Imagine that you hear a low, rumbling, roaring sound. The noise gets louder and louder, for a few seconds. Then, WHAM! There’s an intense jolt. The floor feels like it is moving beneath you. It’s hard to stand up, or even stay in your seat. If you do stand up, you might feel like you’re riding a raft down a fast river. When you walk, it’s like trying to walk on a trampoline or a waterbed. You hear someone shout, “Earthquake!”

This term, Year 3 have been learning about aspects of physical geography, including earthquakes. We have learnt that some earthquakes are minor and can barely be felt, while other earthquakes are intense, with very strong shaking and a lot of resulting damage. To finish off this topic, we have learnt about what to expect during an earthquake, and have identified ways to prepare for such an intense and unpredictable forces of nature.

As part of our preparation, we learnt about drop, cover, hold on, check for hazards, and stay connected as part of our preparation. We hunted out earthquake hazards in the classroom, such as our shelves and the IWB on the wall.

We discovered that in most earthquakes shaking rarely lasts for over a minute in any one area. Using drama we explored what we would feel (senses and emotions) during an earthquake. We took part in an imaginary earthquake to help us understand what we should do during a real one.

The building is creaking and rattling. Books are falling from the bookcase. Hanging lamps and plants are swaying. Suddenly a vase falls to the floor and smashes. A window pane just shattered, and glass is falling to the floor. The table is sliding, too. Be sure to stay in the drop, cover, and hold position under your desk. If your desk is moving, grab the legs and move with it.

Pictures are moving on their nails. One just fell off the wall and crashed to the floor. The desk drawers are sliding open. The lights begin to flicker on and off… they just went out! Now the door swings back and forth on its hinges. BANG! It slams shut. There’s silence now. The shaking is over.