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Earthquakes
Earth Science
Day 1 Introduction/Review
Behavioral Objective: Students will be able to list at least three things they already know about
plate tectonics and at least three things they want to know about earthquakes in the K and W
columns of their graphic organizer.
Standard: MST4: Science: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and
theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical
development of ideas in science.
Materials:
 KWLS graphic organizer
 Plate Tectonic Internet Lab (C-6)
 Plate Tectonic Review Questions (C-7)
Procedure:
Students will fill in the K and W columns of their graphic organizer with information they just
learned in the plate tectonics unit and with some suggestions of what they want to know about
earthquakes. The teachers will ask students to share their ideas and talk about the project. (10
minutes)
Students will be assigned to their final project groups during their first bell class. Students will
be asked to get into their groups and, making sure that the group has determined a recorder,
presenter, time manager, and task monitor for the project, will complete the Plate Tectonic
Internet Lab. This will be handed in when completed. (15 minutes)
Students will be given Plate Tectonic Review Questions. They will work on this for the
remainder of class and it will be homework if not completed. (12 minutes)
Assessment: The teachers will make sure the students have at least three items in the K and W
columns of their graphic organizer. The teacher will also be monitoring the students as they
work in their groups to see who is working well with others. Also, the “Plate Tectonic Internet
Lab” will be graded (5%). The homework will be looked at for completion (5%).
Day 2 What is an Earthquake?
Behavioral Objective: Students will be able to determine where most earthquakes occur after
completing a lab exercise with no errors.
Standard: Performance Indicator MST4.I.PS2B: Students describe volcano and earthquake
patterns, the rock cycle, and weather and climate changes.
Materials:
 Rumble Song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xe7mfz8dnjw
 Notebooks
 Earthquake notes packet (C-8)
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Earth Science
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Earthquake notes PowerPoint (C-9)
Fault Extent Student Exercise (C-10)
San Francisco Bay area map (C-11)
California map (C-12)
Procedure:
The teachers will play the “Rumble Song” for the students. The teachers will ask the students,
“What is an earthquake?” Ideas generated will be written on the board and the students will
copy them into their notes. The teachers will then begin the Earthquake notes PowerPoint and
hand out the notes packet to the students. They will go over the first section on “What is an
earthquake?”, and fill in the blanks. (20 minutes)
Next, the teachers will hand out copies of the Fault Extent Student Exercise and the maps (Bay
area, California) to each student. Review the information and instructions. Have students work
in groups of two to complete the mapping exercise and answer the questions. (21 minutes)
Assessment: The teachers will observe who is volunteering information and paying attention to
the notes. The teacher will also collect the students’ maps and answers from the lab activity
(10%).
Day 3 What is an Earthquake?
Behavioral Objective: Students will be able to determine what an earthquake is using at least
three vocabulary words with no errors.
Standard: Performance Indicator MST4.I.PS2B: Students describe volcano and earthquake
patterns, the rock cycle, and weather and climate changes.
Materials:
 Bill Nye the Science Guy: Earthquakes video
 Earthquakes: Websites (C-13)
 Notebooks
 3-2-1 worksheet (C-14)
Procedure:
The class will be broken up into two groups today. One group will start by watching the video,
“Bill Nye the Science Guy: Earthquakes.” The other group of students will get to choose a
partner and go to a website and just explore earthquakes. They can watch clips, take quizzes,
and read articles. Doing this incorporates the principle of affective learning. They go to
whatever website they want and they can choose what to look at when they get there. The
teacher is offering them a choice of content, tools, adjustable levels of challenge, and choices of
their learning context. The computers will be equipped with a screen reader for those who are
struggling readers. These websites will provide them with videos, articles, quizzes, and
animations. The students are really free to make their own decisions and choose something
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Earthquakes
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that really interests them. After twenty minutes, the groups will switch. At the end of the class,
students will fill out the 3-2-1 worksheet and hand it in as they leave. (41 minutes)
Assessment: The teachers will be able to observe the behavior of all students and how well they
work with their partner at the computers. The teachers will also be able to evaluate what the
students accomplished at the computers by what they hand in when they are finished. Also,
the teachers will be able to look at the 3-2-1 sheet to determine how much students have
learned (5%).
Day 4 What causes earthquakes?
Behavioral Objective:
Standard: Performance Indicator MST4.I.PS2B: Students describe volcano and earthquake
patterns, the rock cycle, and weather and climate changes.
Materials:
 Earthquake notes packet (C-8)
 Earthquake notes PowerPoint (C-9)
 Earthquake Slip Classroom Exercise
Procedure:
The teachers will begin the Earthquake notes PowerPoint and ask students to take out their
notes packet. They will go over the section on “What causes earthquakes?”, and fill in the
blanks. (20 minutes)
Next, the students will do the Earthquake Slip Classroom Exercise. Through this activity they
will be discovering sliding and static friction, forms of energy and conversion from one form to
another, and the elastic properties of materials. Conducting the following lesson provides an
opportunity for students to work together cooperatively, develop and test a hypothesis, make
measurements, and write a short report on the results with graphs. (21 minutes)
Assessment: The teachers will observe who is volunteering information and paying attention to
the notes. The teachers will also collect the students’ information and answers from the lab
activity (10%).
