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Flood-Safety Choices for the Meal Kitchen

Compare flood-protection models and warning plans for a community kitchen using test data, costs, and safety needs.

Grade 4ScienceInteractive · Printable

Aligned to4-ESS3-2

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What’s included

Single worksheet
Auto-graded online
1 NGSS standard
Printable answer key
13 questions
Classroom-ready

Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 4
Subject: Science
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students compare flood-protection designs using model-test evidence and planning limits.
Students explain how flood protection and warning plans can work together to reduce harm to people.
Students identify further tests needed before choosing a flood-safety solution.

How to use

Read the kitchen investigation together, then have students compare the graph and planning choices. Discuss why model results alone cannot guarantee safety.

Curriculum

NGSS standard covered

4-ESS3-2

Compare solutions that reduce the effects of natural hazards such as earthquakes, floods and volcanoes on people.

Preview

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Flood-Safety Choices for the Meal Kitchen

Compare designs, weigh trade-offs, and use evidence to choose a plan.

1. Compare the Model Kitchens

Read the investigation and graph. Use the evidence to answer the questions.

A Kitchen Near the River

A community meal kitchen prepares lunches for people in nearby neighborhoods. Heavy rain sometimes makes the river rise over its banks. Floodwater can enter buildings and cover roads. Inside a kitchen, water on the floor can cause slips or reach electrical equipment. The kitchen staff want to compare ways to reduce these dangers before the next flood.

A fourth-grade class builds four small kitchen models in separate trays. Each kitchen has a floor divided into 20 equal squares. One model has no change. A second has a drain leading to a collection cup. A third has a barrier across the doorway. A fourth has its whole kitchen room raised on a platform.

For each test, students start with dry floors and empty collection cups. They pour the same amount of room-temperature tap water into each tray over the same amount of time. The water reaches a marked depth of 2 centimeters outside each model. The models have the same floor size, doorway size, and wall material. Only the flood-protection design changes.

Students wait one minute and count the floor squares touched by water. Even a partly wet square counts as wet. They dry and reset the models between trials. Each design is tested three times. The graph shows the greatest number of wet floor squares recorded for each design during those trials.

The kitchen team also gives each design a planning cost. Keeping the kitchen unchanged costs 0 points. Adding a drain costs 3 points. Adding a doorway barrier costs 6 points. Raising the kitchen room costs 9 points. These points help the team practice making choices with a limited budget; they are not actual construction prices.