Websites      Lesson Plans & Classroom Activities      Webquests

This list has been created to assist teachers and students in classroom discussions and activities regarding the recent tsunami in Asia. 

Access these sites through your computer’s Internet connection. Open the underlined address (URL). Information can be printed or downloaded to your computer. Be sure to follow links to other sites and find your way back with the "back" button. Remember that some sites will appear on more than one list of links.

All of the sites listed were active as of January 3, 2005. The evaluation is by the AVA Center staff according to the amount of information given and its potential use in the classroom.

DISCLAIMER: Some images on some sites may not be appropriate for children. We cannot be responsible for student access to images.

                                                                WEBSITES

TSUNAMIS AND EARTHQUAKES
http://temp.water.usgs.gov/tsunami/
Information on earthquakes and tsunamis from the US Geological Survey. Includes basic information and research studies. The Tsunami Animations section has animations of (hypothetical) tsunamis along the Pacific Northwest Coast, Papua Guinea (1998 tsunami), the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and the Peru 2001 Tsunami. Also includes VRML models. Excellent

THE TSUNAMI PAGE OF DR. GEORGE PC
http://www.drgeorgepc.com/
A site by a tsunami researcher. Scroll down to THE GREAT EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI OF 26 DECEMBER 2004 IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. This takes you to a preliminary report on the earthquake and tsunami. Includes maps and illustrations of the tsunami and information on previous earthquake and tsunami activity in the same area. For older students. Includes a few photos. Excellent

ABC NEWS ONLINE – AUSTRALIAN NETWORK NEWS SITE
http://www.abc.net.au/news/default.htm
The latest article and links to previous articles and video clips. Also photo galleries. Very Good

ALL ABOUT NATURAL DISASTERS – LINKS PAGE
http://www.suelebeau.com/naturaldisasters.htm#tsunamis
A page of links on natural disasters. Scroll down to the Tsunami section or click on Tsunamis. Very Good

BBC NEWS ASIA DISASTER IN DEPTH
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/world/2004/asia_quake_disaster/default.stm
A large number of articles and photos of the Asia disaster. Very Good

CHANNEL NEWS ASIA: TSUNAMI DISASTER: THE AFTERMATH
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/killerwaves/index.htm
News and videos from a Singapore network. A long list of video clips. Includes a Photo Gallery and All About Tsunamis and more. Very Good

LIVE SCIENCE: FORCES OF NATURE
http://www.livescience.com/forcesofnature/
Up-to-date science news and information. Click on Top Stories for the Indian Ocean tsunami. Click the links at the bottom of each story for more articles. Very Good

TIME: WHAT WAS LOST
http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/tsunami/
A Time magazine photo essay on the effects of the tsunami. Warning: Graphic photos. Sections: Devastation, Survivors, Relief and Map. From the Map page, click on What Causes a Tsunami for illustrations. Very Good

TSUNAMIS THEME PAGE
http://www.cln.org/themes/tsunamis.html
A page of links to information on tsunamis. Very Good

2004 INDIAN OCEAN EARTHQUAKE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake
Information on the Indian Ocean earthquake that generated the deadly tsunami. Very Good

USC TSUNAMI RESEARCH GROUP
http://www.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/
Information from this tsunami research center at the University of Southern California. Sections: World Map (locations of past tsunamis), Video/Animation (simulations & footage), Publications (articles to access on or offline), Research (projects underway), Staff and Links. Very Good

WAVE OF DISASTER
http://www.thirteen.org/savageseas/neptune-main.html
Tsunami information. Sections: What is a Tsunami?, Signs of a Tsunami Coming, Sizes of Tsunamis, and Tsunamis of the Century. Click on Disaster Menu and then Lessons Learned for more information. Very Good

DIGITAL GLOBE – TSUNAMI PHOTO GALLERY
http://www.digitalglobe.com/tsunami_gallery.html
Twenty-three images with before and after photos of sections of Indonesia and Sri Lanka showing the December 26^th tsunami. You can download a PDF analysis of the images. Note: These are satellite images. Good

EARTHQUAKES AND TSUNAMIS FOR EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS
http://www.seps.org/earthquakes_and_tsunamis.htm
Basic information on earthquakes and the tsunamis they can cause. Includes several links. Good

KILLER WAVE! TSUNAMI
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/9610/kwave/
A colorful National Geographic Kids page on tsunamis. Sections: Killer Wave!, How a Tsunami Forms, Speed Demon, and "I Survived a Tsunami". Good

SAVAGE EARTH: WAVES OF DESTRUCTION – TSUNAMIS
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/tsunami/index.html
A portion of the Savage Earth PBS series. Information on tsunamis, animations, a survivor’s story, and articles. Good

THE SAVAGE SEAS – THE CROW’S NEST
http://www.thirteen.org/savageseas/neptune-main.html
Animations and video clips of tsunamis and waves. Click on Tsunamis for a brief article. Good

TOMMY TSUNAMI COLORING BOOK
http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/tommy00.htm
Preparedness information in the form of a coloring book for primary students. Features Tommy Tsunami and Ernie Earthquake. Good

TSUNAMI RESEARCH PROGRAM
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tsunami/
A site from the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory on tsunami hazards. Good

TSUNAMI TRIVIA
http://www.cln.org/themes/tsunamis.html
A brief game for elementary students on tsunamis along with a word search puzzle. Good

TSUNAMIS: FACTS ABOUT KILLER WAVES
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1228_041228_tsunami.html
Information from National Geographic news on tsunamis. Good

TSUNAMIS: THE GREAT WAVES
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/tsunami.htm
An online brochure from NOAA on tsunamis. Sections: What Cause (sic) Tsunamis?, Tsunamis on the Move, How We Save Lives, Warnings Dissemination and Research Activities and What You Should Do. Good

