Objectives:

• Analyze photographic data for evidence of earthquake damage
• Determine cause and effects of the earthquake and the fire

Student Task:

Students will examine photographs of the 1906 earthquake and its effect on specific locations. They will then decide if the destruction came from the earthquake or the fire.

Time Required: One 45-minute class period

Grade Level: 4, 8, 11

Lesson Connections and Standards References:
California Department of Education

• History—Social Science Standards:

  11.5.7
  

• Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills
  Grades Nine through Twelve
  

  Chronological and Spatial Thinking:

  4 Historical Research, Evidence, and Point of View: 4 Historical Interpretation: 4

Subject Areas: History-Social Science, Language Arts, Technology

Resources Used:

Fullerton Collection
California State Archives

Materials and Preparation: Before class begins, download and print the following materials:

Student Instructions
Call Building Photos
San Francisco Before, During and After Fire Photos Circled
Howard Street Building Photo

Procedure:

1. Discuss with class the need for careful analysis of photographic data. Tell the class that photographs are often used to determine the outcome of insurance claims. Tell the class they will be in the role of an insurance adjuster after the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. Distribute the three building analysis sheets and the student instructions to each student. Have them go online to learncalifornia.org/students/lessons/San Francisco Earthquake to begin the lesson. Allow them time to finish their building analysis forms. If they have extra time, encourage them to look at the Additional Earthquake Photographs.
2. Conduct a class discussion of the results of their observations. Ask students to justify the decisions they made as adjusters.
3. Tell students that the army, to create a firebreak to try to prevent the fire from spreading too far, dynamited many buildings. As a class, decide if that destruction should be covered by insurance.
4. Point out to students that some buildings were destroyed when the army dynamited blocks of them to make a fire break to keep the fire from spreading. As a class, decide if a building destroyed in this manner would be covered by insurance.
5. An excellent web site for more information about the 1906 earthquake is the. It has many photos, eyewitness accounts, newspaper articles, and various reports.

Evaluation Criteria:

1. Building analysis forms- accuracy and thoroughness of observations.
2. Participation in class discussion.

Extensions:

1. Students can visit The Museum of the City of San Francisco to view additional photographs of the earthquake and fire, as well as interviews, newspaper reports and oral history reports.
2. Have students look and the photos of San Francisco before and after the fire. Ask them to find buildings that survived the quake.
3. Discuss the difficulty in housing the people made homeless from the fire. Examine the photos of the refuge housing and the tent cities created for the homeless. Discuss whether the people should pay for staying there and how long they should be allowed to stay.
4. Assign students specific eyewitness accounts from The Museum of the City of San Francisco (www.sfmuseum.org). Have students share what they learned to give an overall view for the entire class.
5. Have students take the role of a survivor of the earthquake. Ask them to write a letter to a relative describing their experiences.
6. Explore the role of plate tectonics in earthquakes, and how they apply to San Francisco.
7. Examine the seismograph readings shown for San Francisco The Museum of the City of San Francisco (www.sfmuseum.org) web site. Compare the 1906 earthquake readings to those of 1987.