Unit Plan: Plate Tectonics Shannon B. Carpenter TE 804 1/25/02

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1 Unit Plan: Plate Tectonics Shannon B. Carpenter TE 804 1/25/02 This unit plan is intended to cover about seven weeks and would be appropriate for a middle school general science class or an introductory earth science high school class. This unit introduces students to the rock cycle, plate tectonics theory and how the earth physically changes from deformations. The prerequisites for this class are that students should have some basic knowledge of cells and reproduction. This will lead the next unit, which will deals specifically with the changes the earth underwent during the ice age and all of its inhabitants. (Additional objectives, content, vocabulary, and activities for Honors 8 th Grade Science are italicized.) Focus Question(s): What is the structural composition of the Earth? How do the Earth s features change over time? Science Statements: The three main types of rock are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Each type of these rocks are part of the rock cycle. The rock cycle is the process by which one rock type changes into another. (i.e. Grains of sand and other sediment are eroded from mountains and wash down a river to the sea. Over time, the sediment forms thick layers on the ocean floor. Eventually, the grains of sediment are pressed and cemented together, forming sedimentary rock.) The inside of the Earth is very hot and is divided into 4 major layers. Plates (divisions) of the earth s crust move about the globe on the currents of magma underneath. This is how the continents drift from one area to another over long periods of time. As the plates move, new magma comes to the surface in volcanoes. Other plates crash together so one moves over the other or they can form mountains. Earthquakes and volcanoes reshape the Earth. Objectives: * All objectives with an asterisk are ones that are either constructing or reflecting. Source for all objectives: Lansing District Middle School Pacing Guide. 1. Be able to explain how rocks are formed. 2. Identify and describe the four major layers of the Earth: crust (lithosphere), mantle, outer core, and inner core. 3. Be able to explain the geologic time scale and identify what organisms lived during what time periods. 4. Describe and explain what evidence supports the continental drift theory. 5. Compare and contrast divergent and convergent boundaries (mountain building and seafloor spreading). 6. Explain how earthquakes and volcanoes reshape the earth s surface. 7. *Be able to gather and synthesize information from books and other sources of information to prepare a presentation regarding a specific geological formation. Key concepts and terms: Lithosphere, crust, mantle, magma, outer core, inner core, molten, convection, plate tectonics, Continental Drift Theory, earthquakes, volcanoes, geologic time scale, mid-ocean ridge, convergent boundary, uplifting, mountain building, and hot spots.

2 Real-World Contexts: Matching rock layers on different continents, warm-weather fossils found in Antarctica. Examples of earthquakes and volcanoes that reshape and form land. Activities: These activities are broken into four categories to better understand the progression in my activities. Rocks and Minerals 1. Lectures -There will be a various mini-lectures throughout a week focusing on the rock cycle and how sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks are formed. (Obj.1) Modeling 2. *Laboratory Exercise Round and Round in Circles Students will gather various shavings of colored wax and manipulate it to form the three different rock types. Students will be asked to answer questions and record their observations. (i.e. Students will press the shavings together (represents a sedimentary rock) and then roll the wax in their warm hands (represents a metamorphic rock). Then, students place this wax in a pan and melt it (representing magma) and cool it again (representing an igneous rock). Students should repeat some of the original steps using the original wax to help them understand the concept of recycling the rock to from new ones. (Obj.1) Coaching 3. *Journal Activity Have students prepare a rock dictionary. Ask them to list the three types of rock and the processes that occur in the rock cycle. Ask the students to record the dictionary definition for each rock type or process and then define it in their own words. Encourage students to make up mnemonic devices, such as jokes or rhymes, to help them remember the meaning of each term. (Obj.1) Coaching 4. *Journal Activity Ask students to imagine that they are a grain of sand on a beach. Have them write a letter to a young igneous rock describing their lifetime in the rock cycle. Students can share with the class. (Obj.1) Coaching 5. *Extension Project Rock of Ages Students will collect and identify rocks samples from their community to piece together a geologic history of the area. Students are given an identification key to help them identify