STEM in a Box – Shakin’ Up The Classroom
Pre-xSTEM
Topic: Earth Science for grades 4-8
Build prior knowledge:
The teacher sets the scenario to teach the large ideas and essential skills that students will need to
master. Then we set the stage for student problem solving by including hands on exploration,
demonstration and, experimentation. Students should know that our earth is constantly
changing. They should review or discuss the crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core layers of
the earth.
Earth is constantly changing. Earthquakes shake the continents and oceans, and volcanoes spew
out the molten insides of our planet. Scientists study these awe-inspiring and sometimes
devastating natural phenomena to learn more about the inner workings of Earth.
Plate Tectonics:The earth’s crust is broken into sections called plates and these plates float on
the mantle of the earth like rafts but they move very slowly. These massive pieces are slowly
sliding under, over, away from, or past each other. The theory is called Plate Tectonics and it is
the theory that explains how the massive pieces or plates interact and move. Energy from the
earth’s core causes the oceanic and continental plates to move. They move on an average of
10cm a year or about the speed at which your fingernails grow. Was the Grand Canyon formed
quickly or slowly?
Snaidauf, Saint Xavier University STEM Center, Summer 2013
STEM in a Box – Shakin’ Up The Classroom
Let’s demonstrate how the plates interact with these blocks. They can transform which is when
plates slide past one another and cause earthquakes. They can diverge and plates separate and
cause volcanoes. Or they can converge and plates collide to cause both earthquakes and
volcanoes. See more.. http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/understanding.html
Faults: Movement of tectonic plates against each other cause the plates to fault and fold. Show
students how two desks fit next to each other and then move them rapidly to demonstrate a fault.
Show a picture of a fault and explain this is where two parts of the Earth sometimes rub against
each other like the desks and cause an earthquake. Any movements of tectonic plates against
each other cause the plates to fault (break/crack). An earthquake happens when tectonic plates
transform or converge and this sudden release of energy causes the shaking of the earth’s crust.
A normal fault is described as when the pulling apart tension causes the crust to drop down. A
reverse or thrust fault is when the forces cause the crust to move up. Ask students why people
should build strong buildings near an area that is close to a fault. What could happen to buildings
during a natural event like an earthquake?
Demonstrate a normal and reverse fault with the Styrofoam model.
Seismic waves:
An earthquake is a sudden shaking of the ground. Earthquakes generate seismic waves which can
be recorded on a sensitive instrument called a seismograph. A seismograph is an instrument used
to measure the shaking caused by an earthquake. The record of ground shaking recorded by the
seismograph is called a seismogram. Site response and ground motion studies use standard
seismometers to measure the local shaking from natural and man-made sources. These
measurements help predict what can happen to a building that is damaged from ground motion
resulting from earthquakes. This information is used to upgrade building codes, to design
earthquake-resistant structures, and to predict the patterns of strong shaking from future large
earthquakes. Rapid reporting of shaking levels also helps to focus emergency response efforts in
areas where damage is likely to be the greatest. Let’s build a working seismograph and other
items to simulate an earthquake to see how scientists measure earthquake forces.
Snaidauf, Saint Xavier University STEM Center, Summer 2013
STEM in a Box – Shakin’ Up The Classroom
Force and the iPad:
Intense ground shaking during large earthquakes can damage or even cause failure of engineered
structures such as buildings, bridges, highways, and dams. Sustained strong shaking can also
trigger ground failures, such as rock falls, landslides, or liquid earth flows. Strong motion
seismology uses special sensors, called accelerometers, to record these ground motions and the
response of engineered structures to these motions. iPads have a built-in accelerometer so you
can use one to record the seismic waves near the earthquake source to investigate the fault
motions that produced the earthquake.
P and S Waves:
All earthquakes create P waves and S waves that travel through the Earth. P waves are
compression waves that compress rocks and expand them as they pass through the Earth. S
waves and P waves are the two types of seismic waves produced by all earthquakes. P waves are
primary waves because they arrive at seismic reporting stations first. The S waves or shear waves
are secondary waves because they travel at slightly slower speeds and are the second set of
seismic waves recorded on seismographs. Scientists use the difference in time to determine the
earthquake focus and epicenter. S waves move in a back and forth motion as they travel through
the Earth. This movement causes the rock particles to be displaced at right angles. The waves
also travel at different speeds in different densities of rocks.
Make P and S waves with a slinky… http://www.geo.mtu.edu/UPSeis/making.html
Teacher demonstrates waves after we learn them.
–Draw waves in journal.
–Try and identify waves after sketches.
Engineering:
What does an engineer do? Design, plan, and supervise the construction of buildings, highways,
and transit systems; develop new materials that both improve the performance of products and
take advantage of advances in technology.
Vocabulary: Brace - (n.) a structural support; (v.) to strengthen and stiffen a structure to resist
loads. Buckle - to bend under compression. Buckling Restrained Braces (BRBs) –
a device used to hold two or more parts together which controls the bending of a support under
compression.
