Tsunami Attack

Students learn about tsunamis, discovering what causes them and what makes them so dangerous. They learn that engineers design detection and warning equipment, as well as structures that that can survive the strong wave forces. In a hands-on activity, students use a table-top-sized tsunami generator to observe the formation and devastation of a tsunami. They see how a tsunami moves across the ocean and what happens when it reaches a coastline. They make villages of model houses to test how different material types are impacted by the huge waves. In this lesson, students learn about tsunamis.

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives: 

After this lesson, students should be able to:

  • Describe a tsunami as a large wave that is caused by the movement of the sea floor.
  • List some causes of tsunamis, including earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides.
  • Relate that engineers use special sensors to detect tsunamis.
  • Explain how engineers are working to create buildings that can survive tsunamis.

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Understanding
Extension suggestions: 
  • Have students research tsunamis caused by meteors. Also, have them look for other causes for tsunamis.
  • How scared should we be? Help students put the threat of tsunamis (or any natural disaster) in perspective. For most people, even though the potential damage and loss of life is catastrophic, the probability of encountering a tsunami is very low. Due to 24/7 Internet and news coverage, mass destruction by powerful forces has become more vivid and real to millions of people. Following disasters, there is hyper-alertness to the possibility of another disaster. Then, after some time, our memories fade and we forget. Do repeated warnings stir up unnecessary fear? When does precaution cross the line into paranoia? Is hysteria among a few an unavoidable consequence of informing the many? What are the most likely threats where we live? What can we do to increase our safety?

References

Contributors: