All Activities

All activities for K-2

• ShakeOut Activities Grades K - 2

  Grades: K-2

  By using the real life story of Kamome, a boat whose travels across the Pacific Ocean from Japan to California began with the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, a concrete example is provided for students to explore, better understand, and prepare for these geologic events through the participation in classroom lessons designed to articulate with The Extraordinary Voyage of Kamome.    This activity is meant to augment California’s ShakeOut Drop Cover and Hold On Drill, held every year on the third Thursday in October.  It will take a minimum of one 30 minute classroom session but can be expanded for up to three 50 minute classroom sessions.

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• Folding Origami Grades K - 2

  Grades: K-2

  Students are introduced to the Japanese art of origami by creating a folded paper boat and a gull. This activity provides students with a concrete experience of creating a part of the story of Kamome.  Allow 15 minutes to read the Kamome story and an additional 15 minutes for each origami figure.

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• Pasta Quake Magnitude Grades K - 2

  Grades: K-2

  This activity introduces the concept of earthquake size by breaking pieces of dry spaghetti.   You will use a single strand of spaghetti to illustrate a moderate earthquake (magnitude 5), a bundle of 30 spaghetti strands for a large earthquake (magnitude 6) and 900 strands to illustrate a major earthquake (magnitude 7).   By observing with their eyes, hands, and ears, students develop a qualitative feel for different sizes of earthquakes.  Plan on taking 50 minutes of class time to complete the activity and 60 to 90 minutes of preparation.

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• Seismic Waves, Tsunami Waves, and Currents Grades K - 2

  Grades: K-2

  This activity introduces young children to the concept of units (distance, time, speed) and become familiar with the geography of the Northern Pacific basin. Students learn about waves and currents and estimate speeds of various common activities such as walking, driving in a car and flying and compare these speeds to that of seismic waves, tsunami waves and ocean currents through the story of Kamome.   One to two 50-minute class periods depending on the detail you choose to explore.

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• My Kamome Coloring Book Grades K - 2

  Grades: K-2

  A coloring book with 27 black and white versions of the illustrations in the Kamome story allows younger students to directly engage with the story of the little boat through coloring and adding to the illustrations.  It also provides a safe and non-frightening way to talk about what to do in an earthquake, tsunami awareness and how to make a student emergency kit.

  View My Kamome Coloring Book Grades K - 2 »

• The Wave A Japanese Folktale Grades K - 2

  Grades: K-2

  An 8-minute video tells the story of a young Japanese boy and his grandfather.  When an earthquake occurs, the grandfather sets the rice fields on fire to draw the villagers away from the coast and saves them from a tsunami.  This traditional folktale introduces young children to the culture of Japan and emphasizes the message of “go to high ground” after feeling an earthquake in a non-threatening way.   Discussion questions encourage children to make conclusions based on their observations.

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• ABCs with Kamome Grades K - 2

  Grades: K-2

  This alphabet book allows young children to practice alphabet skills, introduce vocabulary associated with earthquakes and tsunamis, allow students to experience the story of Kamome through word association, and learn age-appropriate preparedness information.

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• Tsunami Heroines and Heroes Grades K - 2

  Grades: K-2

  Even young children can save other people when they understand what to do in an earthquake or tsunami.  This activity introduces young children to Tilly Smith, the ten-year-old British School girl who is credited with saving the lives of 100 people in Thailand because she recognized the changes in the ocean that indicated a tsunami was on its way.

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All activities for 3-5

• ShakeOut Activities for 3 - 5

  Grades: 3-5

  By using the real life story of Kamome, a boat whose travels across the Pacific Ocean from Japan to California were initiated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, a concrete example is provided for students to explore, better understand, explain and prepare for these geologic events through the participation in classroom lessons designed to articulate with The Extraordinary Voyage of Kamome.    This activity is meant to augment California’s ShakeOut Drop Cover and Hold On Drill, held every year on the third Thursday in October. and includes information on personal earthquake kits.  It will take a minimum of one 50-minute session (procedures 1-4) or two to three 50-minute sessions for the entire activity.

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• Origami 3 - 5

  Grades: 3-5

  Students will learn about the ort of origami and create a boat and a gull from the story about Kamome.   They will choose additional sea creatures to make and construct a class origami mural with their origami animals.  This activity provides students with a concrete experience of creating a part of the story.  In reflection of their work they will better understand the story of Kamome and Japanese culture.  Ten to 30 minutes per session.  An additional 30 – 45 minutes to make a class origami mural.

