Models are Key

Just a peek at the bag of marshmallows on my desk had my students hooked on the lesson before they even knew the subject of it! Once they got over the confusion of why we were doing an activity on earthquakes (which we studied in September) in the middle of our unit on genetics, they focused on the lesson itself. Good thing that once I introduced the actual lesson, they quickly forgot about the inconsistent subject as well as wanting to eat the sugary treats because they were so engaged in the task at hand.

My students loved getting out of their seats to work in cooperative groups, something we do often, yet it never gets old to them. I have an extremely motivated group of students who are eager to learn and tackle new challenges. This lesson in which students had to construct a new building (using toothpicks and marshmallow) to withstand an earthquake was right up their alley. Challenges of building the model included some groups’ difficulty to compromise and agree with each other on the strategies they each wanted to use. One group even started building separate buildings using two different strategies. Once I intervened, they decided to combine the buildings to create an awkward structure that was not successful on the shake table. Groups that brainstormed and created a plan before jumping into construction were typically the most successful.

Despite these challenges as well as the cost and set-up of materials, using models to was an engaging way to show students the destructive properties of earthquakes. Students became invested in their models, so were disappointed if it collapsed on the shake table. Many of the buildings survived the test with little damage. The difference helped students determine what were good or bad construction strategies to use. Students could not have understood this information as well just reading from a textbook. Not only would it not mean as much to them, but they probably would not have remembered it as well. I will incorporate this lesson with earthquake shake table models into my earth science unit (at the appropriate time) next year. I love seeing my students enthused about learning and the models did just this!

A Scientific Appreciation

Studying the history of various natural disasters, especially their impact on human property and life, will help children gain an appreciation for the powerful processes of Earth. In my fifth grade classroom, we learn most about earthquakes and volcanoes. I would start by reading nonfiction excerpts of major earthquakes in the world’s history, for instance the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Then, I will move toward more recent events, such as the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Japan. We will look into the human interest aspect of the earthquake’s effects and how the citizens of these countries worlds were turned upside-down.

To reflect on this even further, students would write a journal entry describing how their own lives would change if there was suddenly a major earthquake in Atlanta. Finally, students in my class would research the needs of children in Haiti and Japan, still today, because of the earthquake. They will organize a school contest under a theme similar to “Change for Change” asking students in all classes to bring in change from their piggy banks or leftover from their Wendy’s drive-thru meal. The winning class will receive a treat, while the money will go either toward purchasing supplies, comfort items (such as new teddy bears), or simply as a monetary donation to the Red Cross supporting countries in the midst of natural disaster rebuilding.