Goal:
Students will understand how the center of gravity, magnitude of the vibrations from an earthquake, and structural factors all impact the durability of a building during an earthquake.
Objectives:
Students will...
1. Investigate different types of material, sizes, and designs to determine the most durable building structure.
2. Build a structure according to contest rules working as part of a collaborative group.
3. Stetch and label their building structure.
4. Summarize and anaylze the factors; distribution of weight, and variations in shape, height, and material, that impact building durability in the wake of an earthquake with relevance to their structure.
Illinois Science Standards:
STATE GOAL 11: Understand the processes of scientific inquiry and technological design to investigate questions, conduct experiments and solve problems.
A. Know and apply the concepts, principles, and processes of scientific inquiry.
11.A.2b. Collect data for investigations using scientific process skills including observing, estimating and measuring.
11.A. 2e. Report and display the results of individual and group investigations.
STATE GOAL 12: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences.
E. Know and apply concepts that describe the features and processes of the Earth and its recources.
12.E.2b. Describe and explain short-term and long-term interactions of the Earth's components (e.g., earthquakes, types of erosion).
Materials:
1. Earthquake Generator
2. Blocks - cardboard, styrofoam, wood, plastic, sponge
3. Directions & Rules Worksheet
4. Earthquake Proof Building Contest Response Worksheet
5. Ruler
Engage:
1. Post illustration of the earth's layers on the board.
2. Ask students to recall last week's nature walk and the factors that influenced changes to the earth's surface.
Possible student responses include: trenches from the rain, dirt paths from kids walking over the grass, etc.
3. Ask students who or what caused these changes to the earth's surface? human & nature - factors from
above the earth's crust. Today we are going to start exploring changes to the earth's surface due to
factors from the below the crust.
4. Point our the three layers of earth and the plates. Have students stand up with their arms out. Each of us
represents a plate like in the illustration and these move slowly over time. Students will reach out and lightly
push against the person to their side. These vibrations of when the plates collide is how we experience
earthquakes.
5. Ask students how vibrations from an earthquake effect the earth's surface. (Building damage)
6. Explain to students they are going to work in groups to build the safest, most durable building to withstand
an earthquake on the generator. Hand out the worksheets to review directions and rules.
Explore:
1. Students will be encouraged to discuss factors that might contribute to the durability of a building before
they begin building.
2. Students will get 15 minutes to build their structure.
3. Each group's structure will be stetched and labeled on the board before testing.
4. Building structures will be tested on the earthquake generator at increasing magnitudes. Results will be
posted on the board next to each group's sketch.
Explain:
1. Students will be asked to think of the properties that contribute to the success or not so successful fate of
the buildings. What factors contribute to some of the buildings outlasting others? (Do they have a wider
base? Heavier materials?)
2. How does the center of gravity and magnitude of the earthquake effect the durability of their structure?
Elaborate:
1. Review four variables (distribution of weight, variation in shape, variation in height, and the type of material
used) that contribute to the durability of a structure as it relates to the buildings the students constructed.
Discuss how these attributes contributed to the success of the most durable structure built.
2. Based on what you have learned how could you make your building more durable? What would you
change? How does this relate to the four variables?
3. What kind of building would you like to be in during an earthquake after competing in this contest?
Evaluate:
1. Student worked effectively in their group to make a structure based on sound reasoning skills and followed
the criteria outlined.
2. Student correctly sketched and labeled their building structure on their response worksheet.
3. Student identified was able to draw conclusions from the experiments, including elements of the center of
gravity, magnitude (vibration level), and the four factors on their response worksheet.
