Expect students to be convinced of the theory of plate tectonics, but it is okay for them to disagree, as long as they have good reasons. At plate boundaries, plates collide, move apart, move under or over each other, or slide past one another. Closely spaced earthquakes with a range of depths that deepen i. The boundaries include divergent continental and oceanic lithosphere, convergent continental, oceanic, and continentaloceanic lithosphere, and tran. The collision between two pieces of continental crust at a convergent boundary produces a mountain range. The theory of plate tectonics activityworksheet 3 volcanoes 8. Based on the pace of your course, you may need to adapt the lesson plan to fit your needs. The theory of plate tectonics activityworksheet example answers 3 volcanoes volcanoes occur along hot zones at plate boundaries underground volcanoes are seamounts a line of seafloor volcanoes indicates the direction a tectonic plate is moving 8. Do not put more than two in a group students or pairs will need coloring pencils, the types of plate boundaries map and the types of plate boundaries map identification directions.
Below is a sample breakdown of the plate tectonics chapter into a 5day school week. Students are introduced to the theory of plate tectonics and explore how the theory was developed and supported by evidence. Leslie reid, university of calgary an inclass activity that tests students understanding of the basic concepts of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics discussion if you finish your discussion you may scroll down to the bottom of this page and watch the video natural disaster historys most destructive volcanoes national geographic documentary. This quick and tasty kids science activity gives little scientists a hands on way to explore plate tectonics the movement of the earths crust that leads to the formation of volcanoes, mountains, and oceanic trenches. Oreo cookie plate tectonics kyrene school district. Covers ngss earth science msess21 and msess22, as well as the ngss developing and using models practice. Have students use the living lab resources to complete the worksheet research, filling in the graphic organizer chart and sketching future continental movement.
In advance, make class sets of the article, the history of plate tectonics and the directions. These bodies of water were not always in their current shape and configuration. Explain why the term recycling is an excellent description of plate tectonics. The lithosphere lithosphere is comprised of the upper mantle and the crust, the outer shell of the earth. Students are directed to the following readings upon completion of this activity. Using reference materials, students will research the location of ten earthquakes and complete a chart with the latitude and longitude for each location. You will recall from a previous chapter that there are three major layers crust, mantle, core within the earth that are. The reason for this geologic activity is that indonesia is located at the junction of. The plastlclike layer below the lithosphere is called the b. A plate tectonic puzzle introduction the earths crust is not a solid shell. Plate tectonics activity, wheel of knowledge interactive notebook plate tectonics activity, wheel of knowledge interactive notebook, world geography wheel of knowledge interactive notebook this instruction sheet and wheel template will walk your students through creating an wheel of knowl. Types of plate boundaries map identification activity directions. Today, the earths ocean is made up of the large pacific, atlantic, indian, and arctic oceans.
Plate boundaries 36 x 60 acrobat pdf 669kb jan2 12 supporting referencesurls. The plate tectonics chart does not show a transform boundary. I also organized a few teacher notes on plate tectonics to. The theory of plate tectonics describes how the plates move, interact, and change the physical landscape. The theory of plate tectonics grew out of earlier hypotheses and observations collected during exploration of the rocks of the ocean floor. Summaries of each tectonic site and answers to passport questions and are found in slides 1019. This activity is a slight variation on an original activity, discovering plate boundaries, developed by dale sawyer at rice university. Its the perfect combination to our action packed landform activity pack getting ready. The plate tectonics gizmo shows a crosssection, or side view, of earth.
Plate tectonics suggests that large features on earths surface, such as continents, ocean basins, and mountain ranges, result from interactions along the edges of large plates of earths outer shell. Plate tectonics introduction and map activity introduction to the basics of plate tectonics. The most famous of these is the 1200km 750mi long san andreas fault. The lithosphere includes both the crust and the solid part of the. The theory of plate tectonics grew out of earlier hypotheses and observations.
