But it was a big task, so we split the class into three teams, each taking one part of the explanation. We worked on constructing each piece of the explanation with some goals:
- To make sure we met each of three important concepts provided on a "gotta-have" checklist
- To back up each claim we made with evidence that we gathered over the course of the unit
- To make sure everyone understood the explanation and could explain our part of it
We used the following sheet to help organize our claims and evidence:
Explanation Worksheet
We then came together as a large group and shared each piece of the explanation. By doing this, we hoped to all have the entire explanation, while only having to do some of the work. However, it was challenging to work in such large groups, and it was difficult to write down everything that was said during the presentations.
So when we returned from break, we took a day to coordinate and share information. We worked in small groups, each group with one person from each part of the explanation, to make sure that everyone had a chance to write down the claims and evidence on their worksheets. Our final quiz on earthquakes involved providing an explanation, and we were allowed to use the Explanation Worksheet as notes on the quiz.
After the quiz, we used our Explanation Worksheets to try to explain why the Kobe and Nisqually quakes were so different in their intensities yet so similar in their magnitude. Many groups were able to provide different factors that made the quakes different, backing up their claims with evidence from our worksheets.
