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"Spaghetti" EarthQuake |
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Notes to Teachers
Introduction
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General Information |
Skills and Standards |
Resources | WebQuest materials
Tips and Suggestions / Samples |
Acknowledgements
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If this WebQuest seems to be rather complex it was intended to be so. I wanted my 8th graders to complete a project that would include many elements that must be accomplished. Much like the old circus trick of keeping several plates spinning on sticks at the same time, I believe there is value for students at this age to complete multi-faceted projects. . |
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Suggested Timeline
Day 1 - Brief preview of Webquest in last 10 -15 minutes of class.
Show students how
to navigate the WebQuest
Day 2 - (Computer Room) Students review entire Webquest on their own.
Students should
make necessary team decisions and begin planning. Introduce WebQuest materials
and handouts. Question and answer session during the last
10 minutes.
Day 3 - Begin formulating designs.
Day 4 - Planning and designing. Students may begin purchasing materials. Begin construction.
Day 5 - Construction of structure. Preparation of diagram (blueprint).
Day 6 - Continue construction / blueprints. Prepare presentations.
Day 7 - Final work day.
Day 8 - EARTHQUAKES!!!
Day 9 - Reflection and Overview. Begin next unit of study.
| Skills Some of
the skills that I hope to |
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Standards
Several Indiana State Science Standards could apply to this WebQuest.
From
the 8th grade science
curriculum I have chosen the following standards to reach:
Technology and Science 8.6.1, 8.6.8
Manipulation and Observation
8.2.3
Communication 8.2.7
Systems 8.7.1, 8.7.2
Constancy and Change 8.7.6
Below I have included a link to the Indiana Department of Education (Indiana
School Improvement). You
can download Indiana State Science Standards for any
grade level from this source.
I also have included links to HASTI (Hoosier Association
of Science Teachers, Inc.) and
NSTA (National Science Teachers Association)
Additional information on
standards and assessment can be found in these sites.
Indiana School
Improvement
Hoosier Association of Science Teachers, Inc.
NSTA - National Science Teachers Association
Here are a couple of additional websites that my be useful to you. Terra Electronica shows an actual earthquake simulator. This site includes images and videos of the simulator in use. The link to Discovery School shows an example of how to build a earthquake generator for testing the model structures.
Terra Electronica
Discovery
School - Constructing Earthquake-Proof Buildings
Purchase Orders and Checks
To purchase the materials needed for this project the students must complete purchase orders and write checks. It is the responsibility of the team treasurer to keep track of expenditures and the budget. Only 3 purchase orders and checks will be issued. This necessitates careful planning on the part of the student teams. I did not include these forms on the student page. I decided that I would provide hard copies of these forms to have better control over their use. I maintain separate folders for each team in order to monitor the purchases and materials used. I also have included a "Certificate of Insurance" for those purchasing the policy. (Click below to receive copies of these forms.)
Special Endowment
My hometown Columbus, Indiana is well
known for its unique architecture. Smithsonian Magazine called
Columbus a "veritable museum of modern architecture." Thanks to the generosity of J.
Irwin Miller and Cummins Engine Company
several public and private buildings have been designed by famous architects
such as I.M. Pei, Eliel Saarinen and Harry Weese and Kevin Roche.
One year the spaghetti that I
purchased for the project was so brittle that the kids needed additional materials to
strengthen their structures. I decided to
create an architectural "Special Endowment" of $800.00 to be awarded
to each team. Teams could use the extra money to create features of
architectural significance. (Or to purchase extra materials just to keep their
structures from falling down.)
Click to visit Columbus, Indiana
Disaster Relief
Something new occurred during the 2009 school
year. The marshmallows that I used did not dry out as in years
past. In the construction process the marshmallows act as "concrete"
that sets around the spaghetti sticks making the connections within the
structure more solid. Normally after a couple of days the marshmallows
are hard as a rock. A couple of possibilities may explain what
happened. It may be that a different preservative is being
used in the marshmallows that keep them fresher than the ones I've used in
the past. Another is that I completed the activity a little later in
the school year. Normally I conduct the activity mid-February.
It is quite cold here in Indiana at that time and the furnaces are running
full blast. In 2009 I completed the activity in mid-March. We
had unusually warm, humid weather at the time. I
suspect that those weather conditions contributed to the softening of the
marshmallows causing some of even the most well built structures to
collapse. It may be that the warm, dry heat from the furnaces
operating would have caused the marshmallows to dry out. Consequently,
it may be best to complete this WebQuest during the colder months of the
year.