WELCOME TO TSUNAMI!
http://www.geophys.washington.edu/tsunami/welcome.html
A website from the University of Washington on tsunamis. Sections: General Tsunami Information, Tsunami Survey and Research Information, and Miscellaneous Information. Good

WEST COAST & ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER
http://wcatwc.gov/
Information on the status of tsunami warnings for Alaska and the Pacific Coast. Issues warnings when tsunamis are expected. Good

DYNAMIC EARTH – TSUNAMIS – LESSON PLAN
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/dynamicearth/
A lesson plan for grades K-5 in which students demonstrate how earthquakes affect sea waves. Very Good

TSUNAMI! – LESSON PLAN
http://www.parlo.com/en/teachers/lessonplans/tsunaeng_1.asp
A lesson plan on tsunamis. Includes pre-reading and eight activities. Very Good

MONSTER WAVES – LESSON PLAN
http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/gen_act/disaster/monster.html
A lesson plan in which students "build a tabletop village and use it to visualize the relative height and affects of gigantic waves called tsunamis." Brief but it works. Good

IT COMES IN WAVES: EXAMINING THE DIFFERENT ORIGINS OF TSUNAMI WAVES AND RESEARCHING THE BEHAVIOR OF SOME RECENT TSUNAMIS – LESSON PLAN
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20020423tuesday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on tsunamis. "In this lesson, students learn about the behavior and different origins of tsunami waves, and they then research and chart the path of certain tsunamis from recent history." Excellent

INTRODUCTION TO WAVES – LESSON PLAN
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/07/gk2/wavesintro.html
A lesson plan on waves for grades K-2. "In this lesson, students learn about ocean waves. They will begin by learning the components of a wave, and will then discuss the meaning of wave height and wavelength. A demonstration will spark discussion about how to make waves, and an activity with the National Geographic Wave Simulator will allow students to experiment with creating waves of varying sizes." Excellent

SHAKEN UP: WRITING ARTICLES COVERING VARIOUS ANGLES OF THE DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA – LESSON PLAN
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/20041228tuesday.html?searchpv=learning_lessons
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 on the recent earthquake and tsunami. "In this lesson, students discuss the type of information that they expect to read in news coverage of earthquakes. They then learn about the devastating aftermath of an earthquake in South and Southeast Asia and research and write their own articles describing the event, covering various angles." Excellent

WAVE HEIGHTS – LESSON PLAN
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/07/g35/wavesheights.html
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 on waves. "In this lesson, students will learn about the varying heights of ocean waves and what causes the variation. They will begin by learning the parts of a wave, and then discuss the meaning of wave height and wavelength in terms of various points of reference. A demonstration will spark discussion about how geography affects wave heights, and will allow students to experiment with various forces to create different sized waves. Students will use the National Geographic Wave Simulator to experiment with creating different types of waves, and will draw waves based on the heights and lengths of familiar structures around the school." Excellent

FORCES OF NATURE WEBQUEST
http://www.sarasota.k12.fl.us/brookside/aoft/AT7/disaster%20unit/Natural%20Disaster%20WebQuest.htm
A webquest on natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, etc. "Your job is to create a newsletter to inform the public how to survive a natural disaster. Your newsletter must include articles about the following information: • Scientific info. including cause and when/where the disaster is most likely to occur • Story about a famous or unusual catastrophe • Article on how to prepare for the disaster & what to do during and after the catastrophe • Questions and answers about the catastrophe." Excellent

TSUNAMI AND ME – WEBQUEST
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/hoover/tsunamis/
A webquest for high school students on tsunamis. "You and your group are a team of scientists who will conduct this investigation of Tsunamis and make a presentation of your findings and recommendations to the San Diego Mayor and City council. The questions to be answered to accomplish this task are the following:" Excellent

TSUNAMI WEBQUEST
http://glencoe.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0078664233/student_view0/unit5/webquest_projects_2.html
A webquest on tsunamis. "In this WebQuest, you will learn about the awesome power of tsunamis and their cost in human life and property. You also will investigate how scientists worldwide work to alert and educate people about the catastrophic consequences of a tsunami event. You will use the Internet to research the topic, and answer questions to demonstrate your understanding of what causes tsunamis and how coastal residents are affected by them. Finally, you will use the knowledge you've gained to write a series of three newspaper articles that could appear in a local newspaper. The purpose of these articles is to educate coastal residents about the causes and characteristics of tsunamis, their devastating potential to destroy human life and property, and what individuals can do to stay alive if a killer wave strikes in their area." Excellent

TSUNAMIS: THE MIGHTY WAVES – WEBQUEST
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/WakefieldForestES/tidalwavequest.htm
A webquest for upper elementary students on tsunamis. "There's not much time. Everyone's panicking, and nobody knows what to do. It's your job to figure out how to protect the people before the tsunami strikes. Learn what you can about tsunamis from the experts, and help the citizens before it's too late." Excellent

VOLCANOES, EARTHQUAKES AND TSUNAMIS, OH MY! – WEBQUEST
http://www.geocities.com/lmautz_charles/WebQuest1.html
A webquest for primary students in which students form teams to gather information and answer questions. Very Good

DISCLAIMER: The AVA Center is unable to check every link on every site.

Prepared by the Cumberland County AVA Center staff. Please call #856-451-0817 or email: cumbavac@snip.net with questions or suggestions for future web site lists. The site list is also posted on our website: http://www.cumbavac.org/

It is also posted on these sites:

http://www.cjims.org/

January 2005

You are welcome to post our lists on your website. 
If you do, you must credit the Cumberland County AVA Center, Bridgeton, NJ and link back to our site.  http://www.cumbavac.org/

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