Earthquakes and Volcanoes - Principled Academy

Geography

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

Geography, n. [Geo Gr. the earth, and Graphy Gr. to write, to describe.]

1. Properly, a description of the earth or terrestrial globe, particularly of the divisions of its surface, natural and artificial, and of the position of the several countries, kingdoms, states, cities, etc. As a science, geography includes the doctrine or knowledge of the astronomical circles or divisions of the sphere, by which the relative position of places on the globe may be ascertained, and usually treatisies of geography contain some account of the inhabitants of the earth, of their government, manners, etc., and an account of the principal animals, plants, and minerals.

2. A book containing a description of the earth.

The following is an example of how teaching/learning via Biblical Principles in Geography takes the teacher and student beyond the typical lesson of, “There is such a thing as a volcano, this is the anatomy of it, etc..” Using this approach allows our children to learn with reflection. They are able to apply the principles they learn from the Bible and the Leading Ideas. I hope you’ll see what I mean in the lesson below:

Sample PA Geography Lesson on Earthquakes and Volcanoes (Remember, this can be divided into a week’s worth of study):

*A quick note about the Leading Idea. This is mentioned to the student at the beginning of the lesson. However, I come to the Leading Idea of the lesson toward the end of creating the lesson. The process I go through to come up with my Leading Idea is to research my subject first, and then I pull the Leading Ideas from my research. The Leading Idea can come from the Bible verses I have read or from reasoning from scripture.

Leading Idea:
God has used/will use earthquakes throughout history to show:
His presence
His deliverance
His wrath
His power
To announce Christ’s return
To accompany prophetic events
To reshape the earth’s surface

Biblical Principle:
There is a purpose for every aspect of God’s creation!

Research:
God’s Presence:
God’s presence can cause the earth to shake:
Read: Psalm 114:7
God’s presence can trigger volcanoes:
Read: Nahum 1:5; Psalm 104:32; Exodus 20:18; Exodus 19:18; 1 Samuel 14:15

His Deliverance:
Read: Acts 16:26- God delivered Paul and Silas; Matthew 27:51- Jesus’ Crucifixion and Matthew 28:2- Jesus’ Resurrection (our deliverance from sin); Revelation 12:16- deliverance to a place of safety for the church.

His Wrath:
Read: Psalm 18:7; Jeremiah 10:10

His Power:
Read: Numbers 16:32, 33; Acts 4:29-31- the quake proved God had heard!

To Announce Christ’s Return:
Read: Mathew 24:29; Luke 21:25, 26; Revelation 6:14; Isaiah 2:20, 21; Revelation 8:5

To Announce Prophetic Events:
Read: Joel 1:15; Joel 2:31; Revelation 11:12, 13; Revelation 11:19; Revelation 11:15; Revelation 16:17; Revelation 22:48; Isaiah 13:13; Isaiah 24:19

To Reshape the Earth’s Surface:
Read:
Before Christ’s Return- Revelation 6:14
After Christ’s Return- Revelation 16:17, 18 and vs. 20- The final earthquake that completes the process begun in Revelation 6:14. This is the same earthquake mentioned in Zechariah 14 that follows all nations gathering at Armageddon and coincides with the 6th vial of God’s wrath (Zechariah 14:4, 9); Amos 4:13; Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 40:4,5

Other References:
Isaiah 24:19, 20; Ezekiel 38:20; Joel 3:16; Haggai 2:6, 7

Read: Ezekiel 47:8-10- Ocean’s will be purified

Reason:

Volcanoes are related to earthquakes geologically and Biblically. There is a purpose for the design of volcanoes.

Relate:

In Washington, visit Mt. St. Helens and the 7 Wonders Museum to do a field study, experience and learn more about volcanoes. If you are unable to visit Mt. St. Helens, see Additional Recommended Resources below.

Record:

Do a drawing of or cut and paste a volcano on an 8.5 x 11 card stock paper. Label the anatomy of the volcano and file it in your notebook.
Write some things you learned from your Bible study on volcanoes and file them in your notebook.
Write a paragraph on what it was like to visit a volcano and more information you learned about Mt. St. Helens.
Take photos during your visit to Mt. St. Helens and scrapbook them on a page in your notebook.

Additional Recommended Resources:

DVD: Mount St. Helens: A Big Bang for Creation

DVD: Mount St. Helens: Explosive Evidence For Catastrophe by the Institute for Creation Research. From the back cover:

“On May 18, 19810, the volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens opened a new window of understanding about the geologic history of our planet. Join geologist Steve Austin as he reveals the fascinating results of his field investigations of Mount St. Helens and Spirit Lake.

Buy Now

Explore with him:

What happened in the 1980 eruption.

The rapid formation of geologic structures such as strata, canyons, log deposits, etc.

How Mount St. Helens has changed our view of the Grand Canyon and other land features.

What this event says about the earth, the Flood, man, and God. “

Geography Resource-

Buy Now

I highly recommend the book Physical Geography by Arnold Guyot. I personally love to have the book itself, however, it is in public domain and you may find a free copy of it here if you prefer a digital resource of this book or if money is a factor.

Geography

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