Internet Lesson Plan
Title of Lesson: Current Earthquakes around the World
Subject(s): Science / Social Studies
Grade Level(s): 4-6
Objective(s): Students will use the latitude and longitude to chart current earthquake
activities.
Materials Needed: A large BULLETIN BOARD map of the world, Push pins, location
tags, small maps of the earth, "Earthquakes and Volcanoes" pamphlet
(copyright 1982 National Geographic Society).
Internet Site(s): http://www.athena.ivv.nasa.gov/curric/land/dailylog/dailylog.html
Use the map on this page to create both the smaller desktop maps and
the larger Bulletin board map with lines of latitude and longitude.
http://gldss7.cr.usgs.gov/neis/qed/qed.html
A compilation of the recent earthquakes from the National Earthquake
Information Center.
Procedure 1. Preparation—Use an overhead transparency of the desktop map of
for Teaching the Lesson:
the world to create a Bulletin Board with the line of latitude and
longitude drawn over the world with no labels on the grid.
2. In the Classroom
3. Orally review the concepts of latitude and longitude using the
commercial pull-down classroom wall-map of the world.
4. Pass out the desktop maps and have the students label each of the
lines of latitude and longitude working together in groups
5. Have them work together to label the world grid on the
corresponding large BULLETIN BOARD
6. Discuss earthquake experiences
7. Read and discuss the "Earthquakes and Volcanoes" pamphlet (or an
timely on-topic issue of a student weekly periodical such as Weekly
Reader, Scholastic etc.)
In the Lab
8. Students go to
http://www.stthomas.sanford.pvt.k12.me.us/geology/geo-task-1.htm
and print out their own copy of the task card on Recent earthquakes.
9. Clicking on the hyperlink at the top of the online version of the task
sheet students open http://gldss7.cr.usgs.gov/neis/qed/qed.html in
their browser window.
10. %Students collect their printed version of the task card .and put their
name on the top of the paper.
11. Students individually read the online material at and answer the
questions on their printed task card.
12. Students finishing their task cards early may do the extension
activity described below.
In the Classroom
13. Using the 3 hole punch students put their completed task cards in
their science notebooks.
14. %Using the longitude and latitude of the earth quake data collected
from the Internet, students chart them on the bulletin board. and
place a corresponding dot on their personal desktop mapwhich is
kept in their notebooks
follow-ups Follow ups
Activities/Extensions:
 Connect the dots of the earthquake patterns on the bullitin board
with string to create guesses about the actual plate boundaries
recording each guess on a desktop map.
 Graph the depth of recent earthquakes. Graph the Magnitudes.
Extension
 Describe the differences that you see in each of the five views of the
spinning Earth that you can see at the following Web site
http://www.crustal.ucsb.edu/ics/understanding/globe/globe.html
Link(s) to the Maine Mathematics
Learning Results: C. DATA ANALYSIS AND STATISTICS
ELEMENTARY GRADES 3-4
1.Make generalizations and draw conclusions using various types of graphs, charts,
and tables.
2.Read and interpret displays of data.
E. GEOMETRY
MIDDLE GRADES 5-8
3.Use a coordinate system to define and locate position.
Social Studes
GEOGRAPHY
A. SKILLS AND TOOLS
MIDDLE GRADES 5-8
2.Develop maps, globes, charts, models, and databases to analyze geographical
patterns on the earth.
Additional Resources: Follow the current eruptions link found at
http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/volcanoes.html
and have the students locate the current volcanic activity on the bulletin
board
Lesson Plan Author: Robert Anderson Jr.