Engineering for Earthquakes Lab

Engineering for Earthquakes

Grades: 4-8
Duration: 90 minutes

Available Times: 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on school field trip operating days

*Start and end times may be flexible. Please speak to the Group Reservations specialist when booking.
Concepts/Skills: Earthquake causes and effects, theory of plate tectonics, structural engineering and design

 

Construct seismically sound structures to survive “The Big One.” Students work as teams to practice structural design and the engineering process as they learn about one of California’s greatest natural threats: earthquakes.

Lab Guide

Design a robust learning experience by selecting resources from this guide that fit the needs of your students. Reinforce learning before, after and even during your visit by diving deeper into some of the science and engineering concepts.

Lab-Related Activities

Lessons marked with an orange gear icon address engineering within the Next Generation Science Standards.

Convection Currents

Grades 4-8

Explore how differences in density can create motion in liquids. Then reflect on a demonstration of convection currents in action.

Lesson: 60 minutes

Vocabulary Choice Board

Grades K-12

Vocabulary activities to pair with one of our labs or other STEM activities.

Lesson: 20-30 min

Engineering for Earthquakes Lab

Exhibit Connections

Make connections between learning from the lab and the exhibits and programs found in The Tech Interactive’s galleries. For more exhibit connections, see the Lab Guide above.

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Standards Connections

Next Generation Science Standards  
Grades Engineering Design
 Earth and Space Science Performance Expectation Description Science and Engineering Practices
4 3-5-ETS1-1 3-5-ETS1-2 3-5-ETS1-3 3-ESS3-1 ESS1.C ETS1.A ESS2.B ETS1.B PS2.B ETS1.C Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World 1, 2, 3, 6
5 3-5-ETS1-1 3-5-ETS1-2 3-5-ETS1-3   ETS1.A ETS1.B ETS1.C Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World 1, 2, 3, 6
6-8 MS-ETS1-1 MS-ETS1-2 MS-ETS1-3 MS-ETS1-4 MS-ESS2-2 MS-ESS2-3 MS-ESS3-2 ESS1.C ETS1.A ESS2.A ETS1.B ETS1.C Structure and Function Science is a Human Endeavor 1, 2, 3, 6