I had to quickly think on my feet about what to do
about this situation. The kids needed extra materials to repair their
structures. The solution that I arrived at was to provide
emergency funding from FEMA (Federal Emergency Marshmallow
Administration). With the additional materials received the
kids were able to make the
necessary improvements to their structures.
Print FEMA Emergency Disaster Relief
Earthquake Simulator
The Discovery School website
provides instructions on how to build earthquake simulator
machines. They use marbles, rubber
bands and other materials to produce the earthquake effects. The
problem I find with these machines is that they are operated manually and it
would be difficult to quantitatively measure the "magnitude" of the
earthquake.
The machine that I used was created by a friend of
mine. He designed a machine with a wooden platform supported by
springs purchased at a hardware store. The springs allow the platform
to bounce and sway simulating the effects of an earthquake. Beneath
the platform he ingeniously attached an electric palm sander from his workshop.
He used parts from an old Erector Set to support the sander. The vibration
of the sander interacts with the springs to create a shake, rattle and roll.
The palm sander was plugged into a rheostat that he found at an electrical
supply store. The rheostat has numbered settings that allow the speed
of the palm sander to be controlled. (I believe a variable speed
control for a ceiling fan would work equally well.) The faster the setting
the higher the magnitude of the earthquake. This allows for better
measurement which can be factored into the performance of the structure and
the determination of the winners.
Cover the entire area surrounding the machine with
plastic. You will probably scramble a few eggs. That's part of
the fun.
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Spplatt! |
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| Here is an
Earthquake machine created by my student teacher Brad Cobb. He
conducted the Spaghetti Earthquake activity in the Spring of 2004.
He used the same design concept as described above. The
electric palm sander is attached with glue and Velcro to the bottom side
of the top platform. The springs created a bouncing, rolling
action that worked quite well. We determined that longer springs
may create an even better effect.
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| Spaghetti and Marshmallows One of the nice things about this project is that it is relatively cheap. I purchase in the large quantity sizes from Walmart. I use 1 large box of spaghetti (3 lbs.) and about 1 1/2 bags of mini marshmallows (16 oz. bag). This was enough for the 45 teams (approx. 170 kids) that participated in the project. My colleague does this project as well. She has approx. 130 eighth graders. Between the two of us we use 2 boxes of spaghetti and 3 bags of marshmallows. We can borrow from each other if our supplies run a little low. |
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Because there are so many aspects to address it might be advisable to give the kids hard copies of the WebQuest. Since much of the work will be completed away from their computer stations, students will need to have information available to help them to complete the project accurately. Also, some students seem to prefer to read paper copies rather than viewing a computer screen.
I like to make a big deal over the various roles that the students take on. Build their self-esteem by addressing them as Ms. Chief Architect or Mr. Construction Engineer. I have had kids make business cards for themselves with their names and official titles that they pass out to other students.
Some students have asked me to provide a larger list of websites in the Resources section. They would prefer not to do their own web search. I believe that learning how to utilize the search engines and to filter out websites that are not useful as valuable experience they can use beyond the scope of this project.
Samples
Some of my students go above and beyond the call of duty. In 2009, one of my students created a PowerPoint presentation to enhance her team presentation. Click on the link below to view her work:
Emily Rudge's Spaghetti EarthQuake PowerPoint
Below you will find examples of some of the outstanding structures and blueprints of the 2008 -2009 school year.
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Super Structures |
Survivors (barely) |
The Leaning Tower of Pasta |
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I
would be remiss if I did not thank those that contributed to this WebQuest.
During the 2002 - 2003 school year, a cohort of teachers from our middle
school participated in TICKIT (Teacher Institute for Curriculum
Knowledge about Integration of Technology) This is a program sponsored
by Indiana University School of Education and the Arthur Vining Davis
Foundation. The creation of this WebQuest would not be possible
without the guidance and tutelage of our instructors Lee Ehman, Curt Bonk
and John Keller.
Thanks also to my fellow TICKIT teammates, Sara
Bane, Berna Jones, Stu Hackman, Darrell Martin and Mike Sentz. I
bounced a lot of ideas off of them and I appreciate their contributions.
Special thanks to fellow HASTI (Hoosier Association of
Science Teachers) member and good friend Brian Brewer. Brian shared
the idea of this project with me and loaned an earthquake machine to me. He gave me a lot of great advice and
guidance in getting me started.
Thanks ,
Paul Elliott
Back to "Spaghetti" Earthquake WebQuest
Would you like to see one of my other WebQuests? Click on the links below.
Click to see "Elliott's" Elements WebQuest
Click to see How Old is the Earth? "Older than Dirt" WebQuest
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Last updated by Paul Elliott on 03/25/10
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