Common trusses used in engineering: The Warren truss is one of the simplest yet strong designs.
This simple design already existed, but what made the Warren unique is that it uses equilateral
triangles. Each side of the triangles are the same length. Pratt? Howe? They spread the load
differently. http://garrettsbridges.com/
Snaidauf, Saint Xavier University STEM Center, Summer 2013
STEM in a Box – Shakin’ Up The Classroom
Standards
Science:
MS-ESS2-1. Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of
energy that drives this process.
MS-ESS2-2. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes
have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.[Clarification Statement:
Emphasis is on how processes change Earth’s surface at time and spatial scales that can
be large (such as slow plate motions or the uplift of large mountain ranges) or small (such
as rapid landslides or microscopic geochemical reactions), and how many geoscience
processes (such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and meteor impacts) usually behave gradually
but are punctuated by catastrophic events. Examples of geoscience processes include
surface weathering and deposition by the movements of water, ice, and wind. Emphasis is
on geoscience processes that shape local geographic features, where appropriate.]
ESS2.B: PLate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions
•Maps of ancient land and water patterns, based on investigations of rocks and fossils,
make clear how Earth’s plates have moved great distances, collided, and spread apart.
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science:
MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problemwith sufficient
precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific
principlesand potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit
possible solutions.
MS-ETS1-4.Develop a model to generate datafor iterative testing and modification of a
proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
Mathematics:
CCSS.Math.Content.7.G.B.6: Solve real-world and mathematical problems involving
area, volume and surface area of two- and three-dimensional objects composed of
triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons, cubes, and right prisms.
7.SP: Develop a probability model and use it to find probabilities of events. Compare
probabilities from a model to observed frequencies; if the agreement is not good, explain
possible sources of the discrepancy. (the longer the earthquake lasts the more damage it
will do)
Common Core State Standards Connections:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.2: Integrate and evaluate information presented in
diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.5 : Make strategic use of digital media and visual
displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.
Snaidauf, Saint Xavier University STEM Center, Summer 2013
STEM in a Box – Shakin’ Up The Classroom
Resources:
Background information for the teacher:
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http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/topics/plate_tectonics/rift_man.php
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/earthquakes-101/?ar_a=1
http://sciencenetlinks.com/lessons/earthquakes/
http://www.iris.edu/hq/sis/resources/curriculum
http://www.earthsciweek.org/forteachers/faults_cont.html
Information for students:
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http://www.thetech.org/exhibits/online/quakes/intro/
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids/
http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-an-earthquake/
http://www.edumedia-sciences.com/en/n59-internal-geologic-processes
http://www.iris.edu/hq/files/programs/education_and_outreach/aotm/12/IRIStravelTime_
Bounce_480.mov
xSTEM
Snaidauf, Saint Xavier University STEM Center, Summer 2013
STEM in a Box – Shakin’ Up The Classroom
Essential Question(s): (STEM related + relevant to the Real World)
The New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) is a fault system in the Central U.S. that is located
roughly between St. Louis, Missouri and Memphis, Tennessee. The geology in the Central
U.S. is conducive to movement, and potential damage is more widespread than other
earthquake-prone areas of the U.S. You are to develop a plan based on real-world modeling.
You will eventually use your building as a model to test it in an earthquake simulation. The
engineering team for a new building in St. Louis, Missouri has a task for you….
Can you build a structure that can withstand an earthquake with a 2.0 g force?
What can engineers do to help keep people safe from earthquakes?
Why would scientists use technology and a model of an earthquake simulation to construct
buildings?
Predictions:
Earthquakes can be devastating when they shake the continents and oceans but you can learn
more about them by building structures and simulating earthquakes. The earth has moving plates
so we need to build a shakeboard to simulate plate tectonics causing an earthquake and it needs
to move. Let’s build a model that represents the Earth’s materials and the flow of energy that
drives an earthquake and use the science and other information you have learned to solve a
design challenge to answer the essential question. Look at the range of materials to be used to
construct buildings and make a hypothesis as to what design and materials will make the safest
structure and which ones will make the weakest during an earthquake.
Can you use those to make a building? How can you design a building that can withstand an
earthquake? Which materials would be good to use? Record your predictions.
Research Plan:
To measure the effects of an earthquake on various types of building structures. The earthquake
will be measured by the g force noted on the Sparkvue app on an iPad. We will test each
structure by placing it on a shakeboard, measure the force with an iPad and then simulate an
earthquake. Each test will be documented and will determine the amount of damage to the
structures, if any, each affords from the shaking that occurs during an earthquake. Based on the
information you know do you think your structure will withstand the earthquake? What do you
think will happen? Collect data with longer lasting earthquakes or more force. Do you think the
longer the earthquake lasts, the more damage it will do? Do you think the building will last one
trial? Two trials? Three trials? All four trials?
