Earthquake Formation

Students learn about the structure of the earth and how an earthquake happens. In one activity, students make a model of the earth including all of its layers. In a teacher-led demonstration, students learn about continental drift. In another activity, students create models demonstrating the different types of faults. In this lesson, students learn about earthquakes, continental drift, and create a model of the Earth.

Weblink address (URL):

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives:

After this lesson, students should be able to:

Know and understand the processes and interactions of Earth's systems and the structure and dynamics of Earth.
Identify major features of Earth's surface that lead to earthquake development.
Explain the distribution and causes of earthquakes that shape/change the Earth.
Understand why engineers need to learn about the Earth's structure.
Identify cause-effect relationships involved in earthquakes.
Know and understand interrelationships among science, technology and human activity and how they can affect the world.
Identify careers that involve science and technology.

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level:

Understanding

Extension suggestions:

Talk to students about what to do in the event of an earthquake. For information on earthquake safety tips and an online quiz about earthquake safety tips, see the following link: http://www.firepals.org/.
Have students choose an historical earthquake and write a small report on the facts of the earthquake. They should report on the time, date and location of the earthquake and what the effects of the earthquake were.

References

Contributors:

Karla Fultz

Originator:

Ayers Institute for Learning & Innovation