Earthquake Damage

In this introductory lesson, students will become familiar with the damage caused by earthquakes. Students view a slide show showing the effects of earthquakes, record information about them, and discuss their observations.

Concepts and learning outcomes	Students will understand that: Shaking may result in damage in the form of structural failure, soil liquefaction, and landslides. Earthquakes may cause damage that disrupts people’s lives.
Time requirements	One 50-minute periods
Vocabulary	Landslide, tsunami, soil liquefaction, structural failure
Background for teachers	The website, Plate Tectonics, the Cause of Earthquakes provides information on plate movement and the production of earthquakes. The website, Life Along the Faultline provides great photos of the 1906 and Loma Prieta earthquakes in San Francisco and accompanying information. The website, Earthquake Hazards Program: Visual Glossary is a comprehensive source for all earthquake terms.

Materials / Preparation

LCD Projector
Copies of Earthquake Damage Worksheet for slide show.
The Earthquake Damage slide show: Powerpoint version (4.5MB) or Adobe Reader version (1.5MB - Requires free Adobe Reader) can be accessed directly from the Earthquake Hazards Student Web Page.

Grouping

Whole class

Teacher tips

This slide presentation is intended as the “hook” to engage students. You can either have students view the slides independently or project them for a full class experience.

Procedures

Begin lesson with a class discussion about earthquake experiences. Guiding questions could include: Have you ever been in an earthquake? What stories have you heard from someone who has been in an earthquake? What do you think it would be like to be in an earthquake? What are some of the effects of earthquakes?
Ask students to list the possible outcomes (damage, disruption) of an earthquake.
Tell the students that they will be viewing a series of slides that illustrate some of the examples they have given and that they will be asked to make observations. Hand out Earthquake Damage Worksheet.
Show Earthquake Damage slide show, (see materials above ) which can be accessed directly from the Earthquake Hazards Student Web Page. Slides have been chosen from a variety of earthquakes to illustrate the impacts of earthquakes. Have students fill in the worksheet as you project the slides.
Following the slide show, ask questions such as: Which was the slide you remembered most? Why? How do you think these earthquakes impacted the lives of the people living in the area? Note: be sure students come up with the difficulty of farming when the rows have been shifted (slides 8 & 9).
Explain homework. (see homework below)