Unit 3 calendar: when each block runs
Meeting dates for each block in Unit 3, by rotation
Block A rotation B rotation
Block 1 Mon Nov 16 Tue Nov 17
Block 2 Wed Nov 18 Thu Nov 19
Block 3 Fri Nov 20 Mon Nov 23
Block 4 Tue Nov 24 Wed Nov 25
Block 5 Mon Nov 30 Tue Dec 1
Block 6 Wed Dec 2 Thu Dec 3
Block 7 Fri Dec 4 Mon Dec 7
Block 8 Tue Dec 8 Wed Dec 9
Block 9 Thu Dec 10 Fri Dec 11
Block 10 Wed Jan 6 Thu Jan 7
Block 11 Fri Jan 8 Mon Jan 11
Block 12 Tue Jan 12 Wed Jan 13

Your section follows one rotation, A or B. Check which one you are in and read that column.

Anchor question
How do you build for a planet that occasionally tries to destroy what you've built?

Across five weeks (twelve 80-minute blocks), you investigate plate tectonics not as a textbook diagram but as a working theory with real engineering consequences. The unit is anchored on the Tectonic City Builder, a custom simulator where you plan and build cities on real plate boundaries (Tōhoku, Anatolian/Istanbul, Merapi, Cascadia, Hawaii), spend a fixed budget on housing and engineering technologies, and learn which decisions saved lives when the simulation runs the real disaster.

The simulator is paired with primary-source case studies: Tōhoku 2011, Kobe 1995, Sumatra-Andaman 2004, Pinatubo 1991, Pompeii 79 CE. You don't memorize these. You use them as evidence to defend your engineering choices. Browse the full Case Study Library.

The twelve blocks

Block 1: Inside Earth + Boundary Types
Earth's interior; the four plate boundary types; world-map plotting activity.
A: Mon Nov 16 · B: Tue Nov 17
Block 2: Subduction & Transform Deep Dive + Sim Demo
Where most coastal-city hazards come from. First look at the Tectonic City Builder.
A: Wed Nov 18 · B: Thu Nov 19
Block 3: Volcanism + Engineering Technologies
Shield vs. stratovolcano; the engineering toolkit and, critically, what each tech can't do.
A: Fri Nov 20 · B: Mon Nov 23
Block 4: Whole-Class Sim + First Independent Attempt
Stub. First hands-on sim: everyone on Tōhoku.
A: Tue Nov 24 · B: Wed Nov 25
Block 5: Case Study Jigsaw + Hazard Profile Due
Tōhoku 2011 · Sumatra-Andaman 2004 · Pinatubo 1991. First summative due.
A: Mon Nov 30 · B: Tue Dec 1
Block 6: Scenario Choice + Iteration #1
Stub. First portfolio iteration in your chosen scenario.
A: Wed Dec 2 · B: Thu Dec 3
Block 7: Cross-Scenario Discussion + Iteration #2
Stub. Second iteration; Comparative Reflection begins.
A: Fri Dec 4 · B: Mon Dec 7
Block 8: Case-Study Mastery + Comparative Reflection Due
Stub. Second case-study jigsaw (Kobe/Bhuj/Tangshan/Pompeii). Comparative Reflection due.
A: Tue Dec 8 · B: Wed Dec 9
Block 9: Iteration #3 + Defense Draft
Stub. Personal-best iteration; defense slide drafting.
A: Thu Dec 10 · B: Fri Dec 11
Block 10: Defense Rehearsal + Optional Final Iteration
Stub. Paired rehearsal with peer feedback; optional Iteration #4.
A: Wed Jan 6 · B: Thu Jan 7
Block 11: Final Defenses Day 1
Stub. ~10–12 student defenses.
A: Fri Jan 8 · B: Mon Jan 11
Block 12: Final Defenses Day 2 + Unit Reflection
Stub. Remaining defenses; unit close; preview of Unit 4.
A: Tue Jan 12 · B: Wed Jan 13

Assessments

Simulator

Resources for this unit