Middle School Lesson Plans for Earthquakes
Earthquakes are powerful events that generate much fear and awe. Middle school students fall into the 11 to 14 age group, and lesson plans can incorporate the science relating to earthquakes as well as the socioeconomic consequences of catastrophes. Lesson plans for middle school students can incorporate the superstitions that ancient people held about earthquakes and natural disasters.
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Earthquakes and Angry Gods
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An interesting way to study earthquakes is to look at how explanations for earthquakes have evolved as people have become more knowledgeable about the science behind the phenomenon. Middle school students will benefit from a lesson structured around the ancient myths surrounding earthquakes. The Chinese believed in ancient times in the myth that the earth was carried on the shoulders of an ox. If the ox moved the earth from shoulder to shoulder this movement caused the earth to shake. Similarly, the Japanese myth about a giant catfish that lived beneath the mud attributed earthquakes to the movements of the fish. Earthquakes also were given religious causes and said to be caused by angry gods or as punishment for human sin. After learning about these myths and beliefs, students should discuss how these beliefs might have affected human behavior and how people might have tried to prevent earthquakes.
Types of Earthquakes
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This lesson is a basic introduction to plate tectonics and how an earthquake occurs as well as the types of faults that generate earthquakes. The lesson begins with an introduction to basic geology and the layers of the earth. Students should draw their own earth diagram or label one that has been printed out and distributed to them. The layers are the crust, inner core, mantle and outer core. Students should be quizzed on the different layers. After explaining plate tectonics, introduce students to the concept of a fault, which is a fracture between blocks of rocks that lets the rocks move relative to each other. An earthquake is the result of a rapid form of this movement. The strike slip fault, the normal fault and the thrust fault should be explained. Show diagrams of the faults and how the rocks move in each scenario.
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Tsunami Lesson Plan
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One of the dreaded and devastating consequences of an earthquake are the powerful and destructive waves that can be generated under certain conditions. This middle school lesson plan about tsunamis teaches students how they are formed and where they are likely to strike. Information about tsunamis can be life-saving as demonstrated during the devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004 -- those who knew to head for higher ground survived. Detailed information for this lesson is available online at the U.S. geological survey's website. First, students will learn that tsunamis are created by earthquakes or landslides that happen under or close to the ocean. Using information about tsunamis that hit the United States in previous years provides a basis for estimating whether it is likely that a tsunami will strike in the future. Students will study information about tsunamis that have struck Hawaii, Alaska, and the U.S. East, West and Gulf Coasts in the past. They will look at the three key sources of information to establish whether a tsunami could happen in the United States. These key sources are catalogs of historic tsunamis, computer simulations of tsunamis, as well as the age of rocks and sediments left by previous large earthquakes and tsunamis.
Earthquake Relief
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The earthquake that struck Haiti in January 2010 created more damage because buildings were not built to earthquake standards. By 2011, the country has not been rebuilt and many people are still homeless. Teaching students about the ongoing consequences of such a devastating earthquake is an important lesson. Students can search online for newspaper articles about the Haitian earthquake and form a collage of articles that deal with the consequences of such an earthquake -- homelessness, disease and political upheavel. Students should learn that the physical damage and initial death toll is not where the damage begins and ends. Consequences such as disease can be highlighted by the subsequent cholera outbreaks because of contaminated water. Once the news articles have been formed into collages, students can discuss how the rest of the world has helped survivors of the earthquake and look at how they could further contribute, even if it is on a small scale. For example, children can collect recyclable cans and bottles and collect money in this way and send it to a fund that supports victims of the earthquake.
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References
- Photo Credit tsunami-memo image by Gerd Reiber from Fotolia.com
