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Earthquake-Resistant Design

PROCEDURAL
ScienceVolcanoes & Earthquakes|Ages 9—11|ID: mt_yDZbQODIwp

Know that buildings can be designed to resist earthquakes, tsunami warning systems alert coastal communities, and communities prepare through evacuation plans and drills

Mastery Evidence

  • Describe at least one feature that makes buildings more earthquake-resistant
  • Explain how tsunami warning systems detect danger and alert communities
  • Describe how communities prepare for earthquakes and eruptions through drills and evacuation plans

Assessment Prompt

“If [child] saw a documentary about earthquake-proof buildings in Japan, could they explain how engineers design buildings to withstand shaking and how tsunami warnings give people time to evacuate?”

Prerequisites5

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  • Natural Disaster Solutions soft

    Engineering for earthquake safety parallels NGSS reducing impacts of natural Earth processes

  • Designing for Weather Hazards soft

    Engineering for earthquake safety benefits from design-solution-for-hazard curriculum concept

  • Plate Boundaries soft

    Engineering benefits from understanding why quakes happen at plate boundaries

    • Why Earthquakes Happen hard

      Plate boundaries as earthquake cause builds on simpler causal model

    • Tectonic Plates hard

      Plate boundary mechanisms require knowing what tectonic plates are

      • Ring of Fire hard

        Plate concept explains the patterns of where earthquakes/volcanoes occur

      • Finding patterns in data soft

        Tectonic plates concept benefits from prior map-reading of Earth's features

        • Rock layers and Earth's history soft

          Interpreting maps of Earth surface features is enriched by understanding cross-section views of geological strata and layers

          • 3-D shapes (age 9+) soft

            Interpreting cross-section diagrams of Earth builds on the skill of identifying 3-D shapes from 2-D representations

            • 2-D shapes (age 7+) hard

              Y3 drawing 2D and making 3D shapes is prerequisite to identifying 3D from 2D representations

              • Edges, vertices, and faces hard

                Making/describing 3-D shapes requires knowing their properties (edges, vertices, faces)

                • 3-D shapes hard

                  Describing 3-D properties (edges, vertices, faces) requires knowing the shapes first

                • Nets of 3-D Shapes soft

                  Counting edges, vertices, and faces is reinforced by analysing nets where each face is visible as a separate 2-D shape

                • 3-D shapes (age 5+) hard

                  Formal property description extends informal analysis of shapes

                  • 2-D shapes hard

                    Analysing and comparing shapes requires being able to name them first

                  • 3-D shapes hard

                    Analysing 3-D shapes requires recognising and naming them

              • 2-D shapes (age 6+) hard

                Drawing 2-D shapes requires knowing their properties

                • Angles in triangles (age 6+) soft

                  Understanding defining attributes supports describing shape properties formally

                  • 2-D shapes hard

                    Distinguishing defining vs non-defining attributes requires knowing common 2-D shape names first

                  • 3-D shapes (age 5+) hard

                    Identifying defining attributes builds on informal analysis and comparison of shapes

                    • 2-D shapes hard

                      Analysing and comparing shapes requires being able to name them first

                    • 3-D shapes hard

                      Analysing 3-D shapes requires recognising and naming them

                • 2-D shapes hard

                  Describing properties of 2-D shapes (sides, symmetry) requires knowing the shapes first

                • 3-D shapes (age 5+) hard

                  Formal property description extends informal analysis of sides and vertices

                  • 2-D shapes hard

                    Analysing and comparing shapes requires being able to name them first

                  • 3-D shapes hard

                    Analysing 3-D shapes requires recognising and naming them

              • Nets of 3-D Shapes soft

                Drawing 2-D shapes and making 3-D shapes from materials is supported by being able to sketch and interpret nets

            • Nets of 3-D Shapes hard

              Identifying 3-D shapes from 2-D representations requires understanding the relationship between a net and its solid

        • Types of rocks hard

          Interpreting patterns of Earth's geological features requires rock type and erosion vocabulary

        • Shapes of land and water hard

          Must model landforms and water bodies before analysing map patterns of Earth's features

          • Seasonal changes soft

            Seasonal observation supports understanding land and water features

        • Erosion and weathering soft

          Understanding weathering/erosion helps explain patterns in Earth's features

          • Types of rocks hard

            Measuring weathering and erosion rates requires 'weathering', 'erosion', and 'deposition' vocabulary

          • Preventing Erosion hard

            Must understand erosion prevention before measuring weathering/erosion effects systematically

          • Properties of materials soft

            Rock properties knowledge supports understanding how weathering breaks down different rocks

      • Earth's Layers hard

        Tectonic plates are pieces of the crust (requires knowing Earth has layers)

        • What Is a Volcano hard

          Understanding layers requires knowing what a volcano is (motivation for internal structure)

        • Earth Is Made of Rock hard

          Earth's layers builds on knowing Earth is made of rock

  • Measuring Earthquake Strength hard

    Engineering for safety requires understanding what earthquakes do and how they're measured

  • Tsunamis hard

    Tsunami warning systems require understanding what tsunamis are

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