Unit 9: Earthquakes and Faults • Grade 8

Lesson 9.3
Tsunamis
Table of Contents

Learning Competency 2
Learning Objective 2
Suggested Time Frame 2
Essential Questions 2
Prerequisite Topics 2
Lesson Proper 3
A. Introduction to the Lesson 3
B. Discussion 7
C. Practice & Feedback 12
Assess Performance 13
Synthesis 15
Bibliography 16
 Unit 9: Earthquakes and Faults • Grade 9

Unit 9 | Earthquakes and Faults

Lesson 9.3: Tsunamis

Learning Competency
At the end of this lesson, the given DepEd learning competency should be met by the
students.
● demonstrate how underwater earthquakes generate tsunamis (S8ES-IIb16).

Learning Objective
At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
● explain how an earthquake generates a tsunami.

Suggested Time Frame

1 session (or approximately 50 minutes)

Essential Questions
At the end of this lesson, the student should be able to answer the following questions.
● How do tsunamis form?
● Why is it important to know how tsunamis are generated?

Prerequisite Topics
Students should know the following prerequisite topics before proceeding with the lesson.
● Earthquakes (Science 6, Lesson 12.1: Forces that affect changes on Earth’s surface:
Earthquakes)
● What to do before, during, and after an earthquake (Science 6, Lesson 12.3: What to
Do Before, During, and After Earthquakes)
● Faults (Science 8, Lesson 9.1: Faults)
● Earthquakes (Science 8, Lesson 9.2: Earthquakes)

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Lesson Proper
A. Introduction to the Lesson
Start the lesson by introducing the following concepts and/or asking the following
questions to the students. The suggested activities after the questions may also be done in
class. You may use any of the suggested activities below.

1. Recall the topic of earthquakes. What is an earthquake? What are the parts of an
earthquake?
a. Earthquake is the shaking of the ground caused by a sudden release of
energy.
b. Hypocenter, epicenter and fault scarp are the parts of an earthquake.
c. Hypocenter is the location beneath the surface where earthquakes occur.
d. Epicenter is the location above the ground directly above the hypocenter.
e. Fault scarp is the elevated surface caused by the movement of the fault.
f. After the introduction, you may proceed with Option A.

Option A: Let’s make tsunami

In this activity, students will be able to visualize how tsunamis happen.

Duration: 20 minutes

Quipper Reference: Lesson 9.3: Tsunami; Warm-up activity on page 25.

Materials:
● cardboard
● cardboard houses
● measuring tape
● newspaper
● rectangular container
● rocks
● water

Procedure:
1. Ask the students to fill one side of the container with rocks and crumpled
newspaper, then cover it with soil. Make sure that you fill almost half of the
container and compress the soil to form a slope.
2. Place the cardboard houses on top of the soil.

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3. Fill the other half of the container with soil.

4. Using cardboard, move the water with a rapid force to generate waves
towards the shore.
5. Ask the students to answer the guide questions.

Guide Questions:
1. How did you make giant waves? By exerting energy while pushing the
water using the cardboard.
2. How can giant waves affect coastal areas? Coastal areas are severely
damaged due to giant waves.
3. What caused the giant waves to form? It was caused by the release of
energy which was exerted when the cardboard was moved.

Teacher’s Notes
Tsunamis are waves that come into the bay from the ocean. The activity shows
how tsunamis are generated and how it affects nearby areas.

2. Recall the topic of magnitude and intensity. What is the magnitude? What is intensity?
What are the scales used to measure magnitude and intensity?
a. Magnitude refers to the amount of energy released by the earthquake. It is
measured through the Ritcher scale and moment magnitude scale.
b. Intensity refers to the strength of an earthquake based on the amount of
property damage. It is measured through a modified Mercalli scale.
c. After the recall activity, you may proceed with Option B.

Option B: Make Some Waves

In this activity, the students will be able to visualize the effects of tsunami waves
on houses in coastal areas.

Duration: 15 minutes

Materials:
● slinger
● toy houses

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Procedure:
1. Ask the students to form groups of five.
2. Ask the students to line up the toy houses.
3. Using the slinger, create waves that will move towards the houses
4. Observe what will happen to the formation of houses
5. Ask the students to answer the guide questions.

