EARTHQUAKES A Teacher’s Package for K-6 Acknowledgments The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) acknowledges with gratitude the many individuals who provided teaching knowledge, experience, and classrooms in the development of the first and revised versions of EARTHQUAKES - A Teacher’s Package for K-6 Grades. The first version of the teacher’s package was developed under the direction of Phyllis R. Marcussio, Director of Publications, National Science Teachers Association. Ms. Marcussio put together an excellent team of editor, illustrator, teacher-writers, subject-matter experts, and reviewers, including - Editor: Mary Liston Liepold, Washington, DC Illustrator: Forrest Plesko, Superior WI Teacher-Writers: Jeffrey C. Callister, Newburgh, NY Lenny Coplestone, Bethesda, MD Gerard F. Consuegra, Rockville, MD Sharon M. Stroud, Colorado Springs, CO Scientist-Writer: Randy Updike, U.S. Geological Survey The revised version included teacher-writers Jeffrey Callister, Gerard Consuegra, and Sharon Stroud, along with Elizabeth Draper, Sheryl Eggers, and Molly Morrow from Portland, OR. Elizabeth, Sheryl, and Molly have participated as instructors in numerous FEMA workshops for educators on the K-6 teacher’s package. Randy Updike’s expanded coverage of earthquake topics remains in the Appendix. Funding for this publication was allocated to FEMA by The United States Congress, under the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977, as amended. FEMA hereby authorizes and encourages the educational community to reproduce this product in its entirety and to disseminate it at no cost to the recipient. Single copies of this publication may be obtained from FEMA at no cost by contacting FEMA’s Publication Warehouse at 1-800-480-2520. Foreword to the Second Edition The original Earthquakes - A Teacher’s Package for K-6 (FEMA 159) was developed as a joint effort of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) under contract with FEMA. NSTA’s project team produced an excellent product. Since its publication in 1988, over 50,000 teachers have requested copies. This revised version brought members of the original project team together with a group of teachers who had used the materials extensively in their classroom and served as teacher-educators at FEMA’s Tremor Troop workshops. About 75% of the original material remains unchanged: a few activities were removed and a few added. A major change was the addition of assessments throughout the units. The examples we provide relate to life outside the classroom and/or activities similar to those of scientists. We also added matrices linking activities to the National Science Education Standards. You’ll find these matrices in the Appendix, along with a new Glossary. Features of This Package First of all, you do not need an education in science to use this package. Background for each unit covers all the science concepts treated in the lessons. You will have all the information you need, no matter what grade you teach and what kind of science preparation you’ve had. This is science made simple and fun, without sacrificing scientific accuracy. Because young students learn best by doing, the lessons in this teaching package are primarily a series of hands-on experiences. You will need to locate simple materials for some of the lessons. Others require only things that are already in your classroom. At the end of each unit, you will find Masters ready to reproduce for transparencies, handouts, and worksheets. Masters are identified in the text by name and number. Because students learn holistically, the lessons include methods and materials from language arts, mathematics, social studies, music, and the other fine arts, as well as physical science. Learning Links, found near the beginning of each set of activities, summarize some of these interdisciplinary connections. We also provided Scope and Sequence charts at the beginning of each unit. Extensions, provided in each set of activities, suggest ways for your students to learn more about the topics. Use the Extensions for individual enrichment or to provide additional experiences for the entire class. Each set of activities also includes vocabulary, teaching tips, and illustrations. Matrices linking activities to the National Science Education Standards are located in the Appendix. Organization and Overview The Teacher’s Package has five units. Each of the first four units is divided into three levels: Level 1, for grades K-2; Level 2, for grades 3-4; and Level 3, for grades 5-6. Since classes and individuals vary widely you may often find the procedures in the other levels