Global Explorers: Our Changing World · 6th Class

Active learning ideas

Earthquakes: Shaking the Ground

Active learning works powerfully for earthquakes because students must feel the ground shift to understand it. Movement-based activities like shake tables and wave relays build kinesthetic memory to anchor abstract concepts such as wave types and energy release. These experiences turn textbook definitions into lived understanding, making seismic principles memorable and transferable to real-world contexts.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Natural Environments
• NCCA: Primary - The Earth and the Universe

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Case Study Analysis
• 35 min · Small Groups

Shake Table Simulation: Building Stability

Fill trays with jelly or sand and place toothpick structures of varying heights. Students gently shake trays to mimic P-, S-, and surface waves, noting which buildings withstand shaking best. Groups sketch results and explain wave impacts.

Analyze how seismic waves propagate through the Earth's crust.

Facilitation Tip

Have students trace plate boundaries on their global risk maps using colored pencils to highlight high-risk zones.

What to look for

Provide students with a scenario describing an earthquake's effects (e.g., 'Buildings swayed violently, windows shattered, and people ran outside'). Ask them to assign a Mercalli intensity level (I-XII) and justify their choice. Also, ask them to identify the epicenter's likely location relative to the observation point.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Case Study Analysis
• 25 min · Whole Class

Slinky Wave Relay: Wave Types

Divide class into lines; assign roles for P-waves (quick pushes), S-waves (side wiggles), and surface waves (slow rolls). Each line demonstrates propagation speed and motion using slinkies. Class times waves and compares to real data.

Differentiate between the Richter scale and the Mercalli intensity scale.

What to look for

Show students diagrams illustrating P-waves, S-waves, and surface waves. Ask them to label each wave type and write one key characteristic for each (e.g., speed, direction of motion, medium it travels through).

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Case Study Analysis
• 30 min · Pairs

Scale Sorting Cards: Richter vs Mercalli

Prepare cards with magnitude readings or damage descriptions. Pairs sort cards into Richter or Mercalli piles, then justify choices using criteria sheets. Discuss as a class with real earthquake examples.

Predict the areas most vulnerable to earthquake activity globally.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Why is it important to have both the Richter scale and the Mercalli scale for understanding earthquakes?' Facilitate a class discussion where students compare what each scale measures and its practical application for scientists and the public.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Case Study Analysis
• 40 min · Small Groups

Global Risk Mapping: Plate Boundaries

Provide world maps and colored pencils. Small groups outline plate boundaries, shade high-risk zones, and label recent quakes. Present findings, predicting future hotspots based on patterns.

Analyze how seismic waves propagate through the Earth's crust.

What to look for

Provide students with a scenario describing an earthquake's effects (e.g., 'Buildings swayed violently, windows shattered, and people ran outside'). Ask them to assign a Mercalli intensity level (I-XII) and justify their choice. Also, ask them to identify the epicenter's likely location relative to the observation point.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should begin with the shake table to establish the physical reality of earthquakes before introducing wave types. Avoid starting with scale definitions, which are often confused; instead, let students experience intensity firsthand then classify it. Research shows that linking wave speeds to observable damage (e.g., swaying buildings vs. ground cracking) strengthens conceptual retention more than rote memorization.

Successful learning looks like students explaining why P-waves arrive first in their slinky relays and connecting that to Richter scale readings from the shake table. They should articulate how fault slips cause shaking and map plate boundaries to global earthquake risks with confidence. Misconceptions should surface visibly during group discussions, allowing targeted corrections.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Shake Table Simulation, watch for students attributing shaking to volcanic rumbling.

  Ask groups to push their plates together until one slips, then ask them to observe the sudden release of energy and relate it to tectonic stress rather than magma movement.

• During the Scale Sorting Cards activity, watch for students pairing Richter numbers with damage descriptions.

  Have students test identical quakes at different distances on the shake table, then match Richter values to wave size and Mercalli values to observed damage separately.

• During the Slinky Wave Relay, watch for students assuming all waves travel at the same speed.

  Time each wave type with a stopwatch and have students calculate speed using the slinky length to confirm P-waves outpace S-waves.

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Methods used in this brief

• Case Study Analysis