Guide Questions:
1. What is a tsunami? Tsunami is defined as huge destructive waves.
2. What are the faults that mostly causes a tsunami? Reverse or thrust faults
3. What are some remarkable earthquakes in history? Indian Ocean
earthquake, Japan earthquake, and Moro Gulf earthquake.

Teacher’s Notes
Moro Gulf earthquake is the strongest earthquake in Philippine history. It was
able to generate a tsunami which struck the coastal areas. The waves generated
by the tsunami are able to swipe off the houses present in the areas that these
waves will pass through

3. Recall the topic of earthquakes. What is an earthquake? What is the device used to
measure the strength of an earthquake?
a. Earthquake is the shaking of the ground caused by the sudden release of
energy.
b. A seismograph is a device used to read the magnitude of an earthquake.
c. A seismogram is generated by the seismograph.
d. After the recall activity, you may proceed with Option C.

Option C: Concept Mapping

The activity allows the students to create a concept map which is shaped like a
tsunami.

Duration: 10 minutes

Procedure:
1. Ask the students to list down terms which are related to the tsunami.

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2. Create a concept shaped like a tsunami using these terms.

3. Ask the students to answer the guide questions.

Sample Concept Map

Guide Questions:
1. What is the meaning of the term tsunami? It means harbor waves.
2. What is a tsunami? Tsunami is defined as huge destructive waves that are
generated when an earthquake occurs underwater.
3. Which types of faults mostly generate a tsunami? Reverse or thrust faults
generates most tsunamis.

Teacher’s Notes
Tsunami is defined as huge destructive waves that are generated when an
earthquake occurs underwater.

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Web Box
To provide a better understanding of the process of the lesson, the teacher may
use the video below to allow students to visualize the process being discussed in
the lesson.

TED Ed. 2014. ‘How tsunamis work - Alex Gendler’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx9vPv-T51I

B. Discussion
After doing the introductory activity, it is expected that the students are reminded of the
basic information that they need to understand the actual lesson. The teacher can now
proceed with discussing the actual lesson using the flow below.

1. Discuss and elaborate tsunami. What is a tsunami? You may refer to slides 3 to 4.
a. Tsunami is a Japanese word which means harbor waves or those waves that
come into the bay from the ocean.
b. It is defined as huge destructive waves that are generated when an
earthquake occurs underwater.
c. However, not all tsunamis are generated from undersea earthquakes.
Earthquakes occurring within continents may be strong enough to generate a
tsunami.
d. After the activity, you may proceed with Option A

Option A: Paper Animation

The activity aims to help students create an animation of how tsunami affects a
community.

Duration: 20 minutes

Materials:
● binder clips
● coloring materials
● short bond paper

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Procedure:
1. Ask the students to form groups of five
2. Ask the students to cut the short bond paper in squares with a dimension
of 2 inches by 2 inches.
3. Clip the pieces of paper using the binder clip.
4. Create a paper animation of how tsunami starts and how it affects the
people in the coastal areas. Use the link below as a guide on how to make
a paper animation.

User: Andymation. January 19, 2018. ‘How to make a

flipbook’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un-BdBSOGKY.

5. Ask the students to answer the guide questions.

Guide Questions:
1. What is a tsunami? Tsunami are huge destructive waves generated from an
underwater earthquake.
2. What are the hazards that tsunami poses to lives and properties? Huge
waves can cause structural collapse, electrocution is also a risk due to
destruction of electrical poles.
3. How can earthquakes generate a tsunami? Earthquakes provides the
vertical push needed to uplift water and generate a tsunami.

Teacher’s Notes
Tsunamis are huge destructive waves generated from an underwater
earthquake. The activity allows the students to see how tsunamis affect
different areas as it approaches the land.

2. Discuss the topic on how tsunami forms. How do tsunamis form? You may refer to
slide 5 to 7.
a. Tsunamis happen when:
i. Two massive tectonic plates in the ocean collide
ii. Megathrust ruptures are created to release accumulated stress
iii. Water is displaced by thrusting and vibration of seafloor

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iv. Seismic waves from the earthquake push the water up

b. Tsunamis start out as mere waves and travel very fast in all directions.
c. As the waves approach the shore, they slow down and increase in size.
d. Most of the time, reverse or thrust faults generate tsunami as it requires a
vertical push to uplift the water and start a wave
e. After the discussion, you may proceed with Option B.

