Shake, Rattle, & Roll!

Introduction

Fourth Graders are you ready? Are you ready to learn about the amazing world of science? We are going to dig deep and learn about natural disasters through various hands on experiments! So turn your thinking caps on and start thinking about the different things that happen all over the world. We have earthquakes, floods, and more. The natural threats are endless. Grab your lab coats and let the fun begin! 

Task

You're probably wondering what we are doing with this natural diaster lesson. Well we are constructing our own natural diasters to see how they work in a demo. Just imagine if our little demo works in such a powerful way, the real diaster is far worse. As we begin I want you to begin thinking about different natural diasters. 

Let's start with some background knowledge. For us to construct a natural diaster we must know what one is. A natural diaster is a natural event such as a flood, earthquake, or hurricane that causes great damage. What are some forces that play into these natural diasters? We have water, wind, lava, rocks falling and more. 

A natural diaster can be very minor or extreme. With these experiments we are going to learn how they work and experience our own little level of diaster. Make sure to follow directions step by step to be successful in your journey through the many diasters. We will be making diaster models and evaluating them. Get Ready!

Process

Earthquake! 

What You Do:

  1. Put the sandpaper on the table or desk.
  2. Place the slinky on its end on top of the sandpaper.
  3. Grab the sandpaper and jerk it toward you a few inches.
  4. Explain what you observed. How did the slinky move? Why didn't it topple over?
  5. Shake the sandpaper again, but this time use more force.
  6. Continue to shake the sandpaper and attempt to knock the slinky on its side.
  7. Imagine the slinky as a high-rise building! How do you think this kind of side-to-side, or lateral, earthquake movement would affect the building's infrastructure?

Volcano!

What You Do:

  1. Cover your work surface with newspaper.
  2. Form a volcano shape out of the modeling clay. It should be about 6 inches high.
  3. If you have red modeling clay or paint available, use it for the volcano's top. 
  4. Poke an opening in the volcano that's about 4 inches deep and 2 inches wide.
  5. Add one tablespoon of fresh baking soda. (Stale soda will not create a proper alkaline reaction!) If available, add 3 drops of red food coloring to the baking soda in order to enhance the eruption.
  6. Next, add 3 drops of liquid soap.
  7. Now, it's time to put on your safety goggles! Get ready to stand back.
  8. Finally, add the ¼ cup of vinegar, and see what happens! 
Evaluation

Unit checklist: 

1. Complete Earthquake experiment

2. Fill out experiment worksheet for earthquake experiment

3. Complete Volcano experiment 

4. Fill out experiment worksheet for volcano experiment

5. Which experiment seems more dangerous? Compare in a two paragprah response

6. Draw a diagram of a volcano and an earthquake (We will label these drawings later so be neat and detailed)

Conclusion

What have we learned? Diasters can be small and not damage anything. However, they can also be severe as well. Now that we have a visual of what two diasters look like we will go into a more in depth lesson learning the details of why these events occur and how. Great job class!