Why Teach About Earthquakes?

August 29th, 2011 by Sarah

Did you feel the earthquake on August 23rd? Take a look at the USGS's Community Internet Intensity Map! Image courtesy of the USGS.

As we were recently reminded, even places in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed can experience earthquakes.  On Tuesday, August 23rd at 1:51 PM, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake originated 3.7 miles below the earth’s surface 5 miles southwest of Mineral, Virginia. The geological survey has reported several aftershocks.  The previously mentioned August 23rd earthquake occurred as reverse faulting on a north or northeast-striking plane within a previously recognized seismic zone, the “Central Virginia Seismic Zone.” The Central Virginia Seismic Zone has produced small and moderate earthquakes since at least the 18th century.

Why Should YOU Teach About Earthquakes?

When you talk about geology, natural disasters, or earth science in your classroom, you can feature earthquakes in your conversation.  Comparing earthquakes on the East and West Coasts can also help you teach about plate tectonics, seismic waves, why some places experience more earthquakes then others, and about factors that can impact the strength and distance over which an earthquake can be felt.

Earthquakes in the central and eastern United States occur less frequent than they do in the west; however they are typically felt over a much broader region. California, which we frequently associate with earthquakes in the Unites States, sits on the San Andreas Fault at the edges of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates.  Virginia and the East Coast are located near the center of the North American plate and, thus, experience a much lower rate of seismicity than California. Additionally, the earth’s crust on the East Coast is older, colder, and harder.  This allows seismic waves to be carried farther and faster then they are along the West Coast shell, which is also broken up by more active faults. East of the Rockies, an earthquake can be felt over an area as much as ten times larger than a similar magnitude earthquake on the west coast.

How Can YOU Teach About Earthquakes?

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides up-to-date information on recent earthquakes in the United States and around the world on their earthquakes website.  You can also download the USGS Poster of the Virginia Earthquake of 23 August 2011 – Magnitude 5.8 to help teach students about this summer’s incident.  Additional information on the 5.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred on August 23rd can be found HERE.  There are also many lesson plans, activities, and online resources that can help you teach about earthquakes.  Here are some resources to help you teach about earthquakes in your classroom:

  • Virginia Has Its Faults, Too: A Lesson on Earthquakes in Virginia – In this lesson plan from the Virginia Geographic Alliance, students will learn to define an “earthquake,” describe the effects of an earthquake, read and analyze a map citing earthquake activity in the state of Virginia, and will create a project that reflects understanding of the terms associated with the study of earthquakes
  • Earthquakes for Kids – USGS has developed this interactive website to help children learn abut earthquakes.  This website includes the following features: latest quakes, today in earthquake history, become an earthquake scientist, ask a geologist, learning links and earthquake activities, science fair project ideas, cool earthquake facts, the science of earthquakes, puzzles & games, animations, earthquake pictures, and earthquake ABC’s.
  • Earthquakes and Volcanoes Lesson Plan - As students learn to read maps, it is important that they learn how to compare maps that show different types of information. This lesson from National Geographic asks students to compare maps of plate tectonics with population density maps and to analyze what these maps imply about the relationship between population and seismic hazards.
  • The Power of Fire Activity – In this National Geographic activity, your students will become natural-hazard mappers! They will learn about plate tectonics as they figure out where people face danger from earthquakes and volcanoes, and create a map showing where these natural hazards may occur.
  • Constructing Earthquake-Proof Buildings Lesson PlanConstructing-Earthquake-Proof-Buildings – In this lesson, students will explore different materials, shapes, and design options that affect the durability of a building and will understand how to use models to perform controlled scientific experiments.
  • The Three Little Pigs in Earthquake Land Lesson Plan – This lesson from National Geographic teaches students some of the basics of earthquakes and volcanoes. It also asks them to think about how people living in cities and suburbs must plan ahead by constructing sturdy buildings and preparing their homes and themselves for the possibility of a natural disaster. Students will therefore be introduced to some basic concepts of physical geography, as well as some of the ways in which the physical environment affects people’s lives.

Additional Resources:

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Sarah Brzezinski works for the Chesapeake Research Consortium as the Chesapeake Bay Program's Fostering Stewardship and Education Workgroup Team Staffer. She also serves as the content manager of Bay Backpack.

