A lesson plan about earthquakes, how they occur, where and how to record and survive them.

1. Earthquakes Kevin Cummins www.edgalaxy.com

2. What is an Earthquake? An earthquake is a shaking of the ground caused by the sudden breaking and movement of large sections (tectonic plates) of the earth's rocky outermost crust. Most earthquakes occur along the fault lines when the plates slide past each other or collide against each other. www.edgalaxy.com

3. How Do Earthquakes Happen? Please visit the BBC Science site as a whole group and view the animated slideshow. www.edgalaxy.com

4. Recording and Predicting Earthquake Activity The truth is that around 300 earth tremors occur around the world every day. 99 percent of earthquakes of are not felt but are recorded. The machine scientists use to record seismic activity is called a Richter scale. www.edgalaxy.com

5. 2010 Haiti Earthquake Haiti is one of the worlds poorest nations as it suffers terrible hurricanes annually. To add insult to injury in early 2010 it suffered one of the most destructive earthquakes ever recorded. Here is a video from the scene. Take note of some of the damaging side effects of an earthquake you notice that are also damaging to life and record them on the board. www.edgalaxy.com

6. Earthquake Survival – Class Activity How can we as a community protect ourselves against such an unpredictable event such as an earthquake. www.edgalaxy.com

7. Your Task: Using PowerPoint create a report on a famous earthquake that has occurred throughout history. Here are some famous ones. San Francisco Japan Haiti www.edgalaxy.com