P-wave Teacher Resources
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Lesson Planet Curated
Earthquakes Living Lab: FAQs about P Waves, S Waves and More
Using the Internet, pupils research what causes earthquakes, how scientists measure them, their locations, and their effects.
Lesson Planet Curated
TeachEngineering: Earthquakes Living Lab
Seven activities make up the TeachEngineering: Earthquakes Living Lab Collection. Activities designed for grades K-8 include “Geology and the 1906 San Francisco Quake,” “Designing for Disaster,” and “The Theory of Plate Tectonics.”...
Lesson Planet Curated
Plate Tectonics Cycle — Sixth Grade
Four resources make up a collection that breaks down each part of the plate tectonic cycle, developed by Math/Science Nucleus. With pre- and post-labs, discussion topics, and writing assignments, sixth graders take on a hands-on approach...
Lesson Planet Curated
Plate Tectonics Cycle — Fifth Grade
Math/Science Nucleus provides a set of four resources that take a deeper look into the parts of the plate tectonics cycle. Each resource contains hands-on activities and labs to help fifth graders develop a better understanding of one of...
Lesson Planet Curated
Earthquakes Living Lab: Finding Epicenters & Measuring Magnitudes
Pairs use an online simulation to determine the epicenter and magnitude of an earthquake. Using actual data about the earthquake's maximum S wave amplitudes, they then determine the magnitude.
Lesson Planet Curated
Crash Course: Chemistry
Loosely based on the 2012 AP Chemistry curriculum, a series of 46 videos introduces high schoolers to organic chemistry. The videos model how to reason through problems, recognize different organic chemicals, their uses, and use the...
Khan Academy
How We Know About the Earth's Core
The big question is, how do we know about the composition of the earth's core? Sal explains that at 105 degrees from the source point of an earthquake, the phenomenon of the p wave shadow zone leads us to conclude that the waves are...
Khan Academy
Seismic Waves, Earth Geological and Climatic History, Cosmology and Astronomy
Use a video on seismic waves to explain the differences between S and P waves, as well as the details that they provide about the composition of the rock.
Curated OER
Earthquakes: Fifth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
After learning about P waves and S waves, fifth graders view the intensity of earthquakes by examining seismographs and images of earthquake damage. Young scientists then forecasting future quakes by analyzing data about...
Curated OER
Roots of the Mariana Arc
Plumb the depths of the Submarine Ring of Fire and explore seismic waves with this lesson. Junior geologists simulate s-waves and p-waves, calculate their speeds, and then apply the data to discover the material that makes up inner...
Teach Engineering
Earthquakes Living Lab: FAQs about P Waves, S Waves and More
Let's talk about earthquakes .... Using the Internet, pupils research what causes earthquakes, how scientists measure them, their locations, and their effects. The resource is not only informative, but it also builds crucial...
Curated OER
Being P-Waves and S-Waves
Students participate in a demonstration in which they, themselves, represent seismic P-waves and S-waves.
Science Matters
Wave Watching
Seismologists use the direction and arrival times of p waves and s waves to determine the distance to the source of an earthquake. The engaging lesson has students line up to form human waves. Through different movements when attached,...
Science Matters
Finding the Epicenter
The epicenter is the point on the ground above the initial point of rupture. The 10th instructional activity in a series of 20 encourages scholars to learn to triangulate the epicenter of an earthquake based on the arrival times of...
Curated OER
Earthquakes: Fourth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
Examine earthquake intensities and ways to measure an earthquake through the comparison of the Mercalli and Richter scales. After completing the pre-lab worksheet, fourth graders compare high and low intensity quakes by testing...
Mr. E. Science
Characteristics of Waves
Waves, waves, and more waves. Here, class members look at the many types and characteristics of energy waves including transverse, longitudinal, standing, seismic, p-waves, s-waves, and l-waves.
Curated OER
Stressed Out!
Have your class engage in lessons on earthquakes. Learners explore the science behind earthquakes using interactive websites and video clips. Then, they review the layers and parts of the Earth before delving into the causes of...
Curated OER
Finding Epicenters 1
In this finding epicenters activity, students complete a table given the "P" and "S" wave arrival times of 6 different earthquakes. Students calculate the difference in arrival time of the waves, the distance to the epicenter, the "P"...
Curated OER
Earthquakes: Sixth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
Young seismologists learn more about plate tectonics with a set of pre-lab, lab, and post-lab lessons plans on earthquakes. After exploring how waves travel through various materials, sixth graders record their observations and...
Khan Academy
Refraction of Seismic Waves, Cosmology & Astronomy
Mr. Khan uses the metaphor of a car to help explain the change in the direction of waves as they hit a boundary between two mediums. He then goes on to explain the relationship between the earth's structure and density and the waves'...
Curated OER
Determining Epicenter Distance
In this earthquake worksheet, students determine the distance of the epicenter based on the S-waves and P-waves on a seismograph. This worksheet has 4 problems to solve.
Curated OER
Seismic Waves
In this seismic waves worksheet, student will read information about the different types of waves that occur during an earthquake: P (Primary) waves, S (Secondary) waves, and shear waves. Then students will complete 2 short answer...
Curated OER
Keep on Standing!!
Students construct an earthquake simulator and create building models to test. In this earthquake lesson, students use the Internet and a slinky to demonstrate P and S waves. They construct an earthquake simulator as a class and use it...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Waves and Whistles
Wave goodbye to the same old demonstrations for alternative energy sources, and wave hello to this one investigating ocean waves! Using a water bottle to create an oscillating water column, learners see and possibly hear how the...