This theory also says that most of these plates are in motion, creating. Model how to fill in the note takingmain idea table. Plate tectonics and sea level change coastal processes. Mapping world plates helps students connect topography, earthquakes, volcanoes, and plates. I made different maps, including more detail in all of the datasets, and used a different map projection, but otherwise the general progression of the activity is the same.
This lesson plan is useful for elementary, secondary, middle school, and university students. Answer section begins on p9 suggested answers to the discussion activity pages onscreen resources are in a separate file in the folder for this topic. Students investigate plate tectonic environments convergent, divergent, transform boundaries, topographybathymetry of continents and ocean basins, the distribution and pattern of earthquakes, the distribution of volcanoes, as well as. The earths plates jostle about in fits and starts that are punctuated with earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Our summer travels led us to several volcanoes so naturally my kiddos were. Each type of interaction causes a characteristic set of earth structures or tectonic features. You will recall from a previous chapter that there are three. Interactions at plate boundaries cause volcanic activity and earthquakes. The lithosphere is the rigid upper mantle and the crust. Create a timeline of the events leading to the theory of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics worksheet 8th grade pdf conecti brasil.
Includes many maps for printing, and student worksheets. In part 1, students view flash interactives and quicktime videos which delineate the relationship between volcanoes, earthquakes and plate boundaries and discuss the ancient continent of pangaea. Mar 21, 2020 plate tectonics, theory dealing with the dynamics of earths outer shell that revolutionized earth sciences by providing a uniform context for understanding mountainbuilding processes, volcanoes, and earthquakes as well as the evolution of earths surface and reconstructing its past continents and oceans. These plates ride on the hot plastic upper mantle called the asthenosphere. Activity world map of plate boundaries wheres waldostyle geography. Label the bottom tab transform and draw the plate movements here lift the tab.
It is made up of thick, interconnecting pieces called tectonic plates that fit together like a puzzle. Plate tectonics student name 60 25 10 2 2 10 25 60 inspection copy for. Download the plate tectonics puzzle pdf tectonic plates move atop the underlying mantle, a really thick layer of hot flowing rock. Symbols white arrows show plate motion direction volcanoes generalized hot spot. Plate movement that produces stress in rock, which leads to a change in the rocks shape or. Generally, the depth of an earthquake is related to the type of tectonic boundary in which it occurs. Sign in to see resources aligned to your state standards. Plate tectonics i grades 9 overview unifying concepts and lesson introduces students to geological oceanography by presenting the basic structure of the earth and the properties of arths primary layers. In plate tectonics, students are introduced to the theory behind this geophysical phenomenon and investigate the evidence that supports it. Describe some of the events and pieces of evidence that led to the theory of plate tectonics. Looking at the information you compiled in your chart above, explain one way the theory of plate tectonics can relate to engineering.
Plate boundary movements and their results foldable. Students will be coloring, cutting, and gluing puzzle pieces according to their plate boundaries. Plate tectonics this plate tectonics lesson plan involves a classroom activity to help students understand the processes that move and shape earths surface. I prepared for todays lesson by projecting and tracing the following document plate tectonics template on a large bulletin board paper. If the earths core provides the heat that drives plate tectonics, then what will eventually happen. Global or eustatic sea level can change as the result of changes in the number, size, and shape of ocean basins. Activityworld map of plate boundaries wheres waldostyle geography. It helps to explain the formation, movements, collusions, and destruction of the earths crust. Use the correct color of washable marker to locate each tectonic feature on the map. This activity requires students to explore a range of datasets that help substantiate plate tectonic theory. The plate tectonics chapter of this course is designed to help you plan and teach the causes and effects of plate movement in your classroom. Longterm sea level change hundreds of thousands to millions of years is influenced by factors that modify the size and shape of ocean basins.