Option B: Timeline
In this activity, students will be instructed to create a timeline showing how the
tsunami occurs.

Duration: 10 minutes

Materials:
● art materials
● long bond paper

Procedure:
1. Ask the students to design a timeline
2. Add the details on how tsunamis form on the timeline
3. Ask the students to answer the guide questions

Sample Timeline:

Guide Questions:
1. Which faults can create the most tsunami? Reverse or thrust faults creates
tsunami most of the time.
2. What triggers the formation of a tsunami? The release of accumulated

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stress due to the collision of two massive tectonic plates generates

tsunami.
3. What happens to the speed of the tsunami as it approaches the shore?
Tsunamis travel fast in open seas while it slows down as it reaches the
shore.

Teacher’s Notes
Tsunamis happen when stress is released from the collision of two massive
tectonic plates. By knowing and tracing how tsunamis form, people may be able
to mitigate the impact of a tsunami.

3. Enumerate remarkable tsunami events recorded in history. What are the remarkable
tsunamis recorded in history? You may refer to slides 8 to 10.
a. Some of the remarkable tsunamis in history are the Indian Ocean
Earthquake, Japan earthquake, and the Moro Gulf earthquake.
b. Indian Ocean Earthquake
i. happened in 2004 at the west of Indonesia;
ii. magnitude 9.3 earthquake that occurred underwater;
iii. caused by the collision of India Plate and Sunda Plate; and
iv. killed more than 230,000 in the 11 coastal countries.
c. Japan Earthquake
i. happened in 2011;
ii. 9.0 magnitude in Sendai; and
iii. caused destruction of Fukushima power plant.
d. Moro Gulf Earthquake (Philippines)
i. happened in 1976;
ii. caused by the movement of the plates along the Cotabato trench; and
iii. 8,000 people died.
e. After the discussion, you may proceed with Option C.

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Option C: Poster Making

The activity requires the students to show the aftermath of the tsunami.

Duration: 20 minutes

Materials:
● art materials
● long bond paper

Procedure:
1. Ask the students to brainstorm about the effects of a tsunami.
2. Ask the students to create a poster of the aftermath of the tsunami.
3. Use the rubrics below for checking the work of the students.
4. Ask the students to answer the guide questions.

Rubric for checking

Criteria 3 2 1

The poster was The poster was

completed using completed using The poster was
different art few kinds of art completed using one
Creativity materials. materials. kind of art materials.
Materials were Resourcefulness Resourcefulness was
used was somewhat not observed.
resourcefully. observed.

The poster does not

The poster shows The poster shows
show complete
complete details some details of the
Content details of the
of the aftermath aftermath of the
aftermath of the
of the tsunami. tsunami.
tsunami.

Guide Questions:
1. What are the effects of the tsunami on humans and animals? It causes loss
of lives and habitat.

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2. What are the effects of the tsunami in a country? The country’s economy
greatly suffers from this calamity as it requires the country to rebuild every
infrastructure and every community destroyed.
3. How can you reduce the number of casualties in case a tsunami occurs?
Educate the people about evacuation procedures and areas where they
can stay until tsunami has passed or a tsunami warning has been lifted.

Teacher’s Notes
Tsunamis occur when water is displaced due to earthquakes. Tsunami affects
large scale areas. In this activity, students will be more aware of the effects of
the tsunami and will open their minds to mitigating the impacts of the tsunami.

Web Box
To provide a better understanding of the process of the lesson, the teacher may
use the video below to allow students to visualize the process being discussed in
the lesson.

Peekaboo kids. 2016. ‘Tsunami | The Dr. Binocs Show |

Educational Videos For Kids
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfsugkikLJI

Link to the downloadable presentation slides: 9.3 Tsunami

C. Practice & Feedback

Use the following materials to serve as practice activity in assessing student’s
understanding of the lesson. Make sure to provide feedback after doing the activity.