what type of rock (sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic). Once they have identified what type of rock it is, they can use a table that lists characteristics of that rock and gives a cause/effect for each one. For example, if the student finds they have a sedimentary rock and it has peeling layers like onion skins, students will read that this is caused by a temperature change. This temperature change splits the rock and peels its surface layers. (Obj.1) Fade Plate Tectonics 6. Lectures - There will be a couple short mini-lectures on the composition and structure of the earth. This includes the Earth s layers, the rock they are composed of, and the physical characteristics and thickness of each. (Obj.2) Modeling 7. *In-Class Activity Earth s Mass Students will be asked to complete a pie graph showing the approximate percentages of the Earth s mass in each layer. Students should come to the realization that only 10% or less of the Earth is composed of the Crust whereas, the Core makes up 33% and the Mantle has the greatest mass at 67%. Students should also be able to determine what type of rock the Earth is most made of. (Obj.2) Coaching 8. *Laboratory Exercise Earth s Interior Structure To develop understanding of the structure of the Earth s interior by constructing a scale model of a slice of the interior of the Earth and studying the material properties of Earth s interior. The activity also provides useful practice with the concept of scale. Students will then be able to put their slices together as a class to make a whole so they see a side cutout of the earth s interior layers. (Obj.2) Coaching

3 9. *Extension Project Students will be assigned to make a brochure. This is their task: You are on a mission to go investigate what is under the Earth s crust in a special spaceship that can handle extreme heat and pressure. Write in brochure what you see in detail as you go down into the various layers. (Obj.2) Fade 10. Lecture There will be several short mini-lectures throughout a week or so on the geologic time scale, the seven major plates and the concept of continental drift. (Obj.3) Modeling 11. *Laboratory Exercise Geologic Time Scale Students will make an accurate time line (to scale) starting at the formation of the Earth 4.5 Billion Years Ago to present day. Students will plot the major time eras and periods. Various forms of information will be written on this time line about what the Earth was like at that particular period and whether there were any living organisms. For example, students would write that during the Cretaceous, Triassic and Jurassic Periods dinosaurs were one of the main animals that roomed the planet at this time. Students will gather this information from class discussion and from information within their textbooks. (Obj.3) Coaching 12. *Homework Assignment Creative Storytime Students will draw from a hat a time era and be asked to write a creative story about it, making sure to mention what the land was like and what organisms lived at that time. Students will then be asked the next day to share with the class their stories. (Obj.3) Fade 13. *In-Class Activity Pangea Flipbook Students will make a flipbook of Pangea that includes on each page what Pangea looked like during a particular time. Students will then color code each of the major landforms on each page to view the breakup of the Supercontinent Pangea over the past 190 million years and chart the subsequent movement of land masses, and to better understand plate tectonics. Some sample questions students will have to answer after completing and viewing their flipbooks are: What event began to occur about 190 Million Years Ago? During your coloring of the frames, in which frame did you locate the first appearance of North America, Australia, India, Europe and Antarctica? Sometimes when two plates collide, the land masses (continents) within the plates are pushed together and a mountain range can form. Using a world map, identify two locations where mountain ranges exist and where you hypothesize plate collisions between continents or parts of continents have occurred. Use your flipbooks to confirm your hypothesis. (Note that not all present-day mountain ranges were formed by continental collision events or by plate convergence which occurred during the last 190 million years.) (Obj.4) Modeling/Coaching 14. *Laboratory Exercise Continental Drift Students will map the locations of the four different fossils Glossopteris (fern found on the southern continents), Cynognathus (land reptile found in South America and Africa), Lystrosaurs (land reptile found in Africa, Antarctica, and India) and Mesosaurs (a fishwater swimming reptile found in Africa and South America). Then, students will cut continents shapes and try to piece them together as Gondwanaland. For homework, students will paste their finish versions on a sheet. During the next class period, students will share their versions on Gondwanaland. (Obj.4) Coaching 15. *Class Discussion - Discuss where the fossil remains