Put It All Together
Materials for teacher and students
*Chairs and other objects as needed to simulate earthquake obstacles
Teacher Take Note: Physical reactions to an actual earthquake may include nausea and vomiting, or bladder and bowel incontinence. Even the simulation may trigger physical reactions in a few children. You may want to make discreet preparations to deal with this possibility.
Teacher Take Note: Since we never know until the shaking has stopped which quakes are foreshocks or aftershocks and which is the main event, it is essential to Drop and Cover at the first sign of a quake.
*Classroom emergency kit
*Paper and pencils
*Master 48, Drill and Evacuation Checklist
Procedure
1. Tell students that you are going to conduct an evacuation drill. Have them help you devise a way to simulate hazards (fallen lockers/cabinets) along the hallway before the drill.
2. Back in the classroom, library, or cafeteria, call out Earthquake! Students (and you) should take quake safe positions immediately, without any further direction. Remind students that a teacher or other adult may not be with them when an actual earthquake occurs.
3. After 45 seconds, while students remain in quake-safe position, briefly review the evacuation procedure. If its cold, and students coats are in the room, instruct them to quietly and quickly pick up their coats before leaving the room. Ask students not to put the coats on until they are outside. If an aftershock occurs along the way, they may need to place them over their heads.
4. Give the instruction Evacuate!, and proceed through the building evacuation route. Take along your classroom emergency kit (See Part 3, Activity 2 of this unit).
5. When the class is assembled outside, take roll. Use the Drill and Evacuation Checklist on Master 48 to evaluate the procedure. If errors were made, plan with students to correct them, and repeat the drill if necessary. But remember to emphasize the students successes, not their shortcomings.
6. If weather permits, continue this activity outdoors: if not, return to the classroom, but ask students to pretend theyre still outside. Set the stage:
We have just experienced a strong earthquake. Every one of you knew what to do to protect yourself. Some of us received a few bruises, but no one was seriously hurt. We managed to evacuate the school building. We moved slowly because it was difficult to walk through the debris in the halls [and stairwells]. Now were safely outside and wondering what will happen next.
Teacher Take Note: There is no guarantee that emergency medical or fire personnel will be available to your school immediately after an earthquake, local emergency teams will be severely overtaxed. It may be 24 to 48 hours before assistance arrives. Anticipating a delay in being reunited with their families and discussing ways of coping will help students deal with their feelings of separation and isolation.
Extensions
1. Distribute copies of Master 49, Home Earthquake Safety checklist. Encourage students to go over the list with their parents.
2. With older children, you may want to spend extra time discussing specific things they could to do to assist in cleanup and repair work after an earthquake. However, be sure you also emphasize the limits to what young people can safely undertake, and the precautions they must observe, such as wearing shoes and sturdy gloves when sweeping up broken glass.
7. Lead a discussion with students which includes the following questions and considerations:
Our class is all together in the schoolyard. How do we feel? (It is normal to feel scared, worried, or physically sick, and to feel like crying or laughing. It helps to talk about how we feel.)
What could we do for ourselves and each other to help us feel better? (Take a couple of deep breaths to help ourselves stay calm. Hold hands or hug to comfort each other. Talk softly until were asked to listen to instructions.)
Because we experienced a strong earthquake, we know there must be a lot of damage within our community. We can hear sirens from police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances. We can also hear horns honking, and imagine traffic jammed up all over town.
It may take a long time for parents to get to school. How would you feel if you had to stay at school for many hours, or even for two or three days? (Children in emergency situations worry about being separated from parents. Theyre concerned about their parents safety and that of their friends and pets. Allow students to discuss these concerns.)
What are some things we can do to help care for each other and keep busy? (Older students might want to help take care of younger ones from other classes. Perhaps they can think of appropriate activities.)
When you get home, what are some jobs you can do to help clean up and get things back to normal? (Discuss some of the dangers and how to work safely. Specific guidelines will be up to parents.)
How can we prepare for aftershocks? (Stress the Drop and Cover procedure once again, and review the hazard checks from Part 2 of this unit.)
8. Have students write a story or draw a picture sequence about What I Did After the Earthquake.
Evacuation Guidelines for Teachers
The teacher makes the decision to stay put, evacuate, or delay evacuation based on the school policy and his/her evaluation of the situation. Communication systems may be out, and no one else knows the situation in the classroom like the teacher. Immediately after the ground stops shaking, the teacher makes a quick assessment of the situation in the classroom. Any of the following require immediate evacuation: fire, damage to structure, or hazardous materials spill. The teacher makes a quick assessment of injuries to students. Unless there is a fire, severe damage to structure, or hazardous materials spill, the teacher uses first aid for critical injuries. The teacher checks with his/her buddy teacher. It may be necessary to evacuate that teachers class also. The teacher takes a quick look at the evacuation route from the classroom to be sure that it appears clear. In most cases, the teacher will wait until composure has been reached before directing the class to evacuate. The goal is a safe evacuationwhich is not necessarily the quickest possible evacuation.
In some situations, there are good reasons for either not evacuating, or delaying evacuation. For example, if there is a slight shaking with no apparent damage, it may be more dangerous to move the students outside because of severe weather.
Unit V. Earthquake Safety and Survival
Materials List
Grades K-6
crayons or colored pencils
backpack
art supplies
items for safety kit
poster board
paper
classroom emergency kit
index cards
overhead projector
transparency markers
pencils or pens