1. Identify the term which is being described by the statements.

a. The meaning of the term ‘tsunami’. Harbor waves
b. The types of fault which mostly generates a tsunami. Thrust or reverse faults
c. The speed of water as a tsunami approaches the shore. Slowing down
d. The power plant that was destroyed during the tsunami in Japan. Fukushima
power plant

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2. Write T is the statement is correct and F if otherwise.

a. All tsunamis are generated by undersea earthquakes. F
b. All earthquakes generate a tsunami. F
c. Tsunamis travel fast in the open ocean. T
d. It requires a vertical push to uplift the water and generate tsunami waves. T
e. Indian ocean earthquake occurred in 2004. T

Assess Performance
Use the additional materials to assess the understanding of the students
regarding the lesson.

1. Ask the students to answer the following individually on their notebooks. Afterward,
it will be checked and graded.

a. Create a diagram showing how tsunamis are generated.

Answer Key:

How a tsunami happens

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2. Use the Check Your Understanding section in the study guide pages 30 to 31.
Students may answer it on their notebooks and will be checked and graded
afterward. Choose only selected items if not possible due to time.

a. Determine the term described in each sentence.

1. This is a huge destructive wave ​that is generated when an earthquake
occurs underwater. Tsunami
2. It is the nuclear power plant that is greatly affected by the 2011
tsunami in Japan. Fukushima
3. It is a kind of wave produced during an earthquake that can also cause
the formation of huge waves in the tsunami. Seismic waves
4. These two plates interact which caused the 2004 tsunami in Thailand.
India and Sunda Plate

b. Using what you have learned about earthquakes and tsunamis, fill in the
Venn diagram using the words below.

Word List

Normal, reverse, and strike-slip faults seismograph

ground-shaking Huge waves

Seismic waves intensity

magnitude destruction

Reverse and thrust faults Plate tectonics

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Answer Key:

c. Fill in the blanks that will correctly complete each statement.

Tsunamis could be caused due to (1) collision of tectonic plates. (2) reverse or
thrust fault is most likely associated with the formation of a tsunami. This
kind of fault is produced when plates (3) converge. Tsunami is known as (4)
harbor waves since huge waves are perceptible (5) on the shore.

Synthesis
To end the lesson, the following strategies can be done:

1. Provide a brief recall of the concepts of the tsunami.

2. Ask the students to create a concept map on the board that focuses on the process
of tsunami formation.

3. Ask the student the following synthesis questions:

a. Do all earthquakes cause a tsunami? No because not all earthquakes can
generate energy strong enough to cause a tsunami
b. Why is reverse and thrust fault related to tsunamis? Movement of these
faults provides the vertical push needed to uplift water.
c. Explain the major cause of the tsunami. Collision of plates is the major cause
of tsunami as it releases the energy from accumulated stress causing
displacement of water

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Bibliography
The Associated Press. 2016. The World’s Deadliest Earthquake Since 2000. Accessed June
13, 2018.
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/the-worlds-deadliest-earthquakes-since
-2000/

Environmental Literacy Council. https://enviroliteracy.org/land-use/plate-

tectonics/earthquakes/. Accessed June 29, 2017

ESA21: Environmental Science Activities for the 21st Century. Nd. Plate Tectonics:
Earthquake Epicenter. http://esa21.kennesaw.edu/activities/epicenter/epicenter.pdf.
Accessed June 29, 2017.

Dutch, Steven. 2010. Faults and Earthquakes.

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/earthsc202notes/quakes.htm. Accessed June 29, 2017

Lagmay, A.M.F., Eco, R. and Ybanez, R. 2013. Magnitude 7.2 temblor rocks Bohol,
Philippines (Initial assessment). Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards.
Accessed July 7, 2017.
http://blog.noah.dost.gov.ph/2013/10/20/magnitude-7-2-temblor-rocks-
Bohol-Philippines-initial-assessment/

Lyell, Charles. 2005. Principles of Geology. Reprinted. Penguin UK.

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. 2008. PHIVOLCS Earthquake

Intensity Scale (PEIS). Accessed July 7, 2017.
http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4
5&Itemid=100

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. 2008. About PHIVOLCS. Accessed

July 7, 2017.
http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id
=13&Itemid=19

Sabornido, S. 2015. Top 10 Strongest Earthquake to Hit the Philippines. Accessed

June 13, 2018.
https://faq.ph/top-10-strongest-earthquakes-to-hit-the-philippines/

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Tarbuck, Edward J., and Frederick J. Lutgens. 2015. Earth Science. New Jersey: Pearson
Prentice Hall.

