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LESSON PLAN 5
Tsunamis
Earthquakes
3–5
Earthquake Safety
Earthquakes can cause tsunamis, and if children live near the water,
they should be prepared to go inland and uphill to high ground.
Key Terms and Concepts
coast
earthquake
high ground
inland
Ring of Fire
sea level
seiche (SAYSH)
tsunami (harbor
wave)
Purposes
To give the students and their families an understanding of when
and where a tsunami might occur
To help the students and their families know what to do if a
tsunami is expected
Objectives
The students will—
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• Define and describe waves.
• Experiment with, demonstrate and discuss characteristics of
waves.
• Use information from the Background in this module or online
resources or both to classify and gather information on tsunami
science.
• Read The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck to learn about the culture in
areas where tsunamis occur and write character studies based on
the book. (Linking Across the Curriculum)
• Research to find and share information about past tsunamis.
(Linking Across the Curriculum)
• Compare a Japanese woodcut of a tsunami, “The Great Wave,” to
an actual tsunami. (Linking Across the Curriculum)
• Use a map or globe to identify the Ring of Fire and point out
areas in the United States and its territories that are at risk for a
tsunami.
• Determine whether or not they live in a tsunami-risk zone.
• Read and discuss articles about safe escapes from tsunamis to
determine what is necessary for public education.
• Use Is It Tsunami Safety? to identify and determine safe and
unsafe actions during a tsunami and why.
• Help families discuss safe actions in case of a tsunami
WARNING, reading Is It Tsunami Safety? as a guide. (Home
Connection)
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• Explain the adage “Better safe than sorry” and identify situations that
could prove the adage true. (Linking Across the Curriculum)
• Use the Internet to research tsunami devastation. (Linking Across the
Curriculum)
Activities
Earthquakes
3–5
“What Is a Tsunami?”
“Go to High Ground”
LESSON PLAN 5
Tsunamis
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“What Is a Tsunami?”
SET UP 15 minutes CONDUCT 60 minutes, plus research and
presentation
Science: Earth Science; Language Arts: Reading and Research
Earthquakes
3–5
TEACHING NOTE Elect to accomplish this activity either with all the students
working in small groups to complete each of these experiments, or with each experiment performed by one or more demonstration groups.
LESSON PLAN 5
Tsunamis
1. Talk with the students about waves: Where have you seen waves? What
do waves do? How do you know they are powerful? What do you
believe causes waves?
Materials
• Making Waves, 1 copy per
group
For each group of students or each
demonstration group:
Ocean Wave Simulation
• 2-liter clear plastic bottle
2. Distribute Making Waves to small groups of students (or to selected
demonstration groups). After the students work through the experiments, they should be ready to present their observations.
Answers to Making Waves
Ocean Wave Simulation
What do you observe about the changing size of waves?
The wave grows larger as it flows from one end of the bottle to the other.
• Measuring cup
• 5 ounces (150 ml) water
• 5 ounces (150 ml) vegetable oil
• 3–4 drops blue food coloring
Wave Formation
• Bucket, two-thirds full of water
• Pebble
• Baseball bat or stick
• The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck
(HarperCollins 1947, 1976) (Linking Across the Curriculum)
The Seiche
• 9” x 13” (23 cm x 33 cm) cake
pan or plastic container, half-full
with water
• Tsunami
Science
(in
the
Background to this module), 1
copy per group
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Wave Formation
What happens as the waves spread from the point where the pebble is
dropped? Why?
As the waves flow away from the pebble [the epicenter of the disturbance],
they decrease in height and the ripples [troughs] are spaced further apart.
As the energy spreads over a larger area and a longer time, it dissipates.
Are the ripples smaller or larger on the side where you struck the bucket?
Why?
Once again, the waves decrease as they move away from the initial cause of
the disturbance in the water and the energy dissipates.
Challenge: In an actual pool, the waves increase in size as they approach
the shore because the energy is confined to a smaller (shallower) area.
The Seiche
When the student walks, waves begin to slosh back and forth in the pan.
The waves continue even when the student stops and stands still. The
waves go to every side of the pan, and it is impossible to control or stop
them. The energy first generated by the initial movement continues as the
waves hit the sides of the pan and push back and forth.
Challenge: A seiche is not a tsunami. It is similar because it is generated
by a localized disturbance, but different because it occurs in an enclosed
water area—pools, lakes or ponds—rather than moving across the open
ocean.
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3. After “making waves” with the class, have the students describe what
they learned.
Listen for student understanding that—
• An ocean wave is formed and grows larger.
