Ms. Dozier's DNStarship: Climb Aboard!

Wow! So much has gone on in the last two weeks, I’ve had little time to give homework or tests! Just kidding, there hasn’t been any, but 7th and 8th grade have been preparing their presentations about earthquakes and 6th grade has been finishing their first Microsoft Excel spreadsheet projects. This week, 6th grade has begun their earthquake simulations as integrated with Mr. Small’s “Forces of Movement” unit. Here are the directions for the project:

Student Directions for Simulating Earthquakes

1. Click the following link to launch the earthquake simulation website:
       http://dsc.discovery.com/guides/planetearth/earthquake/slideshow/slideshow.html

Your group will use this website to discover where and how to create buildings that have better chances of surviving earthquakes. You will keep track of your data in the following Microsoft Excel template:

1. Using the online simulator, your group will simulate 8–10 different earthquakes. Change the locations of the buildings, the earthquake-proofing building constructions, and the magnitudes of the earthquakes. Make sure you keep track of your data in the Excel workbook so that you can use the data to record your conclusions.  (See the attached spreadsheet) 
2. Discuss with your group what you discovered. Did you find that the location of a building makes a difference? Did you notice if certain types of earthquake-proofing construction worked better than others? Did you notice how much the size of the earthquake affected the survival of the building? Record your conclusions in Word and add your data from your Excel file to support your findings.

8TH GRADE WILL PRESENT PROJECTS IN CLASS ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009.