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Pass the Plate (Grades 5-6)

Master Teacher

Terri Stansfield

Time Allotment

Two to three class periods approximately 40-50 minutes in length.

Overview

Pangaea. In 1912, using the shape of the edges of continents and the discovery of similar fossils on separate continents, he determined that at one point in time, all Earth’s continents were connected in the form of a super continent. Wegener’s ideas were not taken seriously during his time because he was not able to explain how the continents moved.

Plate tectonic theory was developed during the 1960s. Its purpose is to explain how continents move. This theory suggests that the Earth’s surface is divided into large areas, which consist of the crust and the top rigid part of the mantle. These areas are referred to as “plates.”

The movement of these plates results in earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the formation of mountains. Most often, these events take place along areas that are known as plate boundaries. Volcanic eruptions are an example of earth’s constructive forces.

Subject Matter

Earth Science (plate tectonics)

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

Define constructive forces;
Describe how landforms are created as a result of constructive forces;
Recognize active volcano areas in the United States;
Demonstrate an understanding of Panagea;
Model how constructive forces change the surface of the Earth.

South Carolina Standards

These Standards are available online at: http://www.myscschools.com/offices/cso/

Grade 5 III A.1.a, A.1.b, A.1.e, A.1.f, A.1.i

Land forms are the result of a combination of constructive and destructive forces.

a. Define constructive forces, which include crustal deformation (folding and faulting), volcanic eruptions and deposition of sediment.

b. Describe how landforms are created as a result of constructive forces.

e. Define destructive forces, which include weathering and erosion.

f. Describe how landforms change as a result of destructive forces.

i. Identify technological advances developed as a result of major geological events such as earthquakes.

Media Components

Video

Journeys to Alaska: The Power of Volcanoes, Lesson 1: “What is a Volcano?”

Web Sites

Mountain Maker, Earth Shaker
Students will be able to use this interactive Web site to explore the movements involved with plate tectonics.

Journeys to Alaska: The Power of Volcanoes
This Web site offers the video used in this lesson in a digital format that can be used online.

Plate Tectonic Terms
This Web site offers a glossary of terms dealing with the volcanoes and the layers of the Earth.

One Planet Education Network
This Web site offers an interactive quiz about the various topics involved with plate tectonics.

Puzzles of the Earth
This Web site goes along with One Planet Education.com. It offers navigation of the topics involved in plate tectonics that need to be reviewed before taking an online quiz.

Materials

hard boiled eggs (2)
raw egg
plastic knife
paper towels
paper plates (3)
2 Dry Erase Markers (Note to Teacher: I suggest black and blue due to the color of the video that is on the screen at the time.)

Equipment

TV
VCR
computer or computers with Internet access
AverKey

Prep for Teachers

Prior to teaching the lesson, bookmark the Web sites used in the lesson on each computer in your lab or classroom.

Make copies of Activity Sheet 1 for each student. If you choose the paper/pencil option for the Culminating Activity, you will need to make copies of the online quiz as well.

When using media, remember to provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites, or other multimedia elements.

Introductory Activity

Step 1: Begin by reviewing the names of the main layers of the earth with the students. (crust, mantle, and core)

Step 2: Hold a hardboiled egg in your hand. Discuss with the children that an egg can be a model of the Earth with the shell representing the crust, the egg white representing the mantle, and the egg yolk representing the core.

Step 3: Crack the egg and peel it. Place the egg shell on a plate labeled crust. Place the egg white on a plate labeled mantle. Place the egg yolk on a plate labeled core.

Step 4: Use a raw egg to show how the inside layers of the earth move even though the crust appears to remain motionless. To do this simply place the egg on its side and give it a spin. Point out to the students that the internal contents of the egg are spinning just as the shell is spinning. Now, touch the egg gently with your finger to stop the motion. Then let go and observe what the egg does. The egg should continue to move even though you have stopped it. This is because the fluid parts inside the egg are still spinning due to centripetal force. Note that this is similar to how the layers of the Earth move. The inner layers of the earth are in motion even though we do not feel this movement unless we have a major geological event.

Step 5: Take the second hard boiled egg and spin it as you did the raw egg. This egg should stop spinning when you touch it and should remain stopped because of its solid center. Again tap the eggshell to crack it. Explain that it is believed that the continents were once all one piece—a super continent of sorts—and then they began to crack and split apart. This theory or idea is called Pangaea.

Step 6: Collect materials and clean up any mess that is left.

Learning Activities
Day One

Step 1: Tell your students they will be using a Web site glossary for important terms dealing with the subject of tectonic plate movement. (Hand out Activity Sheet 1.) Depending on the number of computers available, you may wish to have them complete this activity in small groups.

