The following lessons can be utilized in conjunction with the overview and strategies provided in this unit.
Lesson One - Plate Movement
In this lesson students will be given several materials and be asked to model the types of movement at each of the plate boundaries described during class lecture and discussion. Some materials that can be used include sponges, cardboard, modeling clay, and phonebooks. Students will work in pairs to demonstrate as many of the plate movements as they can with the materials provided. They will need to use the appropriate terms as introduced in the class lecture. Some of these terms may include convergent plate boundaries, divergent plate boundaries, subduction zones, transform plate boundaries, strike and dip faults, dip-slip faults, and strike-slip faults.
Lesson Two - Wave Properties
This activity is designed to help students learn the components of a wave as well as discussing the effects of wave height, wavelength, and wave period on the size of the wave. To begin students will collectively help to design a word wall in which they define some important terms that relate to waves and wave properties. Each student will be given one or two words to define. They will do so by taking an 8 ½ " by 11 " sheet of paper and folding it in half (either way is fine). On the front of the flap they have created they will write the vocabulary word that was assigned to them. On the inside of the flap, they will write the definition of the word. After students have written all the words and definitions they will be asked to go around the room and read their definitions. All words will then be placed on a word wall that can be accessed by students at anytime during the unit. The following list is a recommended vocabulary list for the word wall for this unit.
Vocabulary: amplitude, constructive interference, crest, destructive interference, harmonics, longitudinal wave, natural frequency, period, resonance, standing wave, transverse wave, trough, wave height, wavelength.
Following the word wall activity the teacher will draw a wave on the board. Students will be asked to identify the crest, trough, wave height, and wavelength of each wave. The concept of wave period will also be introduced at this point (the amount of time it takes for two adjacent crests to pass the same point is one cycle).
In pairs, the students will be able to investigate the properties of waves on the internet using a wave simulator. An excellent wave simulator can be found on the National Geographic Xpeditions website www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/06/g912/waveproperties.html.
On this site students can adjust the wave height, wavelength, and wave period to determine the individual and combined effects they have on a boat that is at rest in an area without current. Students will be asked to record their observations and share them with the class.
Lesson Three - Final Project: Tsunami Case Study
To end the unit, students will perform individual case studies similar to those they performed in small groups. They will be free to choose any tsunami that has occurred over the past 400 years. They will be encouraged to answer the same six questions from their first case studies and to provide additional information as they see necessary. Rather than presenting their research to the class in the form of an oral presentation, students will construct a 'mini-newspaper' in which they present their material. This will require some creativity! Also, this assignment lends to some interdisciplinary study, for students will be required to write not only about the tsunami but will be asked to report on other occurrences from that time such as earthquakes and the historical or social impact of the tsunami.
