Breaking News!

As we approach the tail end of our exploration into plate tectonics and how the resulting movement can produce dramatic changes in the earth's crust, students took a deep dive into the volcano and earthquake epicenter of the world: The Ring of Fire. They analyzed and interpreted maps of the deep ocean trenches and volcanoes and identified patterns of these features and their locations relative to boundaries between continents and oceans (the recent eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai underwater volcano in Tonga peaked our curiosity even more!). All of this in their quest for answers to our driving question: How does geography affect how and where people live? 

Each student produced a breaking news story about the human impact of living in these volatile regions of the world (see some of their breaking news stories at the end of this post). They also conducted an in-depth investigation into Kilauea, an active shield volcano on Hawaii's Big Island. They were surprised to learn that people actually live on the Big Island and were curious as to why people would choose to live near an active volcano, despite the dangers associated with living within its proximity. At the conclusion of their investigation into the plate boundary activity affecting the island, we asked each of them to use their knowledge and understanding to decide for themselves whether or not living on the Big Island was worth the risk. Here's what they had to say: 

I'm tempted to say that I'd like to live on the Big Island just for the warm weather and beaches, but from a scientific standpoint, there are many reasons not to live there. For one, the Kilauea volcano has been continuously erupting since 1983 and I would not like to live anywhere near an active volcano. Second, there are a lot of other natural disasters in that area because of tectonic plate movement (earthquakes and tsunamis). I would not like to live in a place where all of those things could happen.   - @WowWriter

I would want to live on the Big Island because even though Kilauea has been erupting since 1983, it is still a beautiful place with its teal waters and light blue skies. The lava might destroy roads and buildings but everyone that lives there knows the risk and threats of living near an active volcano and they do it anyway because of the warm climate and beautiful beaches. I think it would be the most splendid place to live and the destruction of that island (disappearing under the North American tectonic plate) won't happen for millions of years from now.   - @Lonnie

I would not want to live on the Big Island because it is in the middle of a tectonic plate boundary that is slowly moving over a hot spot.   - @giraffe

I would not want to live on the Big Island because there are a lot of risks. Kilauea is something you really have to look out for. Risking your life and house for good weather and beaches is silly. There is also a lot of seismic activity still going on in that area today.    - @Chickadee

I would definitely want to live on the Big Island. The first reason is the weather, averaging 85 degrees all year round, and nice beaches. That sounds like the perfect place for me. Despite many houses being burned by Kilauea, it's a risk I'm willing to take. I would live in a house far away from Kilauea so that the chances of my house getting destroyed would be even lower.    - @21savage

I would not want to live on the Big Island of Hawaii. Sure there are nice beaches, but why do you think they are black? Lava. Cool, dry lava made those beaches. Molten lava burns people's belongings and houses (not to mention the toxic gases that are emitted when a volcano is erupting). The Big Island isn't the place to live unless you're a farmer because the volcanic soil is very fertile.    -@waterbottle1

I would not want to live on the Big Island because it's unstable (but I would want to go on a vacation there). Kilauea is continuously erupting and getting bigger and bigger. It's not the place to live.   - @recycle

I would want to live on Hawaii's Big Island because the weather is great, the beaches are beautiful, the houses are pretty, and you can do more fun things in every season. You can always play an outdoor sport, you can surf (riding those massive waves would be really rad), and you can always lounge on your porch to watch a pretty sunset of spectacular colors. If you're worried about Kilauea, just live on the other side of the island so that your house has less chance of getting destroyed. It's going to take millions of years for the Pacific Plate to slide under the North American plate (which is when the Hawaiian island will disappear), so just sit back, relax, and enjoy the good life while it's here.   - @Wolverine12

I would not want to live on Hawaii's Big Island. I know that people enjoy it there for the warm weather, but I'm sorry, I choose life. Kilauea scares me because it is continuously erupting. If I lived there and had to evacuate, I would not come back with high hopes. It would be heartbreaking to have all of your belongings destroyed. I do respect the people who have chosen to live there, but I hope they know what they're doing.    - @Ham

