Earthquakes can be frightening and dangerous, but being prepared can make a world of difference. Perform an earthquake simulation during which the class practices how to drop, cover, and hold on as you read a script...

Shake up things in the classroom. The unit uses earthquakes to bring a real-life connection to finding arc lengths, logarithms, and equations of circles. Small groups determine whether particular towns would have felt an earthquake after...

Ninth graders operate a model to observe the type of motion that occurs at a fault during an earthquake. They explore the effects of several variables. Students measure movement, calculate averages and plot and graph information.

Students identify and interpret the cyclical nature of the Parkfield, California earthquakes. They then investigate and graph earthquake occurrences on the Mojave segment of the San Andreas fault and then on the Hayward fault in order to...

Middle schoolers investigate tsunamis and how they are caused.  In this natural disaster instructional activity, students discuss earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides and other causes of tsunamis.  Middle schoolers conduct an...

How does the depth of an ocean affect the speed of a tsunami's waves? Use Jell-o, graham crackers, and marshmallows to model the effects of an underwater earthquake and its resulting tsunami. The lesson plan includes hands-on activities,...

Here's a workshop for teachers that rocks the academic world! Using earthquakes as a medium for instruction, educators learn about crosscutting engineering with science. Fun, hands-on, collaborative exercises encourage participants to...

Eighth graders visit the Virtual Earthquake Web site and complete activities that demonstrate how geologists locate the epicenters of earthquakes. The site uses actual data from historic earthquakes.

Students comprehend what has been explored in the previous earthquake engineering design lessons, by putting their designs to the test. They are given pairs a piece of paper, and an empty plastic bottle or can. Students stand the...

Ninth graders investigate the functional relationship of different environmental phenomena. For this math lesson, 9th graders create models of various natural disasters. They use logarithmic and exponential functions to interpret...

Eighth graders demonstrate the mathematical components of a scientific problem as well as illustrate how real world problems can be solved using math. They demonstrate math skills such as rate calculation, graphing, and linear equations.

Students gather data about the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes, make comparisons between the two, and determine the factors that influence the amount of shaking that occurs in an area due to an earthquake. They identify that the distance is...

Shake up your lessons with with a radical resource. Scholars use a slider to view the Richter scale magnitude and amplitude of historical earthquakes. They use powers of 10 to compare the amplitudes of different earthquakes.

Students identify how to use a scatterplot to compare two sets of data to determine if they are related. Then they identify and describe the definition of regression line (the "line of best fit"). Students also identify how scientists...

In this Benford's Law learning exercise, high schoolers read about the first digit frequency of numbers. Students solve 3 problems about sunspot numbers, solar wind magnetism and the depth of the latest earthquakes by using on line sites...

Students identify marine animals that could become stranded due to coastal features and currents. They plot data on worksheets for locations of sea turtles actually beached or stranded. After plotting their points, they hypothesize...

Take cover because a wild presentation on hurricanes is about to make landfall in your classroom! An outstanding PowerPoint presentation is the centerpiece of this lesson. Not only does it provide information and photographs, but several...

In this scientific numbers worksheet, students change numbers from standard notation to scientific notation.  This two-page worksheet contains 19 problems.  Answers are provided on the last page.

Blow your pupils' minds with information about some of the world's most awesome natural occurrences: volcanos. Class members read a short article and respond to included questions. The focus of the resource is on understanding and...

Here's an engaging, meaningful, and clever lesson plan on map skills for elementary schoolers. Pupils combine story writing with mapping skills to create an original piece of work. They utilize a worksheet embedded in the plan to guide...

Do I stand or do I sit? The class plays a dice game where they must decide to either continue to stand and play or sit down and keep their points. After the game, groups discuss individuals' strategies and see connections to the...

Young mathematicians work to recognize the relationship between their scale models of the Joides research vessel and the real vessel. They calculate the relationships between various parts of the ship using fractions, ratios, and...

Sometimes simple is just better. A set of activities teaches young mathematicians about using plausible estimation to solve problems. They break problems down to simpler problems, use rounding and estimation strategies, and consider...

Log some practice with logarithms. A PowerPoint presentation provides a tutorial on the change of base formula involving natural logarithms and solving exponential equations with logarithms in the fourth installment of a seven-part...