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QCN

Learning Center: Lessons & Activities

The Quake-Catcher Network is designed to be an educational tool for describing earthquakes and earthquake science in the classroom. For this purpose, we include a demonstration program called QCNLive for learning using lesson plans. QCNLive is a free program and can be downloaded from this webpage.

Lesson Plans

The QCN will provide activities to support the understanding of the seismometer and seismogram records.  The activities are written at a level that expects students to have prior instruction about the basic principles of earthquakes and seismic waves.

Classroom Activities

  1. What is a seismometer? – This is the basic introductory lesson.  Teachers will introduce the sensor, 3 component seismogram, and interpreting seismograms.
    1. For grades K-5 (PDF)
    2. For grades 6-12 (PDF)
  2. Compare magnitude and distance – Students will examine the relationship between the magnitude of a disturbance and the magnitude at sensed as different distances. Download PDF
  3. Triangulation equals location using multiplication – Students will learn how the epicenter of an earthquake is located using triangulation. Download PDF
  4. Future . . . Rocks and Blocks: What is still standing? – Students design experiments to test different earth materials and building materials to understand variations in Earth’s response to earthquakes and to engineering codes.  This will be developed once we have the
  5. Future . . . What does history tell us? – Students examine seismograms from earthquakes and use time and geographical distribution to predict areas of greatest risk.

These activities were designed to use QCNLive as the main teaching tool.  These activities could supplement classroom instruction that you are already doing.  There are several websites that have some great activities for instruction for all ages.

We welcome your feedback on these activities and other activities that you develop in the classroom.  Please contact Jennifer Saltzman.

 

Links

Seismology Education with many many activities for all from Professor Larry Braile at Purdue University

Earthquake Resources for Teachers from the US Geological Survey

Can we predict earthquakes? 6 minute audio interview with a USGS scientist.

Virtual Earthquake - An inquiry-based activity that helps students learn the fundamental concepts about earthquake waves including epicenter local and Richter magnitude.