Teacher to Ranger to Teacher

August 22nd, 2011 by Ruth Goodlaxson

Ruth Goodlaxson was participated in the National Park Service's Teacher to Ranger to Teacher program at the Chesapeake Bay Office this summer.

My term as Teacher-Ranger-Teacher was not what I expected.  Normally I teach special education at The Crossroads School, a public charter in Baltimore. This program was introduced to me as an opportunity to become a park ranger for the summer, bringing my new connections to the Park Service back to school with me.  I envisioned taming trails in the woods, fixing fences, digging post holes, and getting my hands dirty. I thought I would go back to school buff and tan. As it turns out, my conception of park ranger was a little limited. The experience I got, though not what I expected, has been a lot of fun, and very educational.

I was brought on to help with the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail. Because the bicentennial of the War of 1812 is fast approaching, the National Parks Service is working hard to create educational signage for Maryland’s historic sites, among other things. I’ve learned more about the War of 1812 than I knew there was to learn. And it’s interesting stuff! I’ve also gotten to see some parts of Maryland I never would have seen, despite being a native. My primary projects were to help build a database of War of 1812 lesson plans and resources for MPT’s Thinkport website, and to create a presentation for teachers to educate them about the history and multitude of local resources.

Recently, I got to spend the day out on the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail with Abbi Wicklein-Bayne, the project coordinator. We visited sites that would potentially qualify for one of 150 signs being placed around the area. We visited Port Deposit, Maryland, a beautiful little town nestled somewhat precariously between the Susquehanna River and a mountain.  The town was the site of a gun battery, though the British chose to land on the opposite riverbank. We got a tour of Elk’s Landing in Elkton, Maryland, an historic manor house that still houses 19th century artifacts – even a letter signed by Thomas Jefferson was found shoved into a book in the attic, though it later was sold. We learned that Elkton was saved by a 20 year old in slavery, who, when order by British officers to take them to the town, led them instead to the American militia. It has been such a pleasure meeting people who are so knowledgeable, passionate, and enthusiastic about their local history, and who are doing the service of collecting these stories.

I most look forward to the maintained connection with the Parks Service when school begins again. Already, I know that students from my school will be able to participate in Young Defender’s Day at Fort McHenry. There is a plan for service learning opportunities in the works as well; my students will be able to complete service learning hours in one of the National Parks. This is such an important connection for them, especially the students in my classes. When school is frustrating, it becomes even more important to give students a chance to be outside, working and learning in a hands-on, interactive way. Hopefully, they’ll remember the history part too!

For additional information on the National Park Service’s Teacher to Ranger to Teacher Program, please visit http://www.nps.gov/learn/trt/

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Ruth Goodlaxson is a special education teacher at The Crossroads School in Baltimore, Maryland and was selected to participate in the National Park Service's 2011 Teacher to Ranger to Teacher program at the Chesapeake Bay Office.

School Spotlight: St. Mary’s River Project

August 15th, 2011 by Jon Barkley

St. Mary's River Project Education Program

SMRP, which stands for St. Mary’s River Project, has been educating students about the environment, the Chesapeake Bay, and its watershed for the past ten years.  SMRP began as an initiative by Robert Paul and Chris Tanner, two St. Mary’s College of Maryland professors who wanted to investigate matters related to the water quality and ecological health of the St. Mary’s River and Chesapeake Bay.  SMRP Education was developed as a stewardship component of this effort.

Through SMRP Education, teams of St. Mary’s College students go into local 5th grade classrooms to teach for one hour a week over a 10-week period about the importance of watersheds and the Bay.  We cover environmental science topics that are likely to pop up on MSA testing, however, more importantly; it is our goal to make learning fun and foster a passion of caring about the environment.

Our lesson plans cover a variety of topics including food chains/webs, wetlands, submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), fish anatomy, organisms of the Bay, native and exotic species, and pollution.  We ask students to think of their own solutions to problems facing the Bay.  As instructors, we are always amazed by the lucid responses by the students as well as their perspective on situations and ethical dilemmas facing the Bay.  However, it is also clear that some students lack a lot of this knowledge, and have trouble verbalizing something seemingly simple, such as pollution.  Thus, we work hard to think of creative lesson plans and do anything from rapping, dancing, or drawing to make concepts easier to understand.  Even though ostensibly the purpose of SMRP is to educate the students, we learn a lot from them and have lots of fun along the way.

