Developed for the ShakeOut by the Southern California Earthquake Center (www.scec.org).
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EARTH SCIENCE ACTIVITY #4 Grades 4-8
Finding Plates by Plotting Quakes
This activity is one of several in a basic curriculum designed to increase student knowledge
about earthquake science and preparedness. The activities can be done at any time in the
weeks leading up to the ShakeOut drill. Each activity can be used in classrooms, museums, and
other educational settings. They are not sequence-bound, but when used together they provide
an overview of earthquake information for children and students of various ages. All activities
can be found at www.shakeout.org/schools/resources/.
Please review the content background (page 3) to gain a full understanding of the material
conducted in this activity.
OBJECTIVE:
For students to learn about plate tectonics by plotting earthquakes on a world map
MATERIALS/RESOURCES NEEDED:
Xpedition map for each student
List of Earthquakes for each student
Two different color pencils or crayons
PRIOR KNOWLEDGE:
In order to conduct this activity, students must know how to plot longitudinal and latitudinal
coordinates on a map.
ACTIVITY:
Set-Up (10 minutes)
Make enough copies of the Xpedition and List of Earthquakes handouts for each student. As an
alternative, the list of earthquakes can be placed onto a transparency to be used on a projector
or written on the board ahead of time. Give 2 colored pencils or crayons to students if they do
not already have them.
Procedure (40 minutes)
The italicized phrases are spoken suggestions for the instructor and those in parenthesis are
possible answers students might provide.
1. Begin a discussion by asking students if they have ever felt an earthquake.
Has anyone ever felt an earthquake? Please share your experience.
If none have ever felt an earthquake, ask “Do you know of anyone who has felt an
earthquake?”
2. Inform students about the activity they will conduct.
Earthquakes can happen almost anywhere in the world. We are going to plot where
