A Shake-Up in STEM: Building Earthquake-Resistant Structures with Students- A PBL Lesson Plan Guide

Are you ready to take your students on an adventure in STEM? Are you ready to shake up your classroom and get your students involved in something meaningful and impactful? Today, I will take you through the steps for planning a Project-Based Lesson (PBL) plan. Keep in mind, this can be done in any subject, not just STEM and PBL plans should also be cross-curricular. Let's start this adventure!

Before we begin, this lesson can be used in grades 5th-8th grade, but it could be modified to fit younger or high school age students. It's really about the essential questions and how deep you want them to dive into their research and exploration.

First Step: What do you want your students to learn? What are the objectives?

The objectives that I thought of for this particular lesson combine science, engineering, and writing, integrated with collaboration and critical thinking skills.

• Students will understand the basic principles of earthquake-resistant structures.

• Students will apply knowledge of engineering and physics concepts to design and build their own earthquake-resistant structure.

• Students will collaborate in teams to plan, create, test, and refine their structures.

• Students will demonstrate effective communication skills through presentations and reflections.
  

Second Step: What materials will you need for your students?

• Popsicle sticks

• Rubber bands

• Straws

• Tape

• Glue

• Cardboard

• Small weights (e.g., marbles)

• Earthquake simulation platform (can be created using a shoebox and rubber bands)

• Chromebooks for research
  

Third Step: Introduce the Concept (Day 1)

This should happen on the very first day. It's important to "hook" the students and get them really excited about what they are going to do. Activate their prior knowledge on the subject. Here is what I would do:

• Find some video clips on YouTube of buildings shaking during an earthquake. Show some pictures of collapsed buildings and buildings still standing. Ask questions like: Why do you think these structures collapsed? What do you notice? Why do you think these structures remained standing? What do you notice?

• Explain what an earthquake is. This is an excellent video that I found on YouTube. However, there are definitely videos that are more geared to high school.

• Explain that the students will be researching and building their own structure that will withstand an earthquake simulation. Hand out any handouts that will be used in the process.

• Split the students up into groups and explain that this project will be a team collaboration and they must work together.

• Hand out the rubric that you will use to assess them at the end.

Fourth Step: Research (Days 2-3)

In this step, students will research how structures are built to withstand earthquakes. They will need to write down information that they think will be useful in building their structures. They will use this information as they write their research paper later. It's important that they know how to find reliable sources on the internet.

• Provide resources for students to research basic engineering principles related to earthquake-resistant structures.

• Guide students to identify key concepts such as stability, flexibility, and damping. Turn these concepts into guiding questions.

• Encourage students to brainstorm ideas and gather inspiration for their designs.

Fifth Step: Design and Plan (Days 4-7)

• Assign roles to the teams (architect, engineer, project manager, etc.)

• Instruct teams to sketch out their initial designs, considering factors like shape, materials, and support structures.

• Encourage creativity and problem-solving as teams refine their designs.

• Have teams create a materials list and a timeline for building their structures.

• Discuss strategies for effective teamwork and communication within each group.

• Provide feedback and guidance as needed.

Sixth Step: Construction and Testing (Days 8-12)

• Construction: This is the fun part! Students get to build their design. Encourage students to collaborate, troubleshoot, and make adjustments as necessary. Emphasize the importance of precision and attention to detail in construction.

• Testing: Set up the earthquake simulation platform. Instruct teams to test their structures one at a time by placing them on the platform and simulating an earthquake. Have students record observations and measurements of how their structures perform during the simulation.

Seventh Step: Reflection and Presentation (Days 13-15)

• Facilitate a class discussion where students reflect on the challenges they faced during the project and what they learned from the experience. Encourage students to identify strengths and areas for improvement in their designs and teamwork.

• Presentation: Have each team present their earthquake-resistant structure to the class. Teams should explain their design process, highlight key features of their structure, and share observations from the testing phase. Encourage classmates to ask questions and provide constructive feedback.

Eighth Step: Research or Reflection Essay (Days 16-18)

Explain the process and organization of either a reflection essay or a research essay. Give them a day to prewrite in a graphic organizer their thoughts. The next day should be writing a rough draft. Have them peer edit and revise their drafts into a final written draft.

Ninth Step: Assessment

The assessment should be a combination of the following elements of this project:

• Student participation in research, design, and construction phases.

• Quality of the final earthquake-resistant structure.

• Ability to articulate design choices and lessons learned during the reflection and presentation.

• Collaboration and teamwork within each group.

• Written Essay

The best way to assess all of these elements is to use a rubric. The rubric should be given to the students at the beginning of the project so they know exactly what they will be graded on.

Conclusion:

As we wrap up this adventure of earthquakes and engineering it's important to note the creativity and excitement that this project will instill in your students during this 4 week lesson plan. Students will have combined research, engineering, science, writing, collaboration, and critical thinking skills for the duration of the project. Project-Based Learning provides so many benefits to students, keeping them excited about learning each day!