Snaidauf, Saint Xavier University STEM Center, Summer 2013
STEM in a Box – Shakin’ Up The Classroom
We will collect data from seismic imaging and processes to provide architects with information
to construct buildings strong enough to withstand an earthquake. Let’s build something out of
toothpicks and marshmallows and see what happens to the structure during an earthquake. We
will see how the building holds up in an earthquake that measures at about a 2g force on the iPad
and lasts for 15 seconds. We can compare it to our peers. Let’s record what happens like a real
scientist and see if our design of the structure holds up in an earthquake. Also, collect data with
longer lasting earthquakes or more force. Do you think the longer the earthquake lasts, the more
damage it will do? Do you think the building will last one trial? Two trials? Three trials? All four
trials?
Keep a record and make notes about the data collected after 4 trials.
Technology: iPad with the app called Sparkvue downloaded, spreadsheet software, Internet
access
Observation & Data:
What can you conclude about your data? Draw your structure before and after an earthquake.
Tell me about it. What happened to the structure during and after the earthquake simulation?
What do you think about what you observed? Create a spreadsheet that lists the description of
materials to be tested in column A, the force in column B, time in column C, and the yes or no if
it withstood the earthquake in column D. All groups made structures to withstand an earthquake.
Compare the different designs. How do you know which one was a better design for an
earthquake? Let’s do it again. Can you make the design better? How? How does the iPad helps
us determine how much force the earthquake has? How does technology help us? Let’s draw
something to remember this experiment. Let’s record it by writing about it. Graph your results.
Can you compare your earthquake simulation to notable earthquakes?
How can you modify your structure to perform better? Did the earthquake happen quickly or
slowly?
Post-xSTEM
Final Product:
Select an option:
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Make a Voki: http://voki.com/ and answer how a model can help you solve a problem.
Make a Glogster: http://edu.glogster.com/
Make a Prezi: http://prezi.com/
Create a PowerPoint presentation of your experiment and findings.
Create a video of your experiment and results.
Snaidauf, Saint Xavier University STEM Center, Summer 2013
STEM in a Box – Shakin’ Up The Classroom
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Take digital photos of your experiment and use an iPad app (note taking or story making)
to tell of your experimental process and results.
Plan another way to share this information with others and get approval from your
teacher before proceeding.
Proof of Understanding:
Final product shows an understanding of earth science and engineering processes. Students will
be able to identify a fault and describe how an earthquake occurs and how it can change the
earth’s landscape. Students will design and construct a building out of toothpicks and
marshmallows or straws that can withstand an earthquake. Students will discuss orally and in
writing information about earthquakes. Students will know, understand, and be able to explain
that scientists make observations and perform experiments to explain their thoughts. Students
should be able to explain why models help scientists and engineers. The final product illustrates
a practical knowledge of the scientific method, of having constants and variables, of careful
documentation of observable data, and data analysis to draw conclusions. The students should be
able to explain how geoscience processes such as earthquakes occur gradually but are
emphasized by catastrophic events. The teacher may wish to create a rubric to assess students’
understanding. According to the common core standards, an important focus of the speaking and
listening standards is academic discussion in one-on-one, small-group, and whole-class settings.
Formal presentations are one important way such talk occurs, but so is the more informal
discussion that takes place as students collaborate to answer questions, build understanding, and
solve problems.
Future Plans:
Consider the influence of science, engineering, and technology on society and how communities
in poor economic conditions such as Chile and Haiti lack these resources. What are the
consequences for these people and their environment? Research what kind of computer model a
scientist would use to study the effects of tsunamis. How could this help where hospitals and fire
stations should be located? Make sure your school has an emergency plan for when an
earthquake hits. Drop to the ground, get under a heavy desk, table, door frame or sit next to a
bearing wall, cover your eyes and head with your arms and hold on until the shaking stops. This
can save your life.
Explore Haiti. How many people were killed or injured from the 7.0 magnitude earthquake there
on Jan 12, 2010? More than 200,000 people were killed, and another 1.5 million were left
homeless. Unfortunately, Haiti had no preparedness initiatives, no money, little education and
lack of a full-functioning society. As a result, it suffered long lasting impacts in lives, property
and infrastructure. Now, how countries prepare, respond, and recover in the future determines
their survival. Have new earthquake-related technologies been utilized in rebuilding the
communities? Demonstrate the impact of the earthquake on Haiti.
Snaidauf, Saint Xavier University STEM Center, Summer 2013
STEM in a Box – Shakin’ Up The Classroom
Become a geophysicist.. http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids/become.php
Find the area of your building structure.
Materials:
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Various building materials
A shakeboard
Ruler
Computer/iPad with Sparkvue App
Internet access
Spreadsheet software
NOTES:
Snaidauf, Saint Xavier University STEM Center, Summer 2013