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Hands-on Activity: Earthquake in the Classroom
Contributed by: Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, College of Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder

A colorful drawing of house that appears to be shaking and moving.

Summary

Students will learn how engineers construct buildings to withstand damage from earthquakes by building their own structure with toothpicks and marshmallows. Students will test how earthquake-proof their buildings are by testing them on an earthquake simulated in a pan of Jell-O®.

Engineering Connection

Relating science concept to engineering

Because earthquakes can cause walls to crack, foundations to move and even entire buildings to crumple, engineers incorporate into their structural designs techniques that withstand damage from earthquake forces, for example, cross bracing, large bases and tapered geometry. Earthquake-proof buildings are intended to bend and sway with the motion of an earthquake, or are isolated from the movement by sliders. Engineers come up with an idea, test it, and then re-engineer the structure based on its performance.

Contents

  1. Learning Objectives
  2. Materials
  3. Introduction/Motivation
  4. Procedure
  5. Attachments
  6. Safety Issues
  7. Troubleshooting Tips
  8. Assessment
  9. Extensions
  10. References
Grade Level: 5 (3-5) Group Size: 1
Time Required: 50 minutes
Activity Dependency :None
Expendable Cost Per Group
: US$ 1
Keywords:
earthquake, Earth, process, waves, structures
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Related Curriculum :

subject areas Earth and Space
curricular units Natural Disasters
lessons Earthquakes Rock!

Educational Standards :    

  •   Colorado: Science
  •   International Technology and Engineering Educators Association: Technology
Does this curriculum meet my state's standards?       

Learning Objectives (Return to Contents)

After this activity, students should be able to:
  • Identify some of the factors that make buildings earthquake-proof, including cross bracing, large "footprints," and tapered geometry.
  • Model an earthquake-proof structure using simple materials.
  • Compare a model structure with what it represents.
  • Understand why engineers need to learn about earthquakes.

Materials List (Return to Contents)

Each student should have:
  • 30 toothpicks
  • 30 miniature marshmallows
For the class to share:
  • Eight 8-½ inch square disposable baking dishes, or one 8-½ by 11 inch disposable roasting or baking pan
  • Eight boxes of Jell-O® (plus a stove, water, and pan to make Jell-O® in ahead of time)

Introduction/Motivation (Return to Contents)

Earthquakes can cause much loss of life and millions of dollars worth of damage to cities. Surface waves and body waves from earthquakes can cause walls to crack, foundations to move and even cause entire buildings to crumble. Engineers continually strive to make buildings stronger to resist the forces of earthquakes.
Engineers face the challenge of designing more robust buildings to withstand earthquakes. Earthquake-proof buildings will bend and sway with the motion of an earthquake, instead of cracking and breaking under the pressure. Have you ever looked at a really tall building, such as a skyscraper? What does it look like? Does it appear fragile and unstable? It might, but it is most probably quite sturdy and can withstand wind, rain and other natural elements and phenomenon. Earthquake-proof buildings will typically have cross bracing that forms triangles in its design geometry (like a bridge). Such buildings also normally include a large "footprint," or base, and a tapered shape, decreasing in size as the building gets taller (or simply, smaller at the top). Short buildings are more earthquake proof than tall ones. Why do you think that is? Have you ever climbed up a tree or been on top of a playground jungle gym in the wind? Do you sway more when you are up high than when on the ground? All buildings shake at the same frequency as the shaking of the earth, but the movement is magnified as the building gets taller. Sometimes, as can be the case during an earthquake, a building will sway too much, crack and crumble and fall.

Before the Activity

  • Prepare the Jell-O® the night before the activity so that it is fully set when the students begin the activity. The Jell-O® may be poured into eight 8-½ inch square pans to be shared by four students, or in one large pan for the whole class to share.
  • Make one marshmallow-toothpick structure as display for the students.

