Project 2: Earthquake and Boise River Bridge Design - A Project-based STEM +Computing Inquiry (90 minutes in total including 10 minutes break in the middle of the session)
Overall guiding question: How can we build a bridge for the Boise River that is strong enough to resist earthquake forces?
Sub questions: What are the damages of an earthquake?
Learning outcome: An oral presentation, with a poster for visual display, on the damages of an earthquake
CT component embedded in student activities:
Data Collection: Students will gather information on what an earthquake is and what are its causes
Communication: Students take notes and make presentation based on their research
Entry event (for motivation purpose) - 5 to 10 minutes
A teacher asks the following questions to prompt students thinking about what they did previously about “earthquakes”, and allows the students to share their experiences before showing the video about earthquakes.
What is an “earthquake’?
What do we know about earthquakes?
How can we detect earthquakes? And why?
How scientists measure the size of earthquake?
Watch Dr. Andre Filiatrault’s earthquake video about what causes earthquakes (5:49 minutes).
Small-group hands-on scientific inquiry on “What is an earthquake?” and “Why does an earthquake occur?”: 40 minutes (with a 10-minute break 20 minutes into the research).
Students will work in groups of two to research the damages of earthquake as well as other earthquake effects:
Why does earth shake when there is an earthquake?
What are the damages of an earthquake?
What are earthquake effects?
How can we detect an earthquake?
Students create a poster and present their independent research.
Resources provided: The following resources will be provided for this inquiry activity:
How is an Earthquake Caused: How do earthquakes form? and Types of Earthquakes
About earthquake Effects: About Earthquakes Effects and Earthquake Proof Buildings
Student Presentations: (students presentations need to closely related to the sub questions and learning outcomes) Two 10 minute sessions (20 minutes total)
Suggested approach: Half of the students hang their posters up, and present their research to the remaining students. The poster items will reflect on earthquakes and their causes. After 10 minutes, the two groups of students switch roles with the original presenters who become the audience and the other half of the students who hung up their posters for their presentations. Students can also use Google slides, however the teacher needs to remind students of the limited time available to work on their poster/slides.
End of Session Reflection and Debriefing: 5-10 minutes
Using the Problem Solving Process diagram, the teacher will ask students to identify what kind of problem solving skills/process/computational thinking they used in this session and explain how they used it. The following are some sample questions that can guide the debrief.
What did I learn today?
What problem solving skills/processes or CT components I used today in this diagram?
How did you use the problem solving skills/processes/CT components?
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