This plate motion causes them to collide, pull apart, or scrape against each other. Information includes alfred wegener, plate tectonic evidence, plate facts and fill in questions. The plate tectonics mapping activity allows students to easily begin to identify basic tectonic processes on a global scale. Students create their own crosssection drawing to represent plate tectonics. A plate tectonic puzzle american museum of natural history. This classroom activity can be used to introduce or expand plate tectonics for elementary, secondary, middle school, and university level students. Plate tectonics, theory dealing with the dynamics of earths outer shell that revolutionized earth sciences by providing a uniform context for understanding mountainbuilding processes, volcanoes, and earthquakes as well as the evolution of earths surface. The structure of the earth, plate tectonics and landforms. Plate tectonics is the surface manifestation of mantle convection, but the large contrast in viscosities between the lithosphere and the deeper mantle leads to departures from a simple boiling pot. If the earths core provides the heat that drives plate tectonics, then what will eventually happen as the earths core cools down over billions of years. Students learn the structure and composition of oceanic and continental crust and the theory of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics describes the distribution and motion of the plates. Divergent boundaries where new crust is generated as the plates pull away or separates from each other. As a result, you can imagine the largescale changes in sea level that would have accompanied their assembly since the last.
Lesson content overview students will demonstrate, identify, and explain the movement of the plates at. Foam model plate tectonics this lesson plan gives students a demonstration to visualize the concept of plate tectonics. Draw the symbol for each tectonic feature in the chart below divergent margins and spreading centers draw in black convergent margins subduction zone draw in blue transform faults strikeslip faults draw in green hot spot draw in red 2. In the early 1900s alfred wegener proposed the continents were drifting. Edible plate tectonics page 1 focus on inquiry the student will use food to model and observe the plate movement and consequences of plate movement associated with the theory of plate tectonics. Plate tectonics information and facts national geographic. Explain how tectonic plate movement could create another supercontinent like pangaea. A plat e tectonic puzzle introduction the earths crust is not a solid shell. The grade 6 earth science unit on plate tectonics is presented to students through a series of investigations using indirect evidence models and direct evidence, experiments, active learning experiences, researching using a variety of sources, questions, and assessments. Plate tectonics the earths crust is divided into plates which are moved in various directions. Plate tectonics passport activity teachers notes the geological. Graham cracker plate tectonics lab just a little info the theory of plate tectonics states that the crust of the earth is composed of seven major plates and numerous smaller plates. Types of plate boundaries map identification activity.
The video lessons, quizzes and transcripts can easily. They move atop the underlying mantle, a really thick layer of hot flowing rock. Most geologic activity stems from the interplay where the. Convergent and divergent boundaries, and student worksheets plate boundary researchersgraphic organizer, and plate movement, one per student. Most movement occurs along narrow zones between plates, plate boundaries, where the results of plate tectonic forces are most evident. The san andreas fault is a transform fault, a kind common on the sea floor but rarely found on land. The earth is composed of layers of different composition and physical properties, principally the solid central core, the fluid peripheral core, the viscous mantle, and the solid.
Plate tectonics, our major paradigm for how the earth works, was established in the 1960ies following decades of observational research that culminated in key discoveries such as geomagnetic. The events that occur at these boundaries are linked to the types of plates oceanic or. Graham cracker plate tectonics this quick and tasty kids science activity gives little scientists a hands on way to explore plate tectonics the movement of the earths crust that leads to the formation of volcanoes, mountains, and oceanic trenches. Then, they will plot each location on a map and determine which tectonic plates moved to cause each earthquake. The lithosphere lithosphere is comprised of the upper mantle and the. Propelled by intense heat simmering beneath the crust or the propelled by intense heat simmering beneath the crust or the mantle, earths surface is dramatically reshaping itself in an endless, slow motion movement called plate tectonics. It is made up of thick, interconnecting pieces called tectonic plates that fit. Throughout earths history, the global ocean has been modified by plate tectonics. Spread frosting on wax paper to cover an area a bit larger than the graham cracker square.