• From small beginnings, a wave can grow very big.
• Waves move quickly and cannot be stopped.
Now, write the word “tsunami” on the chalkboard and ask the students
to describe what they know about the science of tsunamis. Write all
ideas on the chalkboard. Some points to include in the discussion:
Earthquakes
3–5
4.
LESSON PLAN 5
Tsunamis
In Japanese, tsunami means “harbor wave,” even though the
waves travel across oceans. Other common terms are “seismic
sea wave” (an accurate description) and “tidal waves” (incorrect, because tsunamis have nothing to do with the tides). A
tsunami is a series of gigantic waves over large bodies of water.
Tsunamis are most often caused by earthquakes, but they could be
caused by a landslide, an erupting volcano or even a large meteor,
similar to the pebble in the bucket demonstration. Tsunamis can leave
death and destruction in their paths; the death toll of the Indian Ocean
tsunami in 2004 was more than 225,000.
5. As a class, classify the answers they contributed to the chalkboard list.
(Possible categories include—historic tsunamis, causes of tsunamis, how
tsunamis travel and where they occur.) What further information do
students need to find or verify in each category?
Wrap-Up
Divide the class into small groups and assign one of the designated tsunami categories to each. Distribute Tsunami Science
from the Background in this module to the groups.
Have the groups read the information that applies to their category and be ready to share.
TEACHING NOTE Older students may have many questions that are not included
in the information in the Background. Consider directing them to the following
sources to research and share their answers.
• The U.S. Geological Survey’s tsunami site with many resources and
explanations of the science of tsunamis, and animations of real or
hypothetical tsunamis at http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/tsunami/index.html
• Two-page Tsunami Fact Sheet from the U.S. Geological Survey at
http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/infobank/programs/html/factsheets/pdfs/
2006_3023.pdf
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Have student groups present their information on tsunamis. Do the groups’
wave experiments apply to tsunamis? Why and why not? (The general
information gleaned about waves applies: waves grow larger as they travel,
and waves are powerful and move quickly. However, only the experiment
that used the pebble or a stick to start a wave illustrates how displacement
of water causes a tsunami.)
Linking Across the Curriculum
Earthquakes
3–5
LESSON PLAN 5
Tsunamis
Language Arts: Reading and Writing
Either read to the class, or assign the students to read, The Big
Wave by Pearl S. Buck. This short book about a tsunami that destroys a
village in Japan provides an excellent view of culture and coping with a
natural disaster. Have the students write character studies for the people in
the story. Challenge some students to treat the volcano and the tsunami as
important characters, as well.
TEACHING NOTE Points to include in a character study:
•
•
•
Introduction to the main points about the character—name, physical attributes, family, etc.
Ways the character developed or changed throughout the story
Personal viewpoint of the character, supported by examples of actions or
quotes
Science: Earth Science; Social Studies: History
•
•
•
•
Have small groups research past tsunamis to better understand
these natural phenomena. Tsunamis to consider: Chile, 1960;
Alaska, 1964; New Guinea, 1998; and Indonesia, 2004.
Questions to answer:
Where and how did the tsunami originate?
How did the wave travel?
Was there warning?
What was the damage?
Science: Earth Science; Fine Arts: Visual Arts
The Japanese woodcut “The Great Wave” by Katsushika
Hokusai (1760–1849), showing a tsunami with Mount Fuji in
the background, is often used to illustrate tsunamis. The artwork,
produced in 1831, is in the public domain and can be accessed
at many Web sites, including http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/hokusai/
great-wave.jpg.
Although the woodcut portrays the power of the wave, a real tsunami is
very different. Have the students discuss what’s wrong with the picture.
(Tsunamis do not break like the wave in the picture. They come on shore
more like a rapidly rising, very high tide. Tsunamis are huge, but would
not dwarf a mountain. Boats at sea would not experience the tsunami in
this way. A tsunami at sea may appear only as a light swell.)
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Is this picture effective? Why or why not? (Answers will vary.)
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“Go to High Ground”
SET UP 5 minutes CONDUCT 60 minutes, plus research time
Science: Health; Social Studies: Geography; Language Arts: Reading
and Discussion
Earthquakes
3–5
TEACHING NOTE Tsunamis can occur in the United States and its territories in the
following coastal areas: California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, and the
Pacific Basin territories of Guam, Northern Marianas and American Samoa. Even if
your students do not live in tsunami-prone areas, they may visit them.
