Earthquakes Activities for Middle School Science

This middle school earthquake unit is a complete, low-prep resource built around the 5E Instructional Model. It includes editable presentations, differentiated worksheets, assessments, student-choice projects, and interactive notebook pages in both English and Spanish. The lesson supports student-led learning with multimodal materials suitable for in-person or virtual settings and helps students explore key concepts such as seismic waves, faults, epicenters, tsunamis, and earthquake preparedness.

During the Exploration phase, students rotate through nine differentiated stations, including hands-on activities, readings, videos, and digital research. These input stations engage students through various learning styles, while output stations provide opportunities to organize, write, draw, and demonstrate understanding. A challenge station offers enrichment for early finishers. The Explanation phase features editable PowerPoints and note-taking tools, and the Elaboration phase includes creative student-choice projects.

The unit concludes with STAAR 2.0-aligned assessments in standard and modified versions, along with review worksheets and class discussion prompts. With its flexible format, built-in differentiation, and alignment to science standards, this lesson provides a structured, engaging approach to teaching earthquakes in a middle school classroom.

The Kesler Science Earthquakes Station Lab provides an engaging, student-led activity for middle schoolers to explore the causes of earthquakes and the differences between an epicenter and a focus. With modular, differentiated activities, the lab allows students to direct their learning while saving teachers valuable prep time. 

The station lab features nine activities, including hands-on demonstrations, research tasks, reading passages, videos, and creative output stations like drawing, writing, and organizing. Differentiated materials ensure accessibility for all learners, with Spanish and English options available for text-based activities. A bonus challenge station provides extension activities for advanced students or early finishers.  

Designed for flexibility, the lab includes all necessary signage, task cards, and resources, with minimal additional materials required. This engaging, multimodal approach helps students build a comprehensive understanding of earthquakes while fostering creativity, retention, and independent learning.

The Kesler Science Earthquakes Student Choice Projects challenge middle schoolers to explore seismic concepts creatively. Students can select from six project options or design their own, tailoring their learning to their preferred style. The included grading rubric supports assessments by teachers, peers, or students themselves, offering flexibility to adapt to various classroom needs. 

With multimodal and differentiated options, these projects cater to diverse learning needs. Modified versions support students requiring remediation, while advanced learners can tackle multiple projects for a deeper dive. Teachers can adjust the editable rubric to evaluate vocabulary, scientific concepts, presentation, and accuracy, ensuring alignment with academic goals.  

Projects are designed to use readily available classroom supplies like paper, markers, and scissors, with digital completion options for tech-integrated classrooms. These engaging, flexible activities foster creativity and deeper understanding, making them an excellent addition to any earth science curriculum.

The Kesler Science Earth Science Interactive Notebook Bundle is a must-have for teachers who want to provide an interactive learning experience in earth science. It includes both print and digital versions, making it a versatile resource for traditional classrooms, 1:1 environments, and distance learning.

The bundle covers a wide range of earth science topics, including Continental Drift Theory, plate boundaries, rocks and minerals, the rock cycle, Earth’s layers, volcanoes, earthquakes, and more. It also features activities like Venn diagrams, topographic maps, and reflection pages to help students demonstrate understanding and make connections between concepts.

The digital version includes a unique interactive notebook PowerPoint, which can be uploaded to Google Slides or learning management systems like MS Teams and Canvas. The paper version provides blank and pre-filled templates, along with color photos to guide students in completing each activity. Both versions come with a teacher answer key and a modified version for students with accommodations.