I would like to live on the Big Island for a couple of obvious reasons: the climate and beaches. Must I say more? OK, now on to the more scientific reasons... The soil is incredibly fertile on the island because of the igneous volcanic rock in it, so it wouldn't be very hard to find a job on a farm. As for the active volcano on the island, the only reason that Kilauea is continuously erupting is that there's a hot spot directly underneath it which is always moving. Once the hot spot moves away from the Big Island, Kilauea will stop erupting and the dangers of living near an active volcano will be gone, I would definitely move to Hawaii (if I could afford to).   -@M&M

HERE ARE SOME OF THEIR BREAKING NEWS STORIES:

Project Plum

We did it! We're wrapping up and celebrating a successful FUNdraising campaign for Project Plum. 

As you may recall, we began a fundraising campaign back in early December to help support the initiatives of the Plum Island Foundation. With two school store events and our classroom note card and bookmark holiday orders, we raised a total of $439! Our donation is being mailed to PIF today where they will put the funds toward their efforts to install a barrier at Reservation Terrace, which will help guard the homes, the people, and the infrastructure in the surrounding area. 

These kids are an amazing example of what it means to be engaged and active citizens in our community.

Small Hands, Big Hearts

 

Learners in "The Hive" participated in a local community service project on January 13, supporting an initiative led by the Community Giving Tree here in Boxford. The Community Giving Tree's mission is to help low-income families in northeastern MA raise healthy children by providing recycled clothing, baby equipment, and other basic necessities. Every year, CGT distributes these much-needed items to more than 10,000 children. One of the items they look for, particularly during the cold-weather season, is new blankets. Our learners decided to earn a few dollars by doing extra chores around the house and in their neighborhoods. They then donated their earnings toward the purchase of materials needed to make no-sew fleece blankets.

Children worked together to make a total of nineteen double-sided, fleece blankets. It was great fun to see how much enjoyment they were getting out of making them, knowing the blankets would eventually make their way into grateful hands.

Small hands, big hearts. #wearemakingadifference

Shaking Things Up!

 

We're knee-deep into our investigation of plate tectonics and how seismic activity can be a powerful force in changing the landscape of our planet. Our discoveries naturally led to an earthquake engineering challenge where students were presented with an opportunity to design, create, and test a variety of structures that could potentially withstand an earthquake. We utilized real-life structural design strategies that would help minimize the effects of an earthquake, including cross-bracing, tapered geometry, and base isolation. This experience led to many interesting discoveries about structural engineering challenges in fault zones. Students were later asked to analyze their data from the test phase of the challenge and drew conclusions about which materials and structural techniques offered the most successful outcomes. Look out world - we've got some future civil engineers ready to roll up their sleeves and relocate to the San Andreas fault zone. This week's guest bloggers share their engineering experiences. Enjoy. 

If I were to build a structure near a fault zone, I would probably use base isolation underground so that the energy from an earthquake could be transferred to the base instead of the structure. The materials I would use would be wood and steel and I would use the cross-bracing technique to make the structure sturdy. It may not look pretty, but I think it would withstand an earthquake!  - @PickleKitty

If I had to build a structure in an area of a fault zone, I would make the base out of concrete and use the base isolation technique so that the base is actually separate from the structure. I would make the walls out of wood and use steel to cross-brace all of the walls in the structure. All of these reinforcements would make a strong structure.  - @NonCat

If I were to build a structure in a fault zone, I would use steel and wood because those materials are flexible. I would use wood for the frame and steel for cross-bracing.  - @G-Money

If I were to build a structure in an area of a fault zone, I would use steel cross-braces so that it is sturdy. Under the structure, I would use base isolation to reinforce the base so that my structure does not fall. At the top of my structure, I would use tapered geometry so that my structure isn't top-heavy.  -@Cheeto111

If I were to build a structure in a fault zone area, I would use the best materials and techniques possible, depending on the type of structure. For example, if I was building a bridge, I would use steel and cross-bracing for extra reinforcement.   -@Elizabeth_Schuyler

If I were to build a structure in an area of a fault zone, I would use flexible materials that could move and bend with the movement of the earth. I would also use cross-bracing for reinforcement and tapered geometry so the structure would stay balanced.  - @GoatLover