Independent Digital Exploration
Grades 6-8 | 20-25 minutes
Earth Science
Engineering
STEM
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Through a guided interactive experience, students will examine how robotic technologies help respond to natural hazards by aiding in a rescue and reconnaissance mission.
Through a guided interactive experience, students will examine how robotic technologies help respond to natural hazards by aiding in a rescue and reconnaissance mission.
Using this Digital Exploration, students will act as
scientists and engineers who have been tasked with
evaluating technologies that can help humans during
a natural disaster.
They will first be introduced to
conditions and patterns of geologic forces that lead
to natural disasters. Students will then be challenged
to use block coding to program a rescue robot to aid
in a rescue and reconnaissance mission. Finally,
students will examine how natural hazards affect
humans and societies and explore the diverse range
of careers in meteorology and disaster relief.
TIME REQUIRED
25–30 minutes
TOPICS
• Natural Hazards
• Geology
• Earths Materials and Systems
• Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale Systems
• Robotics
• Role of Society in the Development and Use
of Technology
• Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics
OVERVIEW
This Digital Exploration has four main sections:
INTRODUCTION
How do natural hazards affect humans and societies?
Students will be introduced to different kinds of natural
hazards and sort them into three categories: interior
processes, surface processes and severe weather
events.
INVESTIGATE
Students will explore different geological and
atmospheric patterns that cause natural hazards.
ACT
Students will apply ways different robotic technologies
are used to aid in rescue and reconnaissance missions.
Students will then be challenged to use block coding to
program their robot to a natural disaster site.
ANALYZE
To summarize, students will discover how people in
STEM-related careers study and reduce the impacts
of natural hazards.
PROCEDURE
This exploration is designed to be flexible to meet
the needs of many different learning environments
ONE-TO-ONE ENVIRONMENT
Students using the exploration for independent,
self-paced learning can simply move through the
exploration at their own pace.
WORKING IN PAIRS OR AT CENTERS
Students can take turns answering the questions
throughout the exploration or work together to answer
the questions. As students may have different reading
levels, you will want to guide them to provide each
group member with an opportunity to read and
comprehend the information before moving on.
MIDDLE SCHOOL STANDARDS:
Science and Engineering
Practice Disciplinary Core Idea Crosscutting Concept
Analyzing and
Interpreting Data
Analyze and interpret data
to determine similarities
and differences in findings.
Patterns
Graphs, charts, and images
can be used to identify
patterns in data.
NATIONAL STANDARDS
Next Generation Science Standards
ESS3.B: Natural Hazards
Mapping the history of natural
hazards in a region, combined
with an understanding of
related geologic forces can
help forecast the locations
and likelihoods of future
events.
ISTE STANDARDS FOR STUDENTS
Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate
a variety of resources using digital tools to construct
knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make
meaningful learning experiences for themselves
and others.
3d: Students build knowledge by actively exploring
real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and
theories and pursuing answers and solutions.
Computational Thinker: Students develop and employ
strategies for understanding and solving problems in
ways that leverage the power of technological methods
to develop and test solutions.
5d: Students understand how automation works and
use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps
to create and test automated solutions.