United States Geological Services. USGS: Science for a changing world. Sept 20, 2009.
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids/eqscience.php. Accessed June 29,
2017.

United States Geological Services. Earthquake Glossary - dip slip.

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/glossary/?term=dip%20slip. Accessed July 7, 2017.

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Appendix A1. Assess-Recall Worksheet (with

Answer Key)
Instruction: Read and analyze the statements below. Then, write the letter of the correct
answer.

Question 1 Explanation
What is the meaning of the word tsunami? The term tsunami literally means
A. harbor waves harbor waves.
B. beach waves
C. earthquake waves
D. ocean waves

Question 2 Explanation
Which of the following is defined as huge Tsunami is defined as huge
destructive waves? destructive waves.
A. tsunami
B. seismic waves
C. huge wave
D. Earth waves

Question 3 Explanation
What is the year when tsunami occurred on the Indian ocean earthquake occurred
west coast of Indonesia? in 2004.
A. 2004
B. 2005
C. 2007
D. 2011

Question 4 Explanation
What is the power plant in Japan which was Fukushima power plant was
destroyed by the tsunami? destroyed during the Japan
A. Fukushima power plant earthquake.
B. Tokyo power plant
C. Osaka power plant
D. Sendai power plant

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Question 5 Explanation
What is the strongest tsunami that has been Moro Gulf earthquake is the
recorded in history? strongest tsunami that has been
A. Moro Gulf earthquake recorded in history.
B. Philippine earthquake
C. Japan earthquake
D. Indian Ocean earthquake

Question 6 Explanation
Which the types of faults which generates most of Reverse or thrust faults are the
the tsunami? types of faults which generates
A. reverse or thrust faults most of the tsunami.
B. reverse and normal faults
C. reverse and strike-slip faults
D. normal and strike-slip faults

Question 7 Explanation
What are the plates that caused the Indian Ocean Indian Ocean earthquake was
earthquake? caused by the movement of India
A. India and Sunda plate and Sunda plate.
B. India and Philippine plate
C. Japan and Philippine plate
D. Sunda and Japan plate

Question 8 Explanation
What is the magnitude of the Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean earthquake is a
earthquake in 2004? magnitude of 9.3.
A. 9.3
B. 9.4
C. 8.1
D. 9.6

Question 9 Explanation
What is the year when the Japan earthquake Japan earthquake occurred in 2011.
occurred?
A. 2011
B. 2004
C. 1976
D. 2005

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Question 10 Explanation
Where did the Moro Gulf earthquake occur? The movement of plates along the
A. Cotabato trench Cotabato trench caused the Moro
B. West valley fault Gulf earthquake.
C. Mindanao trench
D. Mindanao

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Appendix A2. Assess-Comprehension Worksheet

(With Answer Key)
Instruction: Answer the following questions.

1. Why is tsunami mostly generated by reverse faults?

Because the generation of a tsunami requires a vertical push to uplift water and
start a wave. The push will come from the upward movement of the hanging wall
block.

2. How can tsunami increase the number of casualties in an area?

A tsunami can wipe out an entire community in a short period of time.

3. Why is tsunami considered more dangerous than earthquakes?

Because in an area which have already undergone structural weakening, a

tsunami can bring in huge amounts of water with great force and create more
structural damage than earthquakes.

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Appendix A3. Application Worksheet (With

Answer Key)
Instruction: Answer the following questions.

1. Coastal communities are common in every country, how can you protect these
people from the tsunami?

Educate these people about the ways they can survive if a strong earthquake
struck their area.

2. Suppose you are having your vacation on a beach when a strong earthquake struck,
explain what will be your immediate response.

Go as far from the beach as you can and look for a mountain you can climb up to
be safe in case the earthquake was able to create a tsunami.

3. You were in a yacht in the middle of the ocean when an earthquake occurred.
You’ve observed that the water receded, what will be your response?

Get past the wave that will be generated by the tsunami. This will ensure survival
rather than going back to the coast.

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