My Science Box

Getting Ready

1. Reserve the computer lab.
2. Register your class on the Virtual Courseware site in order for the results of your students’ review quiz to be saved.
• On the main page, click the “Assessment” button under “For Instructors”.
• Read the information under the “Information” button then register your class using the “Register” button.
• Remember the class code and your password since these are required for you to retrieve your class results later using the “Class Results” button.
3. Adapt the Earthquake Fingerprints handout so that the proper class code is entered on the second page near the bottom.
4. Make copies of the Earthquake Fingerprints handout.

Teacher Background
P and S waves: Image courtesy of USGS.An earthquake has struck somewhere in California! Can you figure out where? If you learn to read a seismogram you can!

First some earthquake basics… (The following background information is provided in greater detail on the student handout.) There are faults (cracks in the Earth’s surface) that can suddenly move as pressure from the movement of the Earth’s crust builds up. This sudden movement is an earthquake.

Time
45-50 minutes

Grouping
Individual or in pairs depending on the number of computers you have.

Materials

• Computers with internet access
• Copy of the Earthquake Fingerprints handout for each student

Setting
Computer lab

Seismogram Image created by Crickett.Using the excellent Virtual Courseware - Earthquake program, students learn how to read a seismogram and use them to triangulate the epicenter of an earthquake. This ...

In this box are an assortment of lessons to teach students about earthquakes and plate tectonics. As students progress through the unit, evidence supporting the theory of plate tectonics accumulates. ...

Standards
Grade 6
Ecology (Life Sciences)
5. Organisms in ecosystems exchange energy and nutrients among themselves and with the environment. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is transferred by producers into chemical energy through photosynthesis and then from organism to organism through food webs.

Procedure
To start a Trout in the Classroom program at your school, contact your state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife or find a local chapter of Trout Unlimited. These agencies sponsor training programs for teachers to show them how to set up an aquarium, get eggs, raise the fry, and release them into designated ecosystems. For specific resources, see the list of selected programs below:

Salmon alevins: Just hatched salmon with yolk sacs. Image courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.Teacher Background
Raising trout provide a fabulous way to introduce students to the life cycle and physiological requirements of other species. Moreover, you can use these fish to teach students about threatened and endangered species.

Time
30 min set up tank
1 week for tank to equilibrate
1 month (approximately) between fertilization and hatching
2-3 weeks from hatching to release
Time required for the trout release field trip varies depending on the distance from your school and desired activities at the release site.

Grouping
The raising and care of the fry takes place as a whole class. During the trout release field trip, students may collect data in groups of 4 students.

Raising trout from eggs to fry in the classroom is a fabulous way for students to observe and study the life cycle of vertebrates and simultaneously learn about threatened species ...