SHAKE, RATTLE & ROCK: AN INQUIRY- AND TECHNOLOGY BASED APPROACH TO TEACHING PLATE TECTONICS AND GEOHAZARDS TO MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

This 2.5-day workshop provides middle and high school teachers with strategies and techniques for guiding student-run explorations of earthquakes as a result of tectonic plate movements. University science faculty and K-12 educators partner to development activities that address two questions: 1) What evidence shows tectonic plates movement? and 2) Can we forecast earthquakes? All activities done by teachers are intended to be used by their students, and workshop time is allocated to a discussion of the transference of them to the classroom. Workshop participants begin with “Exploring Plate Motion and Deformation in California Using GPS Data”, a module developed by UNAVCO. Using GPS and Google Earth data, workshop participants calculate absolute plate motion vectors along the San Andreas Fault. Next, using satellite and aerial imagery, they develop strategies for identifying large, active faults. Participants proceed to replicate and analyze earthquake behavior using sensor-equipped earthquake machines - mechanical modeling devices that faithfully reproduce earthquake behavior. Graphical analysis is aided by software developed for the workshop. Based on these analyses, they evaluate the hypothesis that although earthquake patterns can be observed, the exact time and size of an earthquake cannot be predicted. Finally, they apply these insights to predicting earthquakes on the SAF, and estimating the magnitude of earthquakes on ancient faults in southeastern New England.

Both modules are geared to middle school and upwards, include detailed instructions and worksheets for students, and have embedded assessment tools. Additionally, they may be used in computer, projector, or paper & pen mode. This workshop is one of a dozen developed so far that provide inquiry-based and technologically rich materials for teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) to middle through high school students. They are part of the Rhode Island Technology Enhanced Science (RITES) Project, an NSF-funded effort to provide professional development to STEM teachers throughout Rhode Island.