helpful for your students. The last unit has four parts with activities for students in all grades, K-6. Unit I, Defining an Earthquake, builds on what students already know about earthquakes to establish a working definition of the phenomenon. Legends from near and far encourage children to create their own fanciful explanations, paving the way for the scientific explanations they will begin to learn in this unit. Unit II, Why and Where Earthquakes Occur, presents the modern scientific understanding of the Earth’s structure and composition, and relates this to the cause of earthquakes. Unit III, Physical Results of Earthquakes, provides greater understanding of the processes that shape our active Earth. Earthquakes are put in the context of the large- and small-scale changes that are constantly at work on the continents as well as the ocean floor. Unit IV, Measuring Earthquakes, explains earthquakes in terms of wave movement and introduces students to the far-ranging effects of earthquakes. Unit V, Earthquake Safety and Survival, focuses on what to expect during an earthquake; how to cope safely; how to identify earthquake hazards; and how to reduce, eliminate, or avoid them. Units I through V are intended to be used in the order presented. When students ask questions about earthquake safety, the introduction in Unit V will help you answer their questions. You may want to take time then to do a few activities to enable students to develop quake-safe skills. Contents Unit I: Defining an Earthquake Level 1. What Is an Earthquake 13 Level 2. People Explain Earthquakes 19 Level 3. Energy Waves Cause Earthquakes 25 Unit II: Why and Where Earthquakes Occur Level 1. Inside Planet Earth 39 Level 2. Plates Going Places 43 Level 3. Layers, Plates, and Quakes 51 Unit III: Physical Results of Earthquakes Level 1. Earthquakes Shape Our Earth 65 Level 2. Landscape on the Loose 69 Level 3. Building Up and Breaking Down 79 Unit IV: Measuring Earthquakes Level 1. Earthquakes Great and Small 93 Level 2. Different Shakes for Different Quakes 99 Level 3. Sizing Up Earthquake Waves 103 Unit V: Earthquake Safety and Survival Part 1. What Happens During an Earthquake 117 Part 2. Hunt for Hazards 125 Part 3. Prepare and Share 133 Part 4. Evacuation Drill 139 Appendix Earthquake Background Book of Legends National Science Education Standards Matrices Glossary Earthquake Curriculum, K-6 List of Line Masters UNIT I UNIT IV Master la. U.S. Map (without state names) Master 27. Shake Table Master lb. U.S. Map Master 28. Modified Mercalli Scale Master 2. The Turtle Tale Master 29. Seismographs Master 3. Turtle Tale Pop-up Puppet Master 30. Seismogram Worksheet Master 4. Turtle Dot-to-Dot Master 31. Earthquake Magnitude and Energy Master 5. World Map Master 32. Seismogram Showing Amplitude Master 6. World Map with Legend Sites Master 33. Earthquake Severity Worksheet Master 7. World Map with Epicenters Master 34. P-Wave Motion and S-Wave Motion Master 8. Elastic Rebound Master 35. The S-Wave Machine Master 9. Dresser Drawers Master 36a. KWAT Television Script Master 10a. Earthquake Terms Master 36b. Wattsville Map Master 10b. Earthquake Terms Worksheet Master 36c. Wattsville Map Key Master 11. U.S. Map with Epicenters UNIT V UNIT II Master 37. Earthquake Hazard of the U.S. Master 12a. Layers of the Earth Master 38. Earthquake Simulation Script Master 12b. Earth Layers Worksheet Master 39. Drop, Cover and Hold Master 13. Earth Plates Master 40. Coalinga Schools Report Master 14a. Earth Plate Puzzle Pieces Master 41. Fourth Grade Classroom Master 14b. Earth Plate Puzzle Pieces Master 42. Classroom Hazard Hunt Master 15. A Pizza the Earth Master 43a. Home Hazard Hunt Worksheet Master 16. Graph of the Earths Layers Master 43b. Home Hazard Hunt Worksheet Master 17. Plate Boundaries Map Master 43c. Home Hazard Hunt Worksheet Master 18. Convection Currents and Master 44. Quake-Safe Home Checklist Plate Cross Section Master 45. Neighborhood Hazard Hunt Master 19. Formation and Breakup of Pangaea Master 46. Safety Rules for Shoppers Master 20a. Pangaea Flip Book Master 47a. Community Hazard Hunt Master 20b. Pangaea Flip Book Master 47b. Community Hazard Hunt Master 20c. Pangaea Flip Book Master 47c. Community Hazard Hunt Master 20d. Pangaea Flip Book Master 48. Drill and Evacuation Checklist Master 49. Home Earthquake Safety UNIT III Master 21. Fault Movements Master 22. Rural Community After an Earthquake Master 23. Fault Model Master 24a. Tsunami Facts Master 24b. Notable Tsunami Master 25a. Landscape Regions Worksheet Master 25b. Landscape Regions of U.S. Master 25c. Landscape Regions Key Master 26. Ocean Bottom