Geography · Year 6

Active learning ideas

Earthquakes: Causes and Consequences

Active learning helps Year 6 students grasp the physical mechanics of earthquakes by making abstract concepts like seismic waves and fault stresses concrete. Hands-on activities let students feel the difference between P-waves and S-waves or see how building design affects collapse during shaking.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS2: Geography - Physical Geography
• KS2: Geography - Volcanoes and Earthquakes

• 20–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 45 min · Small Groups

Shake Table Simulation: Building Tests

Provide trays of jelly as ground with small structures like pasta bridges or Lego buildings. Students shake tables at varying speeds to mimic seismic waves, observe failures, and redesign for stability. Groups record results on checklists and share improvements.

Explain how seismic waves cause damage during an earthquake.

Facilitation Tip

During Shake Table Simulation, remind students to vary one factor at a time, such as building material or height, to isolate its effect on stability.

What to look for

Provide students with a short scenario describing earthquake effects (e.g., 'Buildings swayed, some fell, people felt strong shaking'). Ask them to assign a Mercalli intensity level and briefly justify their choice. Then, ask them to write one sentence explaining the difference between this scale and the Richter scale.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Simulation Game
• 30 min · Pairs

Scale Comparison: Richter vs Mercalli

Pairs sort scenario cards by Richter magnitude and Mercalli intensity descriptions. They plot data on dual scales and debate matches, using maps of past quakes. Conclude with a class chart comparing the two.

Differentiate between the Richter scale and the Mercalli intensity scale.

Facilitation Tip

For Scale Comparison, provide actual newspaper reports from the same earthquake and ask students to sort them into Richter versus Mercalli categories.

What to look for

Display a simplified seismograph reading. Ask students to identify the P-waves and S-waves, explaining that S-waves cause more ground motion. Then, ask: 'Which type of wave is primarily responsible for the shaking damage during an earthquake?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Simulation Game
• 50 min · Small Groups

Preparedness Plan Design: Community Workshop

Small groups research a real earthquake-prone area like Japan or Italy. They design plans with evacuation routes, emergency kits, and retrofitting ideas, presenting posters. Vote on most practical elements.

Design a community preparedness plan for an earthquake-prone region.

Facilitation Tip

When students design their Preparedness Plans, circulate with a checklist to ensure each group addresses cause, consequence, and local resources.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine your town is in an earthquake-prone area. What are the three most important things your community should do to prepare for a major earthquake?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to justify their choices based on earthquake causes and consequences.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Simulation Game
• 20 min · Whole Class

Seismic Wave Relay: Wave Types Demo

Whole class lines up to pass waves along string or slinky: P-waves, S-waves, surface waves. Time arrivals and note damage potential. Link to building shake observations.

Explain how seismic waves cause damage during an earthquake.

Facilitation Tip

In Seismic Wave Relay, have students act out P-waves as push-pull motions and S-waves as side-to-side motions to reinforce wave behavior before the relay begins.

What to look for

Provide students with a short scenario describing earthquake effects (e.g., 'Buildings swayed, some fell, people felt strong shaking'). Ask them to assign a Mercalli intensity level and briefly justify their choice. Then, ask them to write one sentence explaining the difference between this scale and the Richter scale.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should start with students’ prior knowledge of forces and movement before introducing tectonic plates. Use analogies like a bent stick snapping to explain strain release, but quickly transition to hands-on evidence. Avoid spending too much time on historical earthquake stories; focus on measurable outcomes like magnitude and intensity. Research shows students learn best when they connect scale numbers to real-world damage they can observe themselves.

Students will explain plate movement as the cause of earthquakes, differentiate between Richter and Mercalli scales, and design a practical preparedness plan. They will also observe how wave types and building materials influence damage.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Shake Table Simulation, watch for students to assume earthquake damage happens only where volcanoes are located.

  After plotting their simulated earthquake data on a world map, ask students to note where most events occur relative to volcano locations, reinforcing that plate boundaries, not volcanoes, cause most quakes.

• During Scale Comparison, watch for students to believe the Richter scale directly measures damage.

  Use the Richter vs Mercalli sorting cards to show how the same magnitude quake can produce different intensities depending on depth and location, making it clear that Richter measures energy, not destruction.

• During Seismic Wave Relay, watch for students to think all earthquakes cause tsunamis.

  During the relay, ask students to model underwater displacement by quickly moving a tray of water up and down, linking the action to subduction zone quakes that create tsunamis.

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Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game