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Our hearts go out to those hit by the recent earthquake and tsunami this past week. Pam and I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread in light of the recent earthquake in Japan and the tsunamis that followed. Are you going to discuss the science of earthquakes and tsunamis in your classroom this week? If so, how? Let's link to lesson ideas and support each other.
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The website, Connecte2d Teaching
http://mceer.buffalo.edu/connected_teaching/index.html
has quite a few web resources created by the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER). The lesson plans (mostly for middle school) are developed by teachers, teacher educators, engineers and professionals in the library and information sciences. Here is the link to the article in Science Scope as well! Looks promising!
http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/4/ss07_030_07_68
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Does anyone have an idea for this week to do an activity (or just a discussion framework) regarding the recent events in Japan? I just took a temp position teaching Integrated Physical Science until the end of the year. We are going to cover Earth Science until the end of the year. Since I am more of a Life Science teacher, I am scrambling to find resources and ideas to keep students engaged. This class has mostly 9th and 10th grades but many are not achieving at grade level. Also, there are several Junior and Senior students who are only here to graduate, having failed other science classes. So I am using more middle school resources in some cases. My question at the moment is about finding any ideas to talk about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan tomorrow since we will cover Earthquakes within a week or 2. It is so much in the news right now, that I thought I'd take a day or 2 now to talk generally about the impact this has had and what we can learn from it.
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Are you needing lessons about the current tsunami in Japan (and more about earthquakes) go to:
http://www.iris.edu/hq/ It is a great site and easy to use.I highly recommend it.
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The news is stating that social networking is playing a vital and positive role in the lives of families and friends that are trying to make contact with tsunami survivors. As an advisor, I have seen on our Learning Center boards that we have Japanese educators and students that access the LC for support and information in their professional growth.
We want everyone to know that educators from all over the world have you in their thoughts and prayers.
Following are some free NSTA journal articles that include content knowledge and students activities for use in your elementary, middle and high school classrooms.
Take care, Alyce
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The following list of websites may be helpful for those looking for ways to create teaching moments connected to the Japan Earthquake and tsunami. In addition to pasting the list here, I am attaching a file for those who may wish to download and save a copy.
Tsunami! Bridge Data Tip Activity (Grades 8-12)
[url=http://www.vims.edu/bridge/index_archive0105.html]
Using tsunami time travel maps, students predict how long it will take a tsunami to reach the shore. The lesson incorporates a number of data maps and affords students to analyze quantitative data.
The Ring of Fire (9-12)
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/15/g912/ring.html
In this lesson, students will learn more about plate tectonics as they investigate the region known as the Ring of Fire, where 75% of the Earth's active and dormant volcanoes are located.
Power of Fire (9-12)
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/activities/15/powerfire.html
Become a natural-hazard mapper! Figure out where people face danger from earthquakes and volcanoes, and create a map showing where these natural hazards may occur.
Fetch Me A Wave (9-12)
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/03portland/background/edu/media/portlandfetch.pdf
How do ocean waves form, and what is the effect of extreme storms on wave formation?
Aggregated CNN Student News coverage (8-12)
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/studentnews/03/13/transcript.mon/index.html?iref=allsearch
This link takes you to aggregates CNN student news coverage of the Earthquake and Tsunami. There are numerous links to video footage.
The Science of Tsunamis (8-12)
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/lessonplans/science/tsunamis.html#standards
A 45 minute lesson plan that includes a demonstration to learn about wave propagation and a discussion of the PBS NewsHour program 'Scientists Explain the Origin of South Asia's Deadly Disaster (1883 tsunami)
The Tsunami Lesson Plan (6-9)
http://www.ema.gov.au/www/ema/schools.nsf/Page/TeachLesson_PlansTsunami
The Australian government has created this tsunami lesson plan. Excellent explanations and exposure to students discussing tsunami preparation
Tsunami-Tidal Wave (9-12)
http://www.earthsci.org/education/teacher/basicgeol/tsumami/tsunami.html
Brought to you by an aggregation of Earth Science resources assembled by the Australian government, this explanations of tsunamis is adapted to HTML from the course notes of Prof. Stephen A. Nelson Tulane University.
Tsunamis- Geoscience Australia
http://www.ga.gov.au/hazards/tsunami/tsunami-basics.html
Geoscience Australia put together this site on tsunamis with an especially nice image gallery
California Tsunami Lesson Plans (6-12)
http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/geologic_hazards/Tsunami/Pages/student_activity.aspx
The State if California department of Conservation put together these teacher resources on tsunamis. The lesson plans have been created to provide an interactive activity with online California tsunami hazard maps. The lessons are targeted for use at 6th grade or higher grade level. These two activities provide students with real world applications using science based maps. The following California Earth Science Content Standards are reinforced in these lessons:
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Please not the hyperlinks are active in my previous attachment
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Laura, Welcome to our NSTA Discussion Forum and congratulations on your teaching position. I think that as you have time to visit the different threads you will find a wealth of support and resources! Please feel free to ask/post your questions and comments. If you become frustrated, find yourself in a time crunch, or not able to locate a specific resource, click on the yellow window that says, 'Live Support Online'. A real educator/scientist will help you navigate through the Learning Center to locate any type of resource you may be searching for. The online support can be a life saver!
