TSUNAMI

t has been several weeks since huge waves hit southern Asia and eastern Africa, killing a huge number of people and wiping out many towns. The trouble was caused by tsunami (pronounced sooh-NAH- mee) waves from an earthquake under the Indian Ocean. The waves were strong because they were I whipped up by the world’s most powerful earthquake in 40 years. The Earth’s outer layer — or crust — is like a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces are called tectonic plates. They are The in Education (NIE) Program always moving, but usually very slowly. The tsunami disaster on Dec. 26 started when two plates in the strives to promote literacy and responsible Indian Ocean moved a lot — and very quickly. citizenship in children and young adults One of them -- the India plate -- is very big, but it doesn’t take through the inclusion of newspapers with giant steps. In a normal year, it travels only 2.5 inches, or about regular classroom curricula. twice as fast as your fi ngernails grow. But on the day of the disaster, it moved a lot as it dived beneath its smaller neighbor, NIE Contact Information the Burma plate. The India plate had been squeezed down for a long time by its 937-225-7425 • 937-225-7364 neighbor, the smaller Burma plate. Finally, it couldn’t take it Springfield News-Sun anymore. The India plate snapped — and about 620 miles of it 937-328-0282 fell under the edge of the Burma plate . This was the strongest The Middletown Journal earthquake in 40 years. 513-705-2570 SITE OF LARGEST EARTHQUAKE IN THE LAST 40 YEARS. ASSOCIATED PRESS JournalNews It might remind you of a 513-820-2136 wild seesaw ride. The Burma plate rose — a whopping 30 to 50 feet [email protected] — as the India plate fell. When the Burma plate rose, water rolled down it like it would roll down�������������������� you if you were rising on a seesaw in water. Because the water fell�������������������� 30 to 50 feet, it caused huge waves. It all added up to a tsunami. So what is a tsunami — really? It is not just one wave. It is a bunch of waves stirred up by powerful motion under the sea. It can be caused by an earthquake, landslide or underwater volcano. On Dec. 26, tsunami waves raced across the ocean at up to 500 miles an hour — about as fast as a jet fl ies. They got bigger as they got closer to the beaches of east Africa and south Asia. Over 200,000

RELIEF CAMP IN VARICHIKUDI. GURINDER OSAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS people died as the violent power of the Earth was proved again.

If you do raise money, you could have an adult who is Tsunami helping you send it to one of Quiz the places listed below. Need ideas for getting 1. What types of things started? Try one of these: can cause a tsunami • Have kids at your school to happen in the bring in pennies and put fi rst place? them in jars. They can add up What Can You quicker than you think! 2. How fast were the • Have a bake sale. waves moving during the Do to Help? th • Do chores in exchange for December 26 tsunami? You may have seen pictures of donations from your parents If a car was traveling the disaster or heard or read (vacuum, make beds, take out 50 miles per hour at the about it and have questions or the garbage, serve Mom or Dad time of the tsunami; wonder what you can do. breakfast in bed). HOMELESS IN PARANGIPET. SAURABH DAS/ASSOCIATED PRESS Many people — including • Have a pizza party or movie 3. How much faster was thousands of kids — still need night — with popcorn and the wave traveling help. They are from areas candy — for your friends. Have than the car? along the Indian Ocean in them pay to get in like they would at a theater. 4. How much slower is eight countries. Activities the car traveling Most of these than the wave? in need are Locate examples of three in Indonesia, 5. What type of plates Malaysia, maps in your . are the India plate Thailand, What information do these and the Burma plate? Sri Lanka, India maps give you and why are and Somalia. these maps in the newspaper? Many lost their homes, schools, Write your answers next to the clothes, toys, food, maps you have clipped from the water and pets. paper and pasted to your page. Our government and other countries are DESTROYED BOATS IN PHUKET, THAILAND. KARIM KHAMZIN/ASSOCIATED PRESS Look at the weather map in ? pitching in. But it There are many local groups the newspaper. Predict the ? ? will take a lot of time, money, and organizations who weather for tomorrow in fi ve medicine and work before are sending packages of different cities around the ? things get back food, clothing, bedding and . to normal. also money to the tsunami

victims. Look in today’s Tectonic 5. If you would like to help the

kids and their families, one of newspaper for organizations Research a current crisis the speed of the wave. wave. the of speed the 1/10

th the best ways is to raise money. in your area that may be 10 times as slow or or slow as times 10 4. headlining in the paper such

Why not just send things? helping out. 10 times as fast. as times 10 3. as the energy crisis, famine,

Because it is quicker to buy

500 miles per hour. hour. per miles 500 2. overpopulation or global

things near where they are

or underwater volcanoes. underwater or needed, offi cials say, and you warming. After collecting

Earthquakes, landslides, landslides, Earthquakes, 1. 1. don’t waste money on postageThank stories and information, write

Tsunami Quiz Answers Quiz Tsunami or shipping costs. YYou!ou! a letter to the editor proposing possible solutions to the crisis. Sources include: Anita Harkins, Atlanta-Journal Constitution

kidsINK Special Bonus Supplement The Big Read Every Other Tuesday February 15 African American History “The Big Read” is a community project that encourages Tech Fest 2005 This supplement will celebrate infl uential African citizens to read the same book in order to discuss it. NIE will provide a curriculum series focusing on reading and March 1 Americans throughout history and will be distributed with your regular NIE newspapers on Wednesday, writing skills to coincide with this year’s book, Lights, Grammar, Action! February 23. Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich. March 15 Women’s History Page development by Noell Jackson. Design by Anise V. Simpson.