Winter WSST Newsletter
Page 11
SCIENCE NEWS AND OPPORTUNITIES IRIS Offers Lessons to Help STEM Educators Teach About Recent Earthquakes
using the lessons during distance learning. Teachers can also use Teachable Moments as a jumping off point to explore other tools available on the IRIS Education and Public Outreach website that provide information about recent The Incorporated Research Institutions for earthquakes such as live earthquake maps, staSeismology (IRIS) is providing free resources to tion monitors, and more. help STEM educators teach about recent earthTeachable Moments are a service of IRIS quake events, such as the 7.0 magnitude earthEducation and Outreach and the University of quake in Mexico on September 8 and the 7.2 Portland. magnitude earthquake in Haiti on August 14. To learn more about IRIS and access the These Teachable Moments presentations contain Teachable Moments lessons, visit an explanation of the science of why the earthwww.iris.edu/hq/retm/ To sign up for notificaquake occurred, and often also include tions when new Teachable Moments lessons are Associated Press photos, animations, and other available, click on the email or Facebook signresources to help educators link the Next up links at the top of the Teachable Moments Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to earth- webpage. quake phenomena in a way that makes it releAbout IRIS vant and engaging for students. The Incorporated Research Institutions for “The Teachable Moments lessons help engage Seismology (IRIS), a university consortium with students in scientific inquiry and offer a critical more than 125 U.S. member institutions and the connection to real-life events,” said Dr. Tammy operator of the National Science Foundation’s Bravo, Seismology Outreach Specialist of IRIS. Seismological Facility for the Advancement of “By bringing knowledge, insight, and critical Geoscience (SAGE), is a world leader in thinking to the classroom following a newsworadvancing discovery, research, and education in thy earthquake, teachers are able to help students seismology to understand our planet and to benexplore and analyze real event data, which helps efit society. The organization operates global to further spark their passion for science and seismic networks, portable seismic instrumentaSTEM learning.” tion, and data access facilities. Additionally, it Each Teachable Moment lesson consists of a provides free educational resources for faculty downloadable and editable PowerPoint presentaand teachers, students, and the general public, tion, which is available in both Spanish and including lesson plans, animations, animated English and pertains to a specific earthquake. gifs, earthquake data, wave visualizations, severThe lessons include interpreted U.S. Geological al easy-to-use online applications, and much Survey earthquake information, plate tectonic more. and regional tectonic maps and summaries, concept animations, seismograms, damage photos, and other event-specific information and hazards. The data in the lessons is generated within hours of each event. The presentations are prepared by seismologists and educators, are classroom-ready, and can be customized to fit the needs of students. IRIS also provides suggested questions that teachers can ask students who are
