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Step 1
Find earthquake information. Visit a bookstore or library to find books on earthquakes and earthquake science. The more you learn about earthquakes, the easier it'll be to create lesson plans suitable for your students.
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Step 2
Determine the level of students and find age-appropriate earthquake materials. For example, elementary school age children could learn about how earthquakes affect human lives. Older students might learn about how and why earthquakes occur with by studying plate tectonics. Search the Internet for earthquake lesson-plan ideas. Use your state standards to design the lesson plans, too.
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Step 3
Interview or invite an earthquake expert to the classroom. A local college or university might have earthquake experts you could interview or ask to visit the classroom. Contact your local state geology department for more information on any classroom visitations or programs available.
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Step 4
Perform earthquake experiments. Find information on earthquake experiments searching the Internet or the local library. Use the ThinkQuest website to search for earthquake lesson plans and experiments.
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Step 5
Ask other teachers or geologists for an earthquake curriculum for students. Search on the United States Geological Survey (USGS) website to find lesson plans to use.
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Step 6
Discuss earthquake faults. Study plate tectonics to learn more about earthquakes and why they happen. Locate a fault nearest to your area and discuss how faults relate to earthquakes.
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Step 7
Design an earthquake safety poster. Even if you aren't in an earthquake zone, it's important to practice safety for all natural disasters. Have the kids develop a safety poster that includes what to do in case of an earthquake. You may want to discuss common misconceptions about earthquakes, such as that all earthquakes are felt around the world.