Pam, I especially like the simulations on the Government of Australia's site, I will use that tomorrow morning in class.
BioEd, Baylor College of Medicine, has dozens of links to outside sources that include satellite pictures, simulations, journal articles.
Also, Teacher's Domain is an excellent FREE source for video segments (many PBS, NOVA), lesson plans, simulations, images, interactions and content knowledge. You will need to register to use this 5 Star site that is constantly being upgrade for K-12 educators.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and resources! Alyce
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I have expanded my list a bit further and have found a few sites providing information appropriate for elementary grades. I am not going to attempt to cut and paste it here as the links did not work before and only created an unsightly mess. The world doc, provided as an attachment functions well and the hyperlinks work!
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Thanks, Pam, for a such an extensive list of resources!
I will also share the PBS Mountain Maker, Earth Shaker activity and related resources. Visualizations such as these can help students make sense of the abstract concepts. This would also be an opportune time to tie in some nature of science discussion. A history of science lesson on continental drift theory and the opposition that Alfred Wegener faced about 100 years ago illustrates that science is influenced by society and its values. The PBS site has some information here to assist.
ExploreLearning has a vast collection of computer simulations, with a couple that address concepts relevant to discussions about earthquakes and tsunamis. While it is a subscription site, free trials are available.
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It is difficult and heartbreaking to watch the devastating video clips showing the incredible earthquake and tsunami forces wreaking havoc. It is mindboggling to see how quickly a tsunami can extend out to reach from Japan to northern California and the Pacific North American coastline. Two articles, both from the March 2007 Science Scope journal, might be of use in the classroom, as our students come back to the classrooms with their questions about how this happened.
Waves and Tsunami Project
Science Sampler: Connecte2d Teaching-A Comprehensive Resource for Teaching Science
Both of these articles were mentioned above in others' posts, but I thought they were worth highlighting. Laura, I think they might be of help to you.
Carolyn
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Greetings folks- This is a very helpful and timely forum. Thanks to everyone for sharing. My heartfelt sympathies go out to the Japanese people as well, and my students share this sentiment. We have been closely following this tragedy- the earthquake, tsunami, and now the nuclear plant problems as well. The resources that have been listed here are fantastic, and help us use real world events to engage our students and show them the relevance of science to their daily lives. It also helps us to show them that the science community is international and works closely together to solve the problems that we face as a world community. I am also using the New York Times and the Washington Post websites to help communicate the current situation and learn more about nuclear energy.
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Steve W. brought a University of California/Davis Geology Dept webpage to my attention at a different discussion thread. If you scroll down to announcements, you will see a link to the KeckCAVES and the new 3D earthquake imagery technology that originated at this university. They are able to show the past and present earthquake activity from above, on, and below Japan. The technology is very cool! There is also a link to a YouTube video, of this month's Japan quake activity.
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NOAA's tsunami warning network is a global effort to have water level monitoring gauges that trigger an alert as water levels rise. Oceanographers use this data to create models for tsunami paths. Exposing students to the research and how it is applied is great way to develop interest in STEM careers. NOAA has educator resources and media available at NOAA tsunami education. There is also a computer based tutorial available at Tsuanmi tutorial that would be appropriate for older students or professional development.
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The JASON project is soliciting questions that will be answered live by a NOAA tsunami researcher, Vasily Titov. Students can submit there questions online online by March 22 and they will be answered live at 1:30 EDT on March 24th. This is a fantastic opportunity to get students involved.
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A MUST SEE!!! Everyone who needs an observation/discussion about Japans recent tsunami needs to visit this site. It is several before/after pictures shown in a sliding bar style. You see the before picture, slide the bar across that picture to reveal what the after picture looks like. It is both fascinating and horrifying at the same time. Grades 4 and higher.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/13/world/asia/satellite-photos-japan-before-and-after-tsunami.html
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Sue
Those are pretty amazing pictures. Here is another set - often you can see how the topography affected the wave and the damage.
Link to before and after coastline of Japan.
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These are some amazing resources. Nature's power never ceases to amaze all of us, and this horrible disaster is certainly no exception. Sten Odenwald has created two new Space Math problems that focus on these twin disasters:
Problem 409: The 2011 Japan Earthquake Rocks the Earth and
Problem 408: Estimating the Speed of a Tsunami
These can be found at the Space Math website, at http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov/ '' target="_blank"> http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov
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This video clip was shown on several news stations when the tsunami 'attacked' Japan's land. The narration along with the clip is heartbreaking. I would not show this to my middle school students, as the narrative is so descriptive.
As we all keep the survivors and lost family members in our thoughts and prayers, Alyce
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[i]Alyce wrote, "This video clip was shown on several news stations when the tsunami "attacked" Japan's land. The narration along with the clip is heartbreaking. I would not show this to my middle school students, as the narrative is so descriptive."
[/i]
Alyce,
Thank you so much for sharing the clip of the tsunami. It is amazing the force of the water over such a large area. I can only agree with you that our hearts must go out to the people affected by this natural disaster. I don't think I would share this video with my freshman, but my physics students would be mature enough to handle it.
Ruth
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