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• Pasta quake magnitude 3 - 5

  Grades: 3-5

  This activity uses pies of spaghetti to illustrate the earthquake magnitude scale.  While completing an activity using bundles of spaghetti students will discover the difference in magnitudes of earthquakes from a magnitude 5 to a magnitude 7.   A magnitude 8 can be demonstrated as well, but takes bit more preparation work. The earthquake in Japan in 2011 which created the tsunami that travelled across the Pacific Ocean, as described in Kamome, was a magnitude 9.1.  The  Pasta Quake video https://www.iris.edu/hq/inclass/video/pasta_quake_modeling_magnitude_scale_using_spaghetti demonstrates a magnitude5, 6, 7, 8 and a magnitude 9 earthquake. 

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• My Kamome Coloring Book Grades 3 - 5

  Grades: 3-5

  A coloring book with 27 black and white versions of the illustrations in the Kamome story allow students to directly engage with the story of Kamome through coloring and adding to the illustrations. Students will make their own illustration and caption to add to the story of Kamome.  It introduces how Kamome and other tsunami debris moved across the Pacific with a computer model, and the concepts of latitude and longitude.

  View My Kamome Coloring Book Grades 3 - 5 »

All activities for 6-8

• ShakeOut Activities for 6 - 8

  Grades: 6-8

  By using the real life story of Kamome, a boat whose travels across the Pacific Ocean from Japan to California were initiated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, a concrete example is provided for students to explore, better understand, explain and prepare for these geologic events through the participation in classroom lessons designed to articulate with The Extraordinary Voyage of Kamome.    It includes information on preparing personal earthquake kits and finding out about tsunami hazard zones.  This activity is meant to augment California’s ShakeOut Drop Cover and Hold On Drill, held every year on the third Thursday in October.  It will take a minimum of one 50-minute session (procedures 1-4) or two 50-minute sessions for the entire activity.

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• Pasta Quake Magnitude Grades 6 - 8

  Grades: 6-8

  This activity uses pieces of spaghetti to illustrate the earthquake magnitude scale.  While completing an activity using bundles of spaghetti, students will discover the difference in magnitudes of earthquakes from a magnitude 5 to a magnitude 9.   A magnitude 8 can be demonstrated as well, but takes bit more preparation work.  The earthquake in Japan in 2011 which created the tsunami that travelled across the Pacific Ocean, as described in Kamome, was a magnitude 9.1.  The  Pasta Quake video https://www.iris.edu/hq/inclass/video/pasta_quake_modeling_magnitude_scale_using_spaghetti demonstrates a magnitude5, 6, 7, 8 and a magnitude 9 earthquake.  This exercise also introduces the concept of duration as a way to estimate earthquake magnitude.   Allow 50 minutes of class time for the activity and an additional 60 minutes of preparation.

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• Sounds of a Quake for Grades 6 - 8

  Grades: 6-8

  The voyage of Kamome begins with a magnitude 9.1 earthquake.  To give a feel for just how big an earthquake this was, you will listen to a recording made by Robert Pate while he experienced the 1964 Alaska earthquake in his Anchorage home.  The Alsak earthquake had a magnitude of 9.2.  You will hear the sounds that his house makes and the objects falling and Mr. Pate’s commentary on what he is experiencing and feeling.  The activity introduces the concept of earthquake intensity and the Modified Mercalli scale, a measure of the relative shaking strength at a particular location.  Allow for 50 minutes to complete Part A (listening to the recording), and 50 minutes for looking at the photos and estimating intensities (part B).

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All activities for 9-12

• ShakeOut Activities for 9 - 12

  Grades: 9-12

  By using the real life story of Kamome, a boat whose travels across the Pacific Ocean from Japan to California were initiated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, a concrete example is provided for students to explore, better understand, explain and prepare for these geologic events through the participation in classroom lessons designed to articulate with The Extraordinary Voyage of Kamome.    It includes information on preparing personal earthquake kits for home and car, finding out about tsunami hazard zones and learning more about the plate tectonic setting of the 2011 Japan earthquake..  This activity is meant to augment California’s ShakeOut Drop Cover and Hold On Drill, held every year on the third Thursday in October.  It will take a minimum of one 50-minute session (procedures 1-4) or up to three 50-minute sessions for the entire activity.

  View ShakeOut Activities for 9 - 12 »

• Pasta Quake Magnitude Grades 9 - 12

  Grades: 9-12

  This activity uses pieces of spaghetti to illustrate the earthquake magnitude scale.  While completing an activity using bundles of spaghetti, students will discover the difference in magnitudes of earthquakes from a magnitude 5 to a magnitude 9.   A magnitude 8 can be demonstrated as well, but takes bit more preparation work.  The earthquake in Japan in 2011 which created the tsunami that travelled across the Pacific Ocean, as described in Kamome, was a magnitude 9.1.  The Pasta Quake video demonstrates a magnitude5, 6, 7, 8 and a magnitude 9 earthquake.  This exercise also introduces the concept of duration as a way to estimate earthquake magnitude.   Allow 50 minutes of class time for the activity and an additional 60 minutes of preparation.

  View Pasta Quake Magnitude Grades 9 - 12 »