Engineering for Earthquakes Lab
Grades: 4-8 |
Duration: 90 minutes |
Available Times: 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on school field trip operating days *Start and end times may be flexible. Please speak to the Group Reservations specialist when booking. |
Concepts/Skills: Earthquake causes and effects, theory of plate tectonics, structural engineering and design |
Construct seismically sound structures to survive “The Big One.” Students work as teams to practice structural design and the engineering process as they learn about one of California’s greatest natural threats: earthquakes.
Lab Guide
Design a robust learning experience by selecting resources from this guide that fit the needs of your students. Reinforce learning before, after and even during your visit by diving deeper into some of the science and engineering concepts.
Lab-Related Activities
Lessons marked with an orange gear icon address engineering within the Next Generation Science Standards.
![](/media/hprbk4ta/convectioncurrents-main.png)
Convection Currents
Grades 4-8
Explore how differences in density can create motion in liquids. Then reflect on a demonstration of convection currents in action.
Lesson: 60 minutes
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Vocabulary Choice Board
Grades K-12
Vocabulary activities to pair with one of our labs or other STEM activities.
Lesson: 20-30 min
Engineering for Earthquakes Lab
Exhibit Connections
Make connections between learning from the lab and the exhibits and programs found in The Tech Interactive’s galleries. For more exhibit connections, see the Lab Guide above.