PEPP Classroom Materials

The PEPP Classroom Materials are organized into three major groups. A recommendation of US grade levels and science skills appropriate for each project is included for each project to help teachers choose among the projects. Some of the classroom projects and activities use the PEPP software program MAPPER, which can be found on the PEPP Software page.

** Note that if you print out the pages from your web browser you may be missing some figures or pages that have hotlinks to them in the text!

*** Please also note: The following curriculum pages are copies of Princeton's PEPP Curriculum material, with only minor changes to improve the relevance for use in New Zealand.

Classroom Projects

Classroom projects that range from activities with detailed step-by-step instructions that introduce the PEPP software program and focus on basic concepts in seismology, to small-group activities that include data collection, analysis, prediction, and calculations. Each of these projects requires 1 - 5 hours of class time.

• Earthquake Magnitudes (Years 10-13, Earth Science)
• Seismic Waves (Years 9-13, Earth Science)
• Seismicity: How often do Earthquakes Occur? (Years 10-13, Earth Science)
• Calculating the Depths of Deep Earthquakes (Years 10-13, Earth Science)
• Midocean Ridges, Deep Ocean Trenches and Earthquake Depth (Years 9-13, Earth Science)
• Tracing and Naming Seismic Waves (Years 9-13, Earth Science)
• Missing Waves - S Wave Shadows (Years 12-13, Physics)
• Refraction and Changing Speed (Years 12-13, Physics)

Activity Ideas

Seismology and the study of earthquakes are a great way for students to apply basic physics and other science and math concepts to events in real life. Here are a number of ideas to help you incorporate seismology into your existing physics and science classes or labs.

Some of these activity ideas lend themselves to demonstrations and discussions involving the whole class. Other activities can be done in small groups or by individual students. Once students are familiar with the PEPP software programs, SWAP and MAPPER, you could also use some of these ideas to assess students' understanding of basic science concepts.

• The Energy of Earthquakes (Years 12-13, Physics)
• Frequency and Periods of Seismic Waves (Years 10-13, Physics)
• Newton's Second Law (Years 12-13, Physics)
• Refraction and Snell's Law (Years 12-13, Physics)

Research Ideas

Ideas for student-driven, open-ended research projects using the PEPP software programs and seismology data.

Quake Trackers provides many opportunities for students to undertake their own original research projects. Using the PEPP software and HypoCenter Catalog, students can explore a number of interesting questions on deep earthquakes, plate tectonics, and other topics.

The Quake Trackers team can help students with their research projects. We can provide background information, answers to questions, and help in structuring the research. Please contact enquiries@quaketrackers.org.nz.

• Deep Earthquakes (Years 12-13, Earth science)
• Earth Noise (Years 9-13, Earth science)
• Estimating Magnitudes of Historical Earthquakes (Years 9-13, Earth science)
• Plate Tectonics (Years 9-13, Earth science)

Feedback, Comments, and New Ideas

As you experiment with these classroom materials we welcome your comments and feedback. We would also like to hear about ways you have adapted these materials and new ideas for using the software and data with your students.

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