LESSON PLAN 5
Tsunamis
Although tsunamis can occur in the Atlantic Ocean, they are very rare because there
is far less geologic activity. The Indian Ocean had not had a tsunami since the 1800s,
until the devastating 2004 tsunami hit Indonesia and surrounding areas. With this
occurrence, however, people are beginning to work toward a global warning system
for tsunamis, not just a Pacific Basin system.
Materials
• World map or globe
• Internet access or copies of
news printouts
1. Write the list on the chalkboard of U.S. states and territories that could
be threatened by a tsunami. When the students have found each on a
large world map or globe, draw a circle that encompasses the Ring of
Fire. (An excellent map from the U.S. Geological Survey can be found
at http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/fire.html.)
• Is It Tsunami Safety? 1 copy
per student
2. Next, have the students explain whether or not they live within the Ring
of Fire. If so, you are in a tsunami-risk zone.
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Image courtesy of the U.S.Geological Survey.
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Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
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3. Tsunamis can be devastating, but you can stay safe. Divide the class
into two groups. Have one group read and discuss “10-Year-Old
Honored For Saving Lives In Tsunami” from KPIX TV at
http://cbs5.com/topstories/local_story_307175210.html. Have the other
read and discuss “Knowledge can save many lives—Disaster lessons”
from Medical News Today at www.medicalnewstoday.com/
printerfriendlynews.php?newsid=32174.
Earthquakes
3–5
LESSON PLAN 5
Tsunamis
4. Come together as a whole group to discuss the articles.
• What do the two stories have in common? (In both instances,
lives were saved because of acquired knowledge. Both the young
British girl, Tilly Smith, and the Simuelue villagers read the
“clues” about what was coming and knew to run immediately to
high ground.)
• How were the stories different? (Tilly Smith had learned about
the warning signs and safety steps for a tsunami in a formal
geography class. The Simuelue villagers had the story, and how
to stay safe, passed down to them by survivors of the 1907 earthquake-induced tsunami.)
• Why did so many others die all around the Indian Ocean? (There
was no official warning system. When warning calls were made,
many were ignored or people did not know what to do or where
to go to stay safe. Many people did not know that a large earthquake could be followed by a tsunami.)
• What can be learned from these stories? (There needs to be a
better system for detecting and warning people about possible
tsunamis. People need to be better educated about warning
signals and what to do in case of a tsunami. People should not
worry about “false alarms,” but be willing to go to high ground
immediately if they live in a tsunami-risk zone AND if there’s
been a large local earthquake or an official warning of a distantsource tsunami.)
5. Distribute Is It Tsunami Safety? Ask the students to circle the safe
actions to take in case of a tsunami WARNING and put an X over the
unsafe actions.
Wrap-Up
As a class, review the pictures and captions to discuss the safe
actions to take if you live or visit where a tsunami is possible.
Have the students explain their reasons for identifying both safe
and unsafe actions.
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Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
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Answers to Is It Tsunami Safety?
1. Safe. If you live in an area where tsunamis are possible, an earthquake
longer than 20 seconds could trigger a locally generated tsunami. This
type of tsunami could arrive minutes after a strong earthquake has been
felt and you must evacuate for high ground immediately after you have
Dropped, Covered and Held On during the earthquake.
Earthquakes
3–5
LESSON PLAN 5
Tsunamis
2. Safe. The first indication of an approaching tsunami could be water
suddenly receding from the shore. You must go to high ground—at least
100 feet above sea level—immediately.
3. Safe. The first indication of an approaching tsunami could be an unusual
rise in the water along the shore. You must head inland and up to high
ground immediately.
4. Safe. Stay at your safe evacuation spot until you hear the All-Clear
Signal. Tsunamis are a series of waves that could last over a period of
several hours—the first wave is not usually the largest.
5. Unsafe. If the water recedes unexpectedly, a tsunami that has been
generated by a distant source could be following immediately. The
coming wave is incorporating, or swallowing, the receding water.
6. Unsafe. Tsunamis move quickly. You may have as little as 15 minutes to
reach your place of safety. Often, there are so many cars trying to cross
bridges that it’s imperative to be able to evacuate on foot to a location
about 100 feet above sea level within 15 minutes.
TEACHING NOTE If your school is in a tsunami-risk area, conduct a drill of Drop,
Cover and Hold On, followed by a tsunami evacuation. Follow the school’s planned
route or other predesignated evacuation route. Remind students that in case of a
real tsunami they might be waiting several hours in their safe place.
Home Connection
Send Is It Tsunami Safety? home with the students. Ask them to
review the answers and the reasoning with their parents. Have
them identify the signs that tell them where and how to evacuate in case of
a tsunami WARNING and practice walking to high ground.
