Overview of Lesson		Activity One
Connection to the Curriculum,Standards and Skills		Activity Two
Grade Level		Activity Three
Purpose of Lesson		Activity Four
Primary Geographic Question		Activity Five
Secondary Questions		Activity Six
Materials		Assessment of Lesson
Body of Lesson - Procedure & Assessment		References

Overview of the Lesson

This lesson emphasizes the impacts of natural processes on human behavior—human and environment interactions. Its goal is to lead students from a broad understanding of the causes and effects of cataclysmic phenomenon, earthquakes, to the development of problem solving skills, which may be applied regionally and globally.  The site for study is the New Madrid Fault System.

Geography Standards

Standard 1:  Understand how to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.

Standard 15:  Understand how physical systems affect human systems.
 

Alabama Course of Study:  Social Studies Content Standards (Grade 7)

Standard 24:  Explain how the characteristics of physical environments affect human activities.

Standard 25:   Explain the ways humans prepare for natural hazards.
 

Geographic Skills

Acquiring Geographic Information: Students will use multiple resources to acquire information.

Organizing Geographic Information: Students will develop several graphic organizers during this study—K-W-L charts, cause and effect charts, Venn Diagrams, and maps. Written and oral reports and the development of brochures will provide opportunities for organizing and communicating geographic information.

Analyzing Geographic Information: Students will determine patterns in earthquake activity, the impacts of such activity on human behavior, and develop plans for coping with such disasters.

Answering Geographic Questions: Students will communicate learned concepts and inferences through group produced products and individually written reports.

Grade 7

Purpose of the Lesson

Students will learn about selected earthquake prone areas in the United States and how humans have been impacted by such activity. They will understand that predicted activity influences human behavior in terms of attempting to understand this cataclysmic phenomenon and planning for reducing threat to life and negative economic impacts.

Primary Geographic Question

How do patterns of geologic activity affect human activity?

Secondary Questions

1. What is historically and geographically significant about the geologic activity in the New Madrid Fault System?
2. How do humans respond to such earth crust activity?
3. What are the geographic patterns of global earthquake events?

Materials

• Task cards
• References
• Maps as needed by specific tasks
• Access to the Internet
• Laminated world map
• Self adhesive colored dots or map pins
• List of recent earthquakes
• News sources

Students will work in cooperative groups. Groups may be assigned each task or different tasks, which may be shared with the whole group.

Prior to this lesson, teachers should model asking geographic questions in connection to other studies. For example: Where is it? Why is it there? What impact does it have? How far reaching is the impact?

Secondary Question 1: What is historically and geographically significant about the geologic activity in the New Madrid Fault System?

Secondary Question 2: How do humans respond to such earth crust activity?

Activity One

 

Task Card Activity #1  Geologic Patterns: Significance of the New Madrid Earthquake of 1811-1812

In a whole group setting, students will develop a K-W-L chart to identify what they know about the New Madrid Earthquake of 1811-1812. Geographic questions will be developed by students to guide their literature searches and will be recorded on the class chart as what they want to know. In cooperative groups of three or four, students will search for information and create a cause and effect chart to identify and organize scientific and cultural factors involved in the New Madrid Earthquake in 1811-1812.  Each cooperative group will share what they learned with the whole group to complete the K-W-L chart. Cause and Effect charts will be displayed.

 
 

 

Activity Two
 
 
 

Task Card Activity #2   Historical Accounts of Reelfoot Lake and Today’s Concerns for the Lake

Investigate eyewitness accounts of the behavior of the Earth’s surface and the Mississippi River during the 1811-1812 series of quakes. Include other historical happenings associated with the quake. What Native American Legends grew out of this event?  Discover what Reelfoot Lake is like today. What are the concerns for its future? What possible changes would occur in local activity if the Mississippi River meanders enough to make contact with the lake?  Draw a map to illustrate the geographic region that was impacted by the quake and the geographic region that is concerned about future quakes of great magnitude.  Develop a brochure for the State of Tennessee to share historical information and attracting features of Reelfoot Lake for tourists.

 

Activity Three
 
 
 

Task Card Activity #3   Earthquakes in Southern California vs. Earthquakes in the Southeastern U.S.

Compare and contrast earthquakes in southern California to those occurring in the southeastern U.S. Use Venn Diagrams to organize the information. Include how populations plan for future quakes, anticipated costs in human life and in economic loss.  What geographic differences in these earthquake zones influence the scale of impact?

 

Activity Four
 
 
 

Task Card Activity #4   Preparation for New Madrid Activity

Earthquake education is now part of the curriculum for many of the Central United States Consortium—Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.  Assume that your group is a curriculum planning committee for this consortium.  Identify the objectives or the learning outcomes for students in this unit of study information and attracting features of Reelfoot Lake for tourists.

 

Activity Five
 
 
 

Task Card Activity #5   Hazard Preparation

Investigate the dangers to humans during an earthquake. Create two checklists, one for home and one for the classroom, to help students identify objects that potentially cause harm during a major quake.  Your committee has the responsibility of developing an emergency pack for households in the New Madrid earthquake zone. Develop a list of emergency supplies that does not exceed eight categories of items. For example, two gallons of water will be considered one item.

 

Activity Six
 

Secondary Question 3: What are the geographic patterns of global earthquake activity?

 
 

Task Card Activity #6   Mapping Earthquakes

Materials:  Laminated world map Self adhesive colored dots or map pins List of recent earthquakes News sources

Secure a list of recent global earthquakes from United States Geological Survey through the Internet. Indicate the location of these earthquakes and identify any patterns of activity that may be indicated. How do these patterns relate to plate tectonics?  Create a bar graph using numbers of quakes in a given period of time and magnitude. Other criteria may be selected.  What new reports reflect global geographic activity?

 

 

Student learning will be assessed by accuracy of information presented in graphics and reports. Evaluation of the quality of inferences made will guide planning for extended lessons. Individually written reports will thoroughly address primary and secondary questions presented in this lesson.

Parfit, Michael, 1998.  National Geographic Society Magazine.  194:  2-39.

http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/QUAKES/Fact Sheets/NewMadrid/SeismicZone.gif

http://gandalf.ceri.memphis.edu/~rond/psn/

http://home.synapse.ru/cgi-bin/eq

http://www.athena.ivv.nasa.gov/curric/land/todayqk.html

http://www.lhs.berkeley.edu/S11/11-eqcountry.teacher.html