In this lesson, students simulate volcanic explosions using liquids of varying viscosity, and learn about volcano and earthquake zones around the world.

Students learn about the structure of the earth and how an earthquake happens. In one activity, students make a model of the earth including all of its layers. In a teacher-led demonstration, students learn about continental drift. In...

Using only strands of spaghetti, you and your class can explore the amount of energy released for each level of the earthquake magnitude scale.

Students will examine patterns between volcanic activity and seafloor features. NASA tracked volcanic activity for 15 years and created an animated map from their data. Compare this map to a map of seafloor features to reveal interesting...

Using geologist's tools and the lessons from the historic Japan earthquake of 2011, students predict when a disaster will hit and the need for disaster preparedness in communities.

In this project, students will build model earthquake-resistant buildings and measure their movement during a simulated earthquake using a mobile phone and a sensor app.

Students construct a shake table, then build towers of different heights using Lego blocks, and test their stability on this platform. Next, they test towers with different sized bases, and towers made using different materials.

Young scholars learn the two main methods to measure earthquakes, the Richter Scale and the Mercalli Scale. They make a model of a seismograph - a measuring device that records an earthquake on a seismogram. Students also investigate...

When an earthquake occurs, seismic shock waves travel out through the earth from the source of the event. The shock waves travel through the earth (body waves), or along the Earth's surface (surface waves), and can be recorded at remote...

A lesson that directs students through an examination of primary documents related to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. The plan also provides instructions for leading students through a discussion of how personal narratives...

In this lesson, designed for grades 7 -12, the students will explain the social and economic achievements of Haiti, articulate the horrific consequences of the earthquake, describe the ways the economy responded to catastrophe and...

Lesson from 2010 using multi-media resources, including video, audio, and primary sources which challenge students to think beyond the earthquake and consider the role of Haiti's rich history in the crisis.

Earthquake damage can be intensified in areas that are subject to soil liquefaction. For example, in these areas, soil movement may cause foundations to collapse, while structures in nearby areas built on more stable soil or bedrock may...

Challenge your students to design a building that will withstand an earthquake. Using materials like 3x5 cards and paperclips, students design three different buildings and test their effectiveness.

Young scholars investigate how often earthquakes of various magnitudes happen within specific geographic regions.

During this lesson, students learn how seismographs work and how technology has impacted the world by helping save lives from earthquakes. They will work in teams to design, test, and evaluate the results of their own seismographs, then...

Students are introduced to natural disasters, and learn the difference between natural hazards and natural disasters. They discover the many types of natural hazards - avalanche, earthquake, flood, forest fire, hurricane, landslide,...

Observe the relationship among volcanoes, earthquakes and lithospheric plates by collecting data and creating maps. This activity was created to be used with the NOVA program, "Deadly Shadow of Vesuvius" but the video is not necessary...

Students learn about tsunamis, discovering what causes them and what makes them so dangerous. They learn that engineers design detection and warning equipment, as well as structures that that can survive the strong wave forces. In a...

Here's a project for studying compression waves in different soil types. It uses a homemade wave tank for solids, with a frequency generator, amplifier, and loudspeaker as the vibration source. There are lots of interesting possibilities...

Use this site to teach your students what a tidal wave or tsunami is from this lesson plan. The discovery activity shows how a tsunami happens.