Earthquake Lesson Plans-Middle Schools
Students use the Internet to research data on earthquakes and volcanoes and plot locations to determine continental plate boundaries. Extensions include interpretation of interaction between plate boundaries, causes of earthquakes and volcanoes, and the comparison of the formation of Olympus Mons on Mars and the Hawaiian volcanic chain.
Students work in small groups to search the internet for information about plate tectonics, earthquake faults, and types of volcanoes. A report written and an oral presentation conclude the exercise.
A WebQuest about earthquakes. The activates are internet based. Includes a grading rubric. Students will be able to take a trip back in time to hear what those living at the time had to say about this devastating earthquake and then visit the future to see what the possibility of another earthquake of that size hitting the Memphis area might be. You will also become a seismologist and calculate an earthquake.
Faults Students will observe fault movements on a model of the earth's surface.
Constructing Earthquake-Proof Buildings Students will achieve the following objectives:
• Explore different materials, shapes, and design options that affect the durability of a building.
• Understand how to use models to perform controlled scientific experiments.
Students will observe fault movements on a model of the Earth's surface.
Earthquakes can provide a useful context for teaching or reviewing many basic physics concepts, such as sliding and static friction, forms of energy and conversion from one form to another, and the elastic properties of materials. Conducting the following lesson plan provides an opportunity for students to work cooperatively together, develop and test a hypothesis, make measurements, and write a short report on the results with graphs.
An inquiry-based activity using the map "This Dynamic Planet" to teach about plate tectonics, the distribution and motion of the Earth's lithospheric plates, the locations of earthquakes and volcanoes, plate boundaries, and hotspots.
Demonstrate plate tectonic principles, plate boundary interactions and the geometry and relative motions of faulting of geologic layers using 3-D foam models.
Use a virtual seismograph to detect the location of an earthquake.
Explain motions, transformations, and locations of materials in the Earth's lithosphere and interior. For example, describe the movement of the plates that make up the crust and earth and the resulting foramtion of earthquakes, volcanoes, trenches and mountains.
Explain motions, transformations, and locations of materials in the Earth's lithosphere and interior. For example, describe the movement of the plates that make up the crust and earth and the resulting foramtion of earthquakes, volcanoes, trenches and mountains.
Explain motions, transformations, and locations of materials in the Earth's lithosphere and interior. For example, describe the movement of the plates that make up the crust and earth and the resulting foramtion of earthquakes, volcanoes, trenches and mountains.
The students will read daily, discuss, experiment, utilize CD-ROM technology, and access SENDIT/INTERNET information to gain a better understanding of the Earth's dynamic systems.
Six day lesson plan with lecture, worksheets, and test.
Students will understand the different types of earthquake waves and the impact they can have, understand why and earthquake can affect different parts of a city in different ways, and understand teh importance of taking substrate and constructin design into consideration when preparing a city for an earthquake. Also contains links to review earthquake and plate tectonics.
Understand the basics of plate tectonics as well as four different movements of the Earth's tectonic plates. Contains links to multiple great scientists and their contributions to the knowledge of Earth's movements.
