5th Grade Earthquake Project

Spring in grade five at GUS is synonymous with the earthquake project.

The 5th grade theme is The Land, and throughout the year, students study how it changes over time, and what causes those changes. In science, they learn about the layers of the earth, and how the earth’s crust is cracked like an egg, and how these broken egg shell pieces, tectonic plates, move over time causing natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes - as well as the formation of mountain ranges.

Each spring, fifth graders test their design and building skills with the highly-anticipated “Earthquake Project” - the culminating project to this unit. Students are given a budget, supplies (toothpicks and glue), and work with a partner to design a building that can withstand a thirty second earthquake created by the infamous shaker table.

This year, the earthquake project looked a little different than usual. Instead of toothpicks and glue, fifth graders used cardboard, tape, and materials found around their homes. Each student started with a plain box (their building) affixed to a flat piece of cardboard (the ground). Using the Google Science Journal app, which allows an iPad or phone to be used as an accelerometer, they were able to collect information about the buildings’ acceleration during a simulated earthquake (shaking the ground!).

With this baseline data in hand, they worked to design and incorporate earthquake resistant building features (like base isolator systems and tuned mass dampers), using materials found around their homes - and test again. And again! They worked through this engineering design process several times before settling on their final designs.

In lieu of final presentations in front of the shaker table, students submitted final video presentations. 5th Grade Science Teacher Jen Mallette gave students the option of sharing their ideas and findings in a straightforward and scientific manner - or presenting their earthquake resistant structures in the form of a sales pitch touting their design features and supporting evidence!