Step 2: Have students go to the glossary section of the following Web site, Plate Tectonic Terms at http://www.le.ac.uk/geology/art/glossary/glossary.html#C.

Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction by telling them to use this Web site to answer the questions on Activity Sheet 1, Part 1.

Step 3: For Part 2 of Activity Sheet 1, provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction by telling them to look for the definitions for the four terms on their sheet. Direct students to Mountain Maker, Earth Shaker at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/tectonics . Tell them to scroll down the page to where they see The Sea Floor Spread, The Continental Slide, The Continental Crush and Slippin’ and Slidin’ links. Direct them to click each on and view the animations. These illustrations will help your students to paint a mental picture of these topics and glossary terms so they can discuss them.

(Note to Teacher: This activity is best suited for a computer lab situation, but can be done as a whole group using one computer, the AverKey, and the TV.)

Step 5: Collect the students’ copies of Activity Sheet 1. Provide question/answer time for students.

Learning Activities
Day Two

Step 1: Using the AverKey converter, display the Web sites used on Day One to review glossary terms and plate movement.

Step 2: Give your students a Focus for Media Interaction by asking them to look for an example or illustration of subduction in the video clip from Journeys to Alaska.

Step 3: CUE the video to the point where you see the words—Types of Plate Movements. PLAY the video until you hear the speaker say, “Pacific Ring of Fire.”

Step 4: STOP the video and ask the students if they recall seeing an illustration or example of subduction.

Step 5: Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction by asking them to look for the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. REWIND the video to the beginning of the animation of subduction. PLAY for just a short second and then pause the video to show the placement of the tectonic plates.

Step 6: With the video paused, ask a student to come to the TV and trace the Pacific Plate with the dry erase marker. Ask another student to come to the TV and trace the North American Plate. Label each plate and note the position of each plate during the subduction process.

Step 7: Erase the marker off the TV screen.

Step 8: CUE the video to the point where you see Christina Neal (wearing a bright orange vest) at the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

Step 9: Give your students a Focus for Media Interaction by asking them to listen for why there is so much volcanic activity in Alaska and the rate at which the tectonic plates move in a year’s time. PLAY the video until she completes her explanation of the Focus for Media Interaction.

Step 10: CUE the video to the point where you see the Web site: http://www.oneplaneteducation.com listed. You may want to access this site later because it, too, has a quiz.

Step 11: Now use the AverKey to bring up the Puzzles of the Earth Web site:

http://library.thinkquest.org/17701/high/interactive/scriptquiz.html

Step 12: Explore the various areas and links of this Web site with your class. There is a Navigator list on the left side of the Web page, be certain to visit the following links with your class:

Earth Structures
Plate Tectonics
Geo Features
Effects
Pangaea.

(Note to Teacher: Do not use the interactive link with your students at this point, they will use the October 19, 2004 ty below and the Discussion link is no longer published for use.)

Culminating Activity

(Note to Teacher: This activity is best suited for the computer lab where each student can use an individual computer. However, it is possible to print out the quiz and make this into a paper/pencil activity.)

Step 1: Tell your students that they are going to put their knowledge to the test. They are going to have an opportunity to take an online quiz. They will have an opportunity to see how well they remember the material they have covered over the past two days.

Step 2: Tell the students to click on—

http://library.thinkquest.org/17701/high/interactive/scriptquiz.html

Step 3: Provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction by directing them to take the General Puzzles of the Earth Quiz. This is self-correcting, so the students will know immediately if they were successful in their attempt.

Step 4: Allow students time to take the online quiz.

Step 5: Once the students have completed the General Puzzles of the Earth quiz, direct them to the interactive link at the top of the Web page. Allow them to use the Puzzles of the Earth Java Game until all students have had time to complete the quiz.

Cross-Curricular Extensions

Social Studies: Use longitude and latitude to locate active volcanoes on a world map.

Drama/Science/Social Studies/Reading: Research the people of Pompeii. Create a dramatic re-enactment of the events that took place when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. One group of students can act out the action of the volcano eruption. Another group can play the part of the citizens of Pompeii. Others students can create written work that is to be used as narration for the production.

Community Connections

Students can perform the People of Pompeii drama for the PTO.

Take a trip to a museum to see exhibits of plate tectonics, the rock cycle, and the layers of the earth. In our case, The State Museum of South Carolina has nice exhibits of these topics. The museum can be reached through the following Web site: http://www.museum.state.sc.us/

Student Materials

Copy of the Puzzles of the Earth Quiz—ONLY if you choose to do the Culminating Activity as pencil/paper instead of online.

Activity Sheets (PDF)

Activity Sheet 1