have been found using the Continental Drift exercise as a model. Introduce to the students Wegener and Du Toit s theory and discuss if this evidence supports it. Do the students think it is sufficient evidence? What other information would be helpful? Conclude by telling students that over the past century, scientists have continued to find evidence supporting this theory. (Obj.4) Coaching 16. *In-Class Activity - Mapping Boundaries Students will use a map from the plate tectonics theory and add boundaries and arrows for plate movement. (Obj.5) Modeling 17. *Extension Project Students will pick a landform from a hat and explain it in terms of boundaries and plate movement. This will be a long-term project and students will be expected to research and present their findings to the class. (Obj.5) Coaching/Fade

4 Earthquakes 18. Lectures - There will be a couple short mini-lectures on the basic principles of earthquakes and the fault types scattered throughout this mini-unit. (Obj.6) Modeling 19. Demonstration Faults and Earthquakes Use two smooth wooden blocks to demonstrate how blocks of crust move along a fault. Explain how a rock slides along a fault during elastic rebound. As the rock slides, it releases energy that travels as waves. (Obj.6) Modeling 20. *Mapping Students ill create an earthquake map using date from Internet sites that contain time and location of earthquakes around the world. This will help students understand that earthquakes occur every day and they occur mainly near plate boundaries. This activity can be used as an ongoing investigation in which students keep records of earthquakes over the course of the school year. (Obj.6) Coaching/Fade 21. Lecture There will be a short mini-lecture on energy waves that are released at the time of an earthquake. This includes information about the primary wave, secondary wave, and Time Distance graph of P and S waves. (Obj.6) Modeling 22. *Laboratory Exercise Seismic Waves in Class Students will compare P and S waves using small metal spring toys to observe the motion of the waves. (Obj.6) Coaching 23. Demonstration Mapping with Seismic Waves A clear, shallow glass pan containing water is placed on the overhead projector. Turn on the projector and produce waves by touching the surface of the water. Students will see the waves radiate from the point where you touched the water. Next, place a solid object, in the pan. Repeat the demonstration, and ask students to describe what happens to the waves when they encounter the object. Explain that this is similar to what happens to seismic waves as they pass through the Earth. As seismic waves encounter different zones of Earth s interior their paths change. (Obj.6) Modeling 24. *In-Class Activity Students will create a concept map explaining the relationship between tectonic plate motion, earthquake characteristics, and fault types. (Obj.6) Coaching 25. *Homework Students will be asked to draw the three types of faults. Students should label each fault, state the type of plate motion that creates each fault, and write a brief explanation associated with each type of fault. Encourage students to locate an example of each type of tectonic plate boundary on a map. (Obj.6) Fade 26. Lectures - There will be a couple short mini-lectures on how earthquakes are detected and how the strength of one is measured. (Obj.6) Modeling 27. *In-Class Activity Students will look at various seismograph samples and should notice through class discussion that the large wiggles that line up with the P-wave curve are P waves and the large wiggles that line up with the S-wave curve are S waves. (Obj.6) Modeling 28. *Homework Complete a Seismic Story - Students will edit a newspaper article about a seismologist by using a list of vocabulary terms to fill in the missing words in the article. (Obj.6) Coaching 29. *In-Class Activity Moving Up the Scale Students will calculate the amount of energy released by earthquakes of various magnitudes on the Richter scale. (Obj.6) Coaching 30. *In-Class Activity Moving Up the Scale Earthquake Power Students use the Richter scale to compare the size and magnitude of earthquakes. (Obj.6) Coaching 31. Lecture There will be a short mini-lecture that will explain the hazards in earthquakes and outline earthquake safety procedures. (Obj.6) Modeling

