Introduction
Think of owning your own island. There are tourists who visit the attractions along the coast and visit restaurants, hotels, and various historical landmarks. However, to protect your island, you must defend it from a tsunami wave. This is triggered by underwater landslides, earthquakes underneath the ocean, volcanoes, or a large object hitting the ocean's surface.
The grade level for this WebQuest is Grades 6-8. It is centered on schools in the Caribbean.
The ISTE Standards for Students used in this lesson is the
Empowered Learner: 1a "Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes."
Knowledge Constructor: 3a "Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits."
3d "Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions."
Essential Question: What are three natural ways to minimize damage from a tsunami? What is a realistic possible way to prevent massive damage from a tsunami. (Think about housing, ocean and land development, or your own invention). What is the importance of an island's natural boundaries and sea level? Will global warming and rising sea levels affect your tsunami prevention plan?
This lesson looks into the history of the impacts of tsunamis, the damage on each island, and how to prevent further damage from future disasters and save thousands of lives. This lesson will look into four islands, the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Japan, and your own fictional island that will be safe from tsunami impacts.
Task
Upon this lesson you will be able to:
1. Explain what is a tsunami and make a research paper on the tsunamis that hit the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Japan. You must include an article for each island and list the year the event happened, the magnitude of the earthquake, the distance of the epicenter, the depth of the ocean, and possibly the cost of damages (before inflation).
2. Look up three natural resources that lessens the impact of tsunamis along the coast of each island. Defend your reasoning with how important these natural resources are without the purpose of defending from a tsunami.
3. Make a persuasive realistic idea on how you could completely prevent or minimize the impact of a tsunami on any island in the Caribbean. Be creative with your idea and support your reasoning with research of your own.
4. Make a model on how your idea would protect an island in the Caribbean and a model on how your own fictional island would be perfect in preventing tsunamis.
Process
Part 1: Research what is a tsunami and the history of each tsunami on three particular islands; the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Japan. Make a research paper briefly explaining what a tsunami is and how it is made, and write about the effects of each island's tsunami including details of the the year the event happened, the magnitude of the earthquake, the distance of the epicenter, the depth of the ocean, and possibly the cost of damages (before inflation).
Links: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-disasters/tsunamis/
http://www.whoi.edu/home/interactive/tsunami/indexEnglish.html
http://cwis.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/caribbean/webpages/1867viindex.html
http://cwis.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/caribbean/webpages/1918prindex.html
Part 2: Look up three natural resources that lessens the impact of tsunamis along each island and write a short summary. Defend your reasoning and include why these resources are useful without the purpose of tsunami defense.
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral_protect.html
https://www.futurity.org/tsunamis-japan-seawalls-1226442-2/
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22430005-200-mangrove-forest-planted-as-tsunami-shield/
http://geography.name/boundaries-natural/
Part 3: Idea time. Make a realistic idea on how you could completely prevent or minimize the effects of a tsunami along the shoreline. You can make your own invention to disrupt tsunami waves or use both natural and man-made resources to prevent the disaster. Make an outline of your project following the example on the "slideplayer.com" link below.
Links: https://commons.trincoll.edu/disasterarchipelago/?page_id=1018
https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/1071905-detecting-tsunamis
https://newatlas.com/acoustic-gravity-waves-tsunami/47570/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2018/mar/09/after-the-tsunami-japan-sea-walls-in-pictures
https://slideplayer.com/slide/11345661/
Part 4: Make a model of how your realistic idea would protect an island in the Caribbean. Include the direction, depth, and location of the epicenter, the peak of the wave, attractions and sites along the coast, tools and inventions, natural resources, and various warnings displayed along your island. Deliver an oral presentation with your idea model.
Part 5: Draw a model of your own fictional island that would be perfect in preventing tsunamis taking account of the island's sea levels, natural boundaries, and depth of the ocean. Deliver the final oral presentation on your island model.
Evaluation
Rubric:
This WebQuest will be graded to a total of 100%. There a four sections within the Rubric. The research paper is worth 20%, the summary is worth 10%, the outline is worth 10%, the idea model is worth 30%, the island model is worth 30%.
The Research Paper
Poor- Lack of citations, plagiarism, and constant spelling errors results in a 0%.
Needs Improvement- Citations are present and original work is there. Too many spelling errors are present and the page may be lacking additional information.
Average- Citations are present, original work, and a few spelling errors are found. All work is well organized to the MLA or APA format.
Satisfactory- Citations are present, original work, and no spelling errors are found. Clear understanding of the material is present and at least two articles support this paper.
Summary
Poor- The summary wasn't done, has too many errors, was plagiarized, or it lacks complete sentences.
Needs Improvement- The summary was completed but it has many errors and doesn't support the topic.
Average- The summary was completed, has a few errors, and supports the topic. It also has 5-7 sentences so it is a complete paragraph.
Satisfactory- The summary was completed with no errors, supports the main idea and key topics, and features a complete paragraph.
Outline
Poor- Outline has too many spelling errors, inconsistent ordering, or lacks the introduction, body, or conclusion.
Needs Improvement- Outline has some spelling errors and may lack a proper thesis statement.
Average- Outline has a few spelling errors and has a proper thesis statement.
Satisfactory- Outline is well organized with no spelling errors and has a proper thesis statement.
Idea Model
Poor- The idea is entirely impossible to recreate in the outside world and is unfeasible. Technology or invention lacks proper research to support it. The idea model itself may be missing or unfinished.
Needs Improvement- The idea is possible to create but lacks research or creativity behind it. This idea may not protect islands from tsunamis for obvious reasons. The idea model itself does not support the idea far enough.
Average- The idea is possible and has research and creativity to support it. The invention has a non-detailed cause and shows promise. The idea model supports the research but does not show how it would work. The oral presentation does not support this idea well enough.
Satisfactory- The idea is possible and has research and creativity to support it. The invention has a detailed explanation to how it works and shows promise. The idea model supports the research and shows how it works. The oral presentation supports the idea model.
Island Model
Poor- The island drawing is unfinished or missing.
Needs Improvement- The island drawing shows lack of effort and is missing labels or color. The oral presentation is complete but lacks research.
Average- The island drawing is completed with a few errors. The oral presentation supports the idea with one source of research to make a tsunami-ready island.
Satisfactory- The island drawing is completed with no errors. The oral presentations supports the idea with two sources of research to make a tsunami-ready island.
Conclusion
Remember the content of the lesson and know that scientists and the government are working on solutions to protect the lifestyle of our islands each day. While a tsunami may not be preventable in current times, safety precautions and future warnings can save thousands of lives. Take some time to imagine your own safety route and procedures if a tsunami warning was issued in your area. Would you be safe at any hour of the day?
Credits
Made by: Aaron Smith
Class: EDU 350
Instructor: Professor Ryan
Fall Semester 2018
Teacher Page
Aaron Smith is a student at the University of the Virgin Islands.
Contact info:
340-727-8044