With the Students

  1. Pass out student journals. Have students fill in the top left section of the journal with vocabulary terms. Instruct students to record their observations of the activity as they work.
  2. Tell the students that they will make models of buildings and conduct an experiment to test how well their structures stand up under the stress of an earthquake. Explain to them that civil engineers do this as their job.
  3. Show the students your display model of a structure.
  4. Illustrate how to make cubes and triangles using toothpicks and marshmallows. Show them how to break a toothpick approximately in half. Explain to the students that cubes and triangles may be stacked to make towers. The towers can have small or large "footprints" (or bases).
  5. Distribute 30 toothpicks and 30 marshmallows to each student. Explain to them that the Earth has limited resources, so therefore engineers also have limited resources when building structures.
  6. Students should make structures of toothpicks and marshmallows using only the materials they have been given. Students may make large or small cubes or triangles by using whole or broken toothpicks. They may use cross bracing to reinforce their structures. (Note: For higher grade levels, give students more rules for their buildings. You can use one or more of the following rules or use your own: buildings have to be at least two toothpick levels high, buildings must contain at least one triangle, buildings must contain at least one square, or buildings must contain one triangle and square.)
  7. Place the structures on the pans of Jell-O®.
A photograph of an assembled, homemade structure constructed out of marshmallows and toothpicks. The structure is sitting on a bed of orange Jell-O®.
Figure 1. A photograph of a homemade marshmallow-toothpick structure resting on a bed of Jell-O®.
  1. If aluminum pans are used, tap the pans on the bottom to simulate compression or primary waves, or if glass baking dishes are used, shake them back and forth in a shearing motion to simulate S or secondary waves.
  2. After students have tested their structures, they should redesign and rebuild them and finally test them again. What can they do to make it stronger? Did it topple? Should they make the base bigger? Make the structure taller or shorter? Students can design and rebuild as many times as the class period allows.
  3. Have the students draw and label the shapes in their designs (cube, triangle, etc).
  4. Have students pretend that they are engineers for a civil engineering company. Instruct them to make a flyer to convince their company to let them design a better building or structure.
  5. Have students finish their journals as directed in the Assessment section below.

Safety Issues (Return to Contents)

Instruct students that in a science lab or during science experiments, nothing should ever be put into their mouths. The marshmallows and Jell-O® are not for consumption. The teacher may keep some out for a treat after the activity.

Troubleshooting Tips (Return to Contents)

This activity should be done with fresh marshmallows, as the structures may become quite stable after the marshmallows sit for a while and dry out.
The Jell-O® should not be left uncovered too long, as it will dry out and become less fluid, which will affect the activity results.

Pre-Activity Assessment

Journal: Use the journal page provided or have students make their own by doing the following: First, put a title on the journal page. In this case "Measuring Earthquakes." Then divide their journal page into four parts. The parts can be labeled Vocabulary, What I've Learned, What I Observed, and Questions I Have. Students can enter the new vocabulary words for the lesson (such as: tectonic plates, Ring of Fire, focus, epicenter, surface waves, body waves, P waves, S waves, aftershocks, seismograph, Richter scale, Mercalli scale) in the Vocabulary section.

Activity Embedded Assessment

Journal: Students should record their own observations in the section entitled, "What I've observed."

Post-Activity Assessment

Journal: Students should fill in the final sections of their journal labeled, "What I've Learned," and "Questions I Have." The teacher can solicit questions from the students and let other students answer.
Re-engineering: After students have tested their structures they should redesign and rebuild them, than test again. What can they do to make it stronger? Did it topple? Should they make a bigger base? Make it taller or shorter? Students can design and rebuild as many times as time allows.
Drawing the Geometry: Have the students make a drawing and label the shapes in their design (cube, pyramid, etc).
Sales pitch! Students pretend to be a salesperson who is trying to sell their topic to someone (Example: a big manufacturer, a consumer). Have students pretend that they are engineers and make a flyer to convince a company to let them design a better building or structure.
News broadcast: Have student teams write a news broadcast about an earthquake that has hit their hometown. The broadcast should begin with something exciting to catch the listener's attention. Then tell the facts of the event. Have the student teams share their news broadcast with the class.

Activity Extensions (Return to Contents)

Have students examine the school for earthquake engineering. Does the school building encompass some of the principles of earthquake proofing?
Observe buildings in the neighborhood or nearby city. What do the students observe about the structure of the buildings?
Obtain fault maps of the area by searching the Internet. Try searching under Federal Emergency Management Agency or National Earthquake Education Center. Is the area in a zone at risk for earthquakes? Does the local architecture plan for this?

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/4kids/

Contributors

Jessica Todd, Melissa Straten, Malinda Schaefer Zarske, Janet Yowell

Copyright

© 2004 by Regents of the University of Colorado.
The contents of this digital library curriculum were developed under a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation GK-12 grant no. 0226322. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Education or National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

Supporting Program (Return to Contents)

Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, College of Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder

Last Modified: March 30, 2011
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