"Shake, Rattle and Quake"

Student Page

The Mission

Oh No! An earthquake has happened in your region. But wait, this is the perfect opportunity for you to use your great talent as a journalist. You will research earthquakes, prepare a newsletter, and present a newscast to provide information to your community about earthquakes.  Group members will assume various roles including:  journalists, news anchors, investigative reporters, Red Cross volunteers, earthquake victims and Geologists and Seismologists.  Your teams will provide background, survival, preparation, and recovery information.   All information will be compiled in a presentation and a newsletter that will be presented to the community. 

The Process

While completing the Earthquake Project, you will be assigned to a group where you will assume various roles with specific responsibilities that you have to fulfill.

Step I - As information is gathered, all students in your group will assume one of the following roles:

Online Investigative Reporters – Your job will be to investigate disasters using the online resources listed below. You will gather information from the Internet and disseminate it to the members of your group. Be sure to refer to the questions that your class was assigned. These questions are listed below in Step II.

Print Material Reporters - Your job will be to investigate disasters using books, magazines and newsletters. You will gather information from the printed materials and disseminate it to the members of your group.  Be sure to refer to the questions that your class was assigned. These questions are listed below in Step II.

Step II - All students in the group will be journalists. You will be expected to answer the questions listed under your teacher’s name below. Your answers may be presented in different formats that include charts, graphs, models, stories and illustrations. Your group will be expected to compile all of this information in one or two pages of a newsletter. Models may be photographed.

·        Mr. Wozniak’s students will answer the following questions:

o       What is an earthquake?

o       What causes an earthquake?

o       When does an earthquake become a natural disaster?

·        Ms. Emeka’s students will answer the following questions:

o       In which regions of the United States do earthquakes occur?

o       How can data from earthquakes help us when dealing with future natural     disasters?

·        Ms. Cheefus’s students will answer the following questions:

o       How do you prepare for an earthquake?

o       How would you protect yourself during an earthquake?

·        Ms. Stamper’s students will answer the following questions:

o       How can you assist earthquake victims?

o       What resources are available to assist communities after an earthquake?

Step III – One member from each will serve on the fifth grade newspaper staff. Their job will be to create a cover page for the “Scammon Shake, Rattle and Quake News”. The newspaper staff will design the format and layout of the newsletter that will contain the pages of each class.

Step IV – Your presentation to the community will be in the format of a public service infomercial. One member of each class will assume the role of a news reporter presenting the class findings.

Select students from Mr. Wozniak’s class will take the audience back in time and present a “You Are There” account of the events following the San Francisco Earthquake of 1908.

Copies of the “Scammon Shake, Rattle and Quake News” will be distributed at the community presentation.

Resources 

• Newsletter One

• Newsletter Two

• Newsletter Three

• Newsletter Four