http://www.news.com.au/national/earthquake-rocks-victoria/story-e6frfkvr-1226401631728
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8486317/victoria-hit-by-5-2-magnitude-earthquake
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usb000ajek.php#details
For a first hand look, check out these videos (apparently everyone in Australia plays the guitar):
So, what would you do if there were an earthquake? Write about a few ways you can be prepared for an earthquake in the comments, or in your journal!
G'day mates!
~Ms Cooke
Earthquakes are something that students will be immediately interested in. The news articles provide scientific foundation for the blog content, and the YouTube videos provide real testimony to the seismic occurrence in Australia.
ReplyDeleteI like that you are encouraging the students to garner agency by listing how they can prepare for an earthquake. This is a great activity to discuss with parents!
I agree that this is a great activity for the students to discuss with their parents. It's always important to have a plan, even if the disaster you're planning for is unlikely. I remember being a kid, and my little sister came home so excited about the fire safety lesson they'd had in class that day. She made our family outline a fire escape plan and practice it. In fact, we had monthly fire drills for about a year! I also really like the videos you posted. Like the previous comment says, they will provide the students with an immediate interest, and depending on where you're located, many of them might even be able to relate to this.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone as this is a great activity that students will be interested in. I live around the NYC area, and I found out it is behind New Orleans and Miami as having a high risk to hurricane damage. From my time in high school, I don't think that was something ever mentioned, and I feel students should know more about that and have safety plans taught by teachers. Sorry for getting off topic lol.
ReplyDeleteHaving an emergency plan for any type of disaster is always important even if the area you live in is not prone to certain ones. You never know when you could find yourself in the middle of some type of disaster at any point in your life. I remember waking up during an afteroon nap to the "shaking" of my bed a few years ago. Never experiencing something like that before, I had no idea these were aftershocks to an earthquake not too far away.
ReplyDeleteI just thought this tied in very well with the standards for Earth Science, as well as for 7-8th grade general science. Part of the curriculum is actually teaching hazards and preparation for natural disasters. I just liked the idea of my students taking ownership of the curriculum.
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