One of the highlights of the club is when we invite the students to come to our college to participate in Outreach day.  At Outreach day, students get an opportunity to seine for fish, learn about oysters, tour our wet lab, and walk across a real marsh while learning about its plants.  Beginning in the fall, we will start a new semester and work with a new group of 5th graders.  Last year we were fortunate enough to work with approximately 200 students and hope to maintain the same interest in 2011-2012. We look forward to developing some new lesson plans and keeping our program strong so we can continue to educate the students who represent the future health of the Bay and the general environment.

Check out the links below to our club website and the St. Mary’s watershed association:

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Jon Barkley is the President of the St. Mary’s River Project Education Club and a student at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Long May It Wave: a National Curriculum on the War of 1812 and Fort McHenry

August 8th, 2011 by Sarah

The star spangled banner flies over cannons at Fort McHenry.

Frequently, when we think about the Chesapeake Bay we imagine beautiful beaches, wild wetlands, and amazing animals.  But the Chesapeake Bay watershed isn’t just home to osprey and diamondback terrapins. It has also been a stage for some critical moments in American history.

Recently, the Friends of Fort McHenry and the National Park Service joined forces to develop a national curriculum on the War of 1812 and Fort McHenry for grades 4 through 8.  This new curriculum will help teachers in Maryland, and across the Unite States, bring history to life inside their classrooms as they celebrate the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 and focus on history within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Not only does this new curriculum resource features 16 lesson plans that are aligned with the Maryland State Curriculum for Social Studies and the Common Core State Standards Initiative,  it is available to be downloaded for free!  The Long May It Wave Curriculum places an emphasis on developing your student’s historical thinking skills and will draw students in with interesting lesson topics, such as “Pirate or Patriot” and “Political Cartoons from the War of 1812.”  Each of the lesson plans includes student worksheets, primary source documents and images, and suggestions for accommodations, extensions, and some feature suggestions for assessments.  The Curriculum is also structured so that teachers can easily select lesson plans that are designed for elementary or secondary audiences, lessons that are adaptable for grades 4-8, interdisciplinary lessons, and supplementary resources.

In addition to the Long May it Wave Curriculum, the National Park Service also provides War of 1812 and Fort McHenry lesson plans, a teachers guide, and information for planning a trip to Fort McHenry out of the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historical Shrine “For Teachers” website.

Long May It Wave: national curriculum on the War of 1812 and Fort McHenry

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historical Shrine “For Teachers” website

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Sarah Brzezinski works for the Chesapeake Research Consortium as the Chesapeake Bay Program's Fostering Stewardship and Education Workgroup Team Staffer. She also serves as the content manager of Bay Backpack.

Update on Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Funding

August 1st, 2011 by Sarah

The Bay-Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program was created to promote locally relevant, experiential, environmental learning and the implementation of Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences in the K-12 environment.  This competitive grant program has also been used to support teacher trainings that foster stewardship of Bay resources. Since 2002, NOAA has supported this program with an investment of over $50 million, allowing for the completion of more than 600 B-WET projects in California, the Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf of Mexico, Hawai’i, New England, and the Pacific Northwest.

The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office (NCBO) has administered the Chesapeake B-WET program since 2002.  However, due to cuts in the federal budget, NCBO did not receive an allocation to fund new B-WET applications. The final FY 11 budget for NOAA will enable the Chesapeake B-WET program to continue to fund the programs that were awarded funds in FY09 and FY10 and are continuing into their second or third year, but will not allow new programs to be funded this year.

NCBO will “hold over” high-scoring FY11 B-WET applications for FY12, so applicants do not have to reapply for funding, but is not able to guarantee project funding. All high-scoring applicants have been notified of this decision. At this time, the NCBO does not anticipate holding a competition for new applications in FY12.

Please refer to the NCBO Update on FY11 B-WET Funding for additional information, and please check the Chesapeake B-WET webpage for additional FY12 funding information as it becomes available.

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Sarah Brzezinski works for the Chesapeake Research Consortium as the Chesapeake Bay Program's Fostering Stewardship and Education Workgroup Team Staffer. She also serves as the content manager of Bay Backpack.