OpenSciEd Unit 6.5 · Lesson 01 · 1.B
Look for: At least one drawing or written description o…
From Teacher Edition
Facilitation guidance from the lesson plan — what to notice in student thinking and how to respond while teaching.
Building towards
1.B Apply scientific ideas to design an object, tool, process, or system that detects a tsunami when it starts (cause) and warns people, or reduces damage to communities (effect).
What to look / listen for
(in the initial designs):
- At least one drawing or written description of an idea to either help detect tsunamis, give people more advance warning, or help reduce the damage caused by tsunamis.
- Ideas that indicate a characteristic of the tsunami wave that would be important to consider in the design, such as the start of the hazard (e.g., earthquake); or how fast, big, or intense the wave becomes; or a method for blocking the wave from reaching a community.
Throughout Lesson 1, look for/listen for these things
(1) agreement that though tsunamis may cause devastation, their effects can be reduced by solutions that detect, warn people, and reduce damage; (2) agreement that some engineering solutions may be more promising or challenging than others; and (3) uncertainty or disagreement about what makes one solution more promising or challenging than another.
What to do
If your students struggle to think of engineering ideas, ask them to consider what might be dangerous about the giant waves reaching land. Use a physical analogy to help them recognize the weight of water: Ask whether they think water is heavy or light. Fill a 5-gallon bucket or similar container with water and ask a student to pick it up. Ask them what it might feel like to get hit by that much water. Remind them that a tsunami wave carries millions of times more water than the bucket. Remind them of the cars, airplanes, and helicopters they saw swept away during the second video clip.