Linking Across the Curriculum
Language Arts: Writing; Science: Health; Fine Arts: Visual
Arts
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Tsunami WATCHES and WARNINGS are not perfect. Often, one beach
experiences a tsunami, while another nearby does not. A locally generated
tsunami could occur after a 20-second earthquake, or 5 minutes of quaking.
Have the students explain how the adage “Better safe than sorry” applies to
tsunamis. As a class, create a list of occasions when the adage could prove
true.
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Earthquakes
3–5
LESSON PLAN 5
Tsunamis
For example:
• Not studying for a spelling test because it might snow tomorrow.
• Not taking your raincoat or an umbrella because the weather forecast
is not always right.
• Not getting your flu shot this year because you didn’t catch the flu last
year.
• Not looking carefully when you cross the alley because cars don’t
usually come that way.
• Not testing your smoke alarm because you just put in a new battery a
couple of months ago.
Have the students illustrate warning signs based on statements from the
class list and entitled “Better Safe Than Sorry.”
Science: Earth Science; Language Arts: Discussion
The devastation from the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean was
incredible. Use the global positioning maps at the Web site
below to illustrate just how powerful a tsunami can be. Have the
students discuss what the “before” and “after” pictures reveal
about the immediate losses and the future of these areas, from the
College of Earth and Mineral Science at http://homepage.mac.com/
demark/tsunami/.
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Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
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Making Waves
Page 1 of 2
Name ________________________________________________________________________
Directions: Waves have specific characteristics, whether on the ocean or in a bottle.
Select and complete one of the experiments below to illustrate how waves work.
Ocean Wave Simulation
Materials:
• 2-liter clear plastic bottle
• Measuring cup
• 5 oz. (150 ml) water
• 5 oz. (150 ml) vegetable oil
• 3–4 drops blue food coloring
Procedure:
Measure about 5 ounces (150 milliliters) of water and pour it into the plastic bottle.
Measure about 5 ounces (150 milliliters) of oil. Place several drops of food coloring into
the oil and pour the mixture into the plastic bottle. The oil will float on top of the water.
Shift the bottle left to right, simulating an ocean wave.
What do you observe about the changing size of waves?
Wave Formation
Materials:
• Bucket, two-thirds full of water
• Pebble
• Baseball bat or stick
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MAKING WAVES
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Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
Making Waves
Page 2 of 2
Procedure:
Fill the bucket about three-quarters full of water. Set the bucket on a flat surface and
wait while the water becomes still. Drop a pebble in the middle of the water. Watch the
waves form. Describe what happens to the waves farther from the where the pebble was
dropped. Why?
Now, let the water become still once more. Then, strike the bottom side of the bucket to
see how the ripples form. Are the ripples smaller or larger on the side where you struck
the bucket?
Challenge:
If you could conduct this experiment in a pool of water where the depth becomes gradually shallower near the shore, what would happen to the waves as they approached the
land?
The Seiche
Materials:
9″ x 13″ (23 cm x 33 cm) cake pan or plastic container, half-filled with water
Procedure:
Fill the 9″ x 13″ cake pan or plastic container three-quarters full of water. Walk a few
steps. What happens?
Now, stand still. What happens? Why do the waves form? What are their characteristics?
Challenge:
Do you think a seiche is the same as a tsunami? Why or why not?
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MAKING WAVES
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Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
Is It Tsunami Safety?
Page 1 of 2
Name ________________________________________________________________________
Directions: If you are in a tsunami-risk zone, you need to know the safe actions
to take in case there is a tsunami. What should you do? Circle each safe action.
Place an X across each unsafe action or statement.
1. “If you feel an earthquake that
lasts for 20 seconds or more,
go uphill and inland as soon as
the shaking stops.”
2. “If the sea level suddenly drops, go to high
ground.”
3. “If the sea suddenly rises, go to
high ground.”
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at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
IS IT TSUNAMI SAFETY?
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Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross
Is It Tsunami Safety?
Page 2 of 2
4. “Stay in your safe place until
the All-Clear announcement or
more than an hour after the
last wave.”
5. “Walking on the beach when the water is
so far away is really safe.”
6. “There’s plenty of time to get to high
ground when the tsunami WARNING
sounds.”
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at www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
IS IT TSUNAMI SAFETY?
Masters of Disaster® Earthquakes, Earthquake Safety, Lesson Plan 5/Tsunamis
Copyright 2007 The American National Red Cross