FREE Thinking Kit activity - Earthquakes (Haiti case study)

Earthquakes (Haiti case study) activity

In our free Thinking Kit App, you can download activities created by us, those shared by other educators (or even learners) or those that you have created yourself. To do so:

1. Download the app (click here or search Thinking Kit App on the App Store).
2. Launch the app, tap Educator, then New Session then 'Download task'.
3. Enter the Task Code (4649 for the earthquake task or click here for other activities).

More information about the Earthquakes (Haiti case study) activity

Subject: Geography
Topic: Nature, Earthquake, Disaster, Society, Economy, Poverty, Causes
Audience: 11 - 16 year olds
Question: Why was the Haiti Earthquake in 2010 so devastating for the country?
Author: Paul Lawrence
Task Code: 4649

This activity surrounds the Haiti earthquake in 2010 and why it was such a devastating event for the country. It considers the risk of tectonic hazards to the country due to its physical location as well social and economic factors that have made it vulnerable to disaster. Primary and secondary effects are also covered that can lead to discussion towards why so many people died.

As well as the main question, which is provided in the activity, you could also ask students some of the following sub-questions:

• What were the physical causes of the earthquake?
• What were the human factors that caused so much devastation?
• What were the effects of the earthquake?
• What were the primary effects?
• What were the secondary effects?
• Why did so many people die?

Learning outcomes

• Be able to sequence the different stages of an earthquake
• Identify both the physical causes and human factors that led to such devastation
• Understand the social and economic factors that have left Haiti vulnerable to natural disasters
• The difference between primary and secondary effects
• Discussion on why Haiti is stuck in a cycle of poverty

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