Eng_elnino

Go to the following site and type in "civil engineering" or "hazards" A number of curricular ideas come up http://www.engineeringpathway.com/ep/k12/search/search_k12.jhtml http://teachengineering.org/search.php

High rise activity and wind http://pbskids.org/designsquad/projects/index.html This is PBS's Design Squad website. The challenges from the first and second seasons are on the website. There are instructions and video links for each challenge. The activities appear to be inexpensive and easy enough for upper elementary and middle school students. This is a very good resource. ~Evaluated by Becky Hammack

Natural disasters http://www.thesolutionsite.com/lesson/27201/overview.htm This website takes students through a enigineering project during which they design and build a wind resistant building. Students research design and natural disasters online to help when designing their building. After completing their research, student build as a group and then hold a class discussion about the results.

The most usefull part of this activity was the link to the hurricane module in Lesson 1 under the procedure section. If you click on the modules and activities link at the bottom of the page, you will connect to all of the Exploring the Environment modules. There are 18 problem-based learning modules for grades 5-12. Each puzzle peice links you to a different topic. Each topic starts with a situation and students must work through the activities to research the problem and develop a solution. There is also a Teacher Pages link with information about planning, assessemnt, etc. This is a GREAT resource! ~Evaluated by Becky Hammack

How much quake can you take http://www.thesolutionsite.com/lesson/26257/overview.htm During this project, students research earthquakes and design, build, and test different earthquake resistant structures. The math in this activity is HIGH SCHOOL level but the majority of the activities could be modified for use with middle school or junior high. Sample modifications for middle school: Lesson 1 ~ have students plot the earthquake data but do not calculate probabilities. Lesson 2 ~ Use slinkies to model wave movement and compare the speeds. Do not calculate velocity and acceleration with middle school students...the math is too advanced for them. I would switch lesson 4 and Lesson 5 and have the students build and test the buildings first and then present a final proposal after they have tested their structures. ~Evaluated by Becky Hammack

If you build it (for shelter design) http://www.thesolutionsite.com/lesson/26258/overview.htm

Exploring the Environment http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/modules.html This is a direct link to the site in the Natural disasters link from above. Each of the 18 modules focuses on a different environmental topic. Each topic has a problem scenerio and a set of team activities that must be completed to solve the problem. This is an EXCELLENT resource! ~Evaluated by Becky Hammack

Adventure Engineering http://www.adventureengineering.org/ The Adventure Engineering curriculum consists of four two-week long problem solving units. Each unit is complete with teacher and student guides that you can download for free. The units are: 1. Asteroid Impact - an asteroid is headed for Earth and students must determine the best location for an underground shelter. 2. Volcano Alert - students must develop a warning system to enable inhabitants to evacuate their city in case of a volcanic eruption. 3. Lost in the Amazon - a plane crashes in the Amazon and students must develop a survival plan. 4. Saving the Bioshphere - Students must design a way to save the biosphere that was built to support life on Mars. ~Evaluated by Becky Hammack