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Lesson Plans - By Month

What’s Shakin’, Dude?

Students will create their own P- & S-wave travel chart and develop a better
understanding of the relationship between the two wave types, travel times, and travel distances.

Earthquakes: Learn From The Past, Prepare For The Future

Ask students which earthquakes they remember hearing about in the news during the past few years. What were the effects of these earthquakes? What lessons might these earthquakes teach us to help us better prepare for future ones? Hold a brief class discussion on these questions.

Earthquakes: Getting Ready for the Big One

Discuss with students where earthquakes are mostly likely to occur. If they don’t know, they can look at a map of earthquake hot spots or at theJava Earthquake Globe. If students live near one of these areas, discuss life in “earthquake country.”

Finding an Earthquake’s Epicenter

This lesson helps students understand the processes used to identify the location of an earthquake’s epicenter and how the Richter magnitude of the earthquake is determined.

The Impact of Natural Hazards Around the World

This lesson is designed to help students understand that the negative consequences of natural hazards can be reduced if we understand our vulnerability to learn to prepare for them.