Day 5 Seismic Waves
Behavioral Objective: Students will be able to define the difference between P- and S- waves
without error.
Standard: Performance Indicator MST4.I.PS5A: Students describe different patterns of motion
of objects.
Materials:
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Earthquakes
Earth Science
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Earthquake notes packet (C-8)
Earthquake notes PowerPoint (C-9)
Seismic Waves Activity http://aspire.cosmic-ray.org/labs/seismic/index.htm
Procedure: The teachers will begin with the Earthquake PowerPoint and ask students to take
out their notes packet. They will go over the section on “Seismic Waves” and fill in the blanks.
Students will also fill in the chart titled “3 types of seismic waves.” (15 minutes)
Students will then be placed into groups and will use computers to access the seismic wave’s
activity. Students will use the program to demonstrate the effects of P- and S- waves visually.
Conducting the following lesson provides an opportunity for students to work cooperatively
together. (26 minutes)
Assessment: The teachers will observe who is volunteering information and paying attention to
the notes. The teachers will also observe the interactions between peers during the group
computer activity.
Day 6 Seismic Waves
Behavioral Objective: Students will be able to discover the differences between P- and S-waves
after completing a lab exercise.
Standard: Performance Indicator MST4.I.PS5A: Students describe different patterns of motion
of objects.
Materials:
 Slinky Lab (C-15)
 Slinkies
Procedure:
The teachers will pass out the slinky lab experiment to the students. Students will then be
broken up into groups and asked to reproduce P- and S- waves using the slinky. Students will
answer all questions asked on the activity sheet. (41 minutes)
Assessment: The teachers will observe the students as they work in their groups. Also, the
Slinky Lab will be collected and graded (10%).
Day 7 Measuring Earthquakes & Locating the Epicenter
Behavioral Objective: Students will be able to locate the epicenter of an earthquake using a
computer simulation with no errors.
Standard: Performance Indicator MST4.I.PS2B: Students describe volcano and earthquake
patterns, the rock cycle, and weather and climate changes.
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Earthquakes
Earth Science
Materials:
 Earthquake notes packet (C-8)
 Earthquake notes PowerPoint (C-9)
 Virtual Earthquake Internet activity
http://www.sciencecourseware.com/virtualearthquake/VQuakeExecute.html
Procedure:
The teacher will go over the “How do we measure earthquakes?” and “Locating the epicenter”
sections of the PowerPoint, with students filling in the blanks in their note packets. (10
minutes)
Students will then be broken up into groups to complete the Virtual Earthquake Internet
activity, where they will be reading about earthquakes, looking at seismographs, and using their
own information to determine the epicenter of an earthquake of their choice. (31 minutes)
Assessment: The teacher will be able to observe the behavior and work ethic of all students.
The internet activity will also be handed in after completion for a grade (10%).
Day 8 Earthquake Dangers
Behavioral Objective: Students will be able to create an earthquake/disaster preparedness kit
and present it to the class.
Standard: Performance Indicator MST4.I.PS2B: Students describe volcano and earthquake
patterns, the rock cycle, and weather and climate changes.
Materials:
 Earthquake notes packet (C-8)
 Earthquake notes PowerPoint (C-9)
 Magazines
 Paper
 Glue
Procedure:
The teachers will go over “Earthquake Dangers” in the earthquake PowerPoint. Students will fill
in the blanks in their earthquake notes packet. The teachers will encourage discussion. (10
minutes)
Students will then be broken into groups and asked to brainstream a disaster preparedness kit.
Students will use magazines to cut out pictures of necessary items. Students will create a
collage of needed items, along with a master list and present their kit to the class. (31 minutes)
Assessment: The teachers will assess the students’ disaster preparedness kit and presentation
(10%).
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Earthquakes
Earth Science
Day 9 Filming
Behavioral Objective: Students will be able to create a preview/short film that includes the
epicenter location, states the type of fault line, and mentions possible after-effects of the
earthquake. This information will be written on the space provided in their brochures.
Materials:
 Brochure
Procedure: Regular meeting of classes will be suspended for the day while students film
culminating project. They will have prepared a script in English Language Arts that will be used
in filming. Students will be given a pass to visit other teachers for consultation on project.
Assessment: All students must have shown the teacher at some point during the day their
brochure with the epicenter location, the type of fault line, and possible after-effects of the
earthquake that they have used in their preview/short film.
Day 10 Complete filming/ Wrap up
Behavioral Objective: Students will be able to evaluate what they have learned about
earthquakes and determine any questions they still may have given what they have learned
over the past two weeks with no errors.
Materials:
 KWLS graphic organizer
 Earthquakes: Websites (C-13)
 Earthquakes Cross Word Puzzle (C-16)
Procedure: Students will finish up their film if necessary. When they are finished they will
complete the L and S columns on their KWLS charts. They will hand them in when finished.
They will also complete the group and self evaluations. If there is time, they can explore more
about earthquakes on the internet or complete the earthquakes cross word puzzle.
Assessment: Teachers will review each student’s KWLS chart (5%).