Earthquake preparation is a cooperative effort among seismologists, engineers and politicians. Demonstrate these links with an informative lesson in your classroom. Begin by explaining how each plays a role in earthquake preparation, with seismologists predicting problem areas along fault lines, engineers preparing structures to withstand the damage earthquakes cause and government agencies preparing emergency relief stations in key areas. Divide your classroom white board into three sections, one for each group (seismologists, engineers and politicians). Pass out strips of paper with specific earthquake responsibilities listed on them, and ask your students to tell you which group should handle each responsibility. If a student is unsure, help her decide which group is responsible for a task and explain why.
Earthquakes are frightening because they seem infrequent and devastating. Show your class the truth about earthquakes with a simple class demonstration. Present a large display of the world, with bright red lines marking all of the major fault lines in the world. Explain the role fault lines play in earthquakes. Now ask your class to predict the chance that an earthquake will occur tomorrow. Let your students call out their predictions, and write them down. Then, explain that the chance is actually 100 percent. Explain that earthquakes can be so gentle no one feels them, or occur miles away from the coast in the ocean. Help your students understand that earthquakes are a natural part of geology, something they should prepare for and not fear.
The U.S. Geological Survey prepared clear images to represent the most important terms used by geologists when discussing earthquakes. Show your class these pictures on your overhead projector or classroom computer screens, one at a time, and discuss how the picture demonstrates the term it represents. Explain these terms to your class, helping them understand some of the issues involved with earthquakes. Include terms like amplification, foreshock and normal fault. Once your students are comfortable with some of the images, you can quiz them by showing them the pictures and asking them to tell you what each represents.
Cookies are a fun treat and a way to demonstrate ground erosion to your students. Bake enough cookies for each student to have a few, one to experiment with and a few extra in case they eat their experiments. Give each student a cookie and a napkin. Instruct your class to break up their cookies into their napkins. Explain that the cookie represents the ground, and the crumbs represent dirt and sand, which eroded from the larger rock. Use this demonstration to show your students how earthquakes can erode land at a quick pace.