5 32. *Extension Project Students will create a poster to promote earthquake safety. Posters should focus on the following: preparing for an earthquake, what to do during an earthquake, or what to do after an earthquake. Students can create a display to educate the school about earthquake safety. (Obj.6) Fade Volcanoes 33. Lecture - There will be a short mini-lecture on volcanic eruptions and how the composition of magma determines the type of eruption. (Obj.6) Modeling 34. *Laboratory Exercise Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble Students will be provided with water, honey, and two small drinking cups, and two straws. Through this lab, students will discover how the consistency of a liquid affects the flow of gases. (Obj.6) Coaching 35. Class Discussion Students will be asked to identify the differences between a direct relationship and an inverse relationship. Then, students will be asked to about the role of water and silica in magma. Discuss with the students that they have a direct relationship with an explosion: as the amount of water or silica increases, the possibility of an explosion also increases. Then, discuss the way silica affects lava s speed and consistency in terms of their inverse relationship: as the amount of silica increases, the speed of the lava decreases. (Obj.6) Coaching 36. Lecture - There will be another short mini-lecture on the different types of volcanoes (shield, cinder cone, composite, volcanic and caldera) and students will be able to compare the characteristics of each volcano with their composition of magma. (Obj.6) Modeling 37. *In-Class Activity Eruption Disruption Students will read a letter about volcanic activity on a tropical island nation and then use critical thinking skills and their knowledge of volcanoes to answer the latter writer s questions. (Obj.6) Coaching 38. Demonstration How s Your Lava Life? Students will witness the flow of lava through a model volcano and observe the formation of dikes along which the magma flows. Volcano parts, flows and fallout will also be discussed by using this model and various corresponding pictures. (Obj.6) Modeling 39. *Homework Students will draw a poster of an explosive volcano. They should incorporate flows, fallout, and a crater or caldera. Students must label and write a caption for all volcano parts. (Obj.6) Fade 40. Lecture This lecture will introduce students to the basics about what actually causes volcanoes to occur, while relating this to plate boundaries and movement. (Obj.6) Modeling 41. *Journal Students will be asked to imagine that they live on a volcanic island. They will list in their journals the signals that would tell them the volcano was about to erupt. (Obj.6) Coaching 42. Demonstration What Makes a Vent Event? In this demonstration, students will witness a simulation of the explosion that occurs when harden magma blocks the vent of a volcano. (Obj.6) Modeling 43. Class Discussion Have students study an illustration in which a continental plate and oceanic plate converge. Ask students which plate is more dense. Explain that when an oceanic plate sinks, or subducts, beneath another tectonic plate, the scraping, pushing, and jostling may cause earthquakes and tsunamis. Ask what kind of tectonic plate contains more water. Have students explain how water content affects magma formation. Have students explain how magma forms when these two plate converge. Refer to a physical map to point out the deep trenches that form around the edges of the oceans, where oceanic and continental plates collide. These trenches are the deepest part of the ocean floor. (Obj.6) Coaching 44. Lecture A short mini-lecture will introduce students to the concept of hot spots and the plate movement under them. Students should be able to apply this to explain the formation of Hawaii. (Obj.6) Modeling

6 45. *Homework Tectonic Plate Movement Students draw sketches of tectonic plate movement at divergent and convergent boundaries and explain why each of these causes volcanic activity. (Obj. 6) Fade 46. *Extension Project On the bulletin board, students will use pins and string to outline the plates on the map. Other students will then use flagged pins to mark the location of the volcanoes they have learned about. Then, pair students, and have partners explain how tectonic plate boundaries and volcanoes are related. Classmates should assess other students understanding by their descriptions of rifts, converging tectonic plates, diverging tectonic plates, subduction, hot spots and magma formation. (Obj.6) Coaching/Fade Evaluation Plan: Some of my assessment will come from the activities that are asterisked in the above activity list. In these activities, I will be looking for thoughtful, correct answers. Students must be able to apply their previous knowledge of the subject matter to be able to explain in detail why something occurs on our planet with regards to plate tectonics. My formal assessment will be based on about 5 pop-quizzes covering main concepts and terminology and 1 exam covering the main concepts from the plate tectonics unit, which will be mainly all short answer with some extra credit possibilities. Sample Test Questions: Explain the driving force behind plate tectonics. What are the three different types of plate boundaries? It has been said that the Earth is the ultimate recycler. In terms of plate tectonics, what does that statement mean? Above is a diagram of plate tectonic features. By letter, identify the location of a subduction zone. How many lithospheric plates are shown in the diagram above? How does the theory of plate tectonics explain the occurrence of both earthquakes and volcanoes? Identify and describe the origin of three geologic hazards posed by a volcano such as Mt. Pinatubo.