Download Tectonic Plate Theory Purpose: This lesson will intro

Kourtney Madden Title: Tectonic Plate Theory Purpose: This lesson will introduce the concept of the structure of the earth and how the movement of the earth’s layers results in changes in the earth’s surface. Students will understand how the movement of two tectonic plates past one another on their fault lines causes the earth to shake. Before, during, and after this lesson students will develop questions regarding tectonic plates and earthquakes and how they affect the earth’s crust. It is important that students develop a full understanding of how their earth works so they can work together to ensure it lasts for years to come. After learning about tectonic plates and how they are related to earthquakes, students will better understand how their earth works. Grade Level: 6th Grade Objectives: • 3.01 – evaluate the forces that shape the lithosphere including: crustal plate movement, folding and faulting, deposition, volcanic activity, and earthquake o During this lesson students will be engaged in several hands-­‐on learning experiences that allow them to figure out the theory of plate tectonics through their own experiences. • 3.02 – examine earthquake and volcano patterns o By looking at a world map of tectonic plates, students will demonstrate their understanding of the connection between earthquakes and tectonic plates by labeling earthquake prone areas. Developmental Level: Student’s in the 6th grade are able to think critically at a deeper level. They are beginning to understand non-­‐tangible ideas. Tectonic plates and earthquakes fit perfectly at the 6th grade level because tectonic plates are not tangible to students since they cannot see or feel them. However, earthquakes are a little more tangible because students have visibly seen their effects to the earth through news reports and books they have read. Learning about tectonic plates is developmentally appropriate because it takes something intangible and makes it tangible through the idea of earthquakes. Student Background: In the fifth grade, the NC standard course of study for science in regards to the earth’s structures and processes focus on the rock formation and soil erosion. This ties into tectonic plates because the shifting of tectonic plates creates different rock formations and soil erosion. In the seventh grade, the NC standard course of study for science relating to the earth’s structures and processes discusses the water cycle and air quality. This relates back to tectonic plates in regards to volcanoes because the ash that erupts out of volcanoes is damaging to the air. Students can take their knowledge about volcanoes and use it to further learn about the atmosphere. Students during this lesson will demonstrate the following 21st Century Skills: • Information Literacy: Students will be using informational books to gather further information on tectonic plates. • Media Literacy: Students will create a short video explaining tectonic plates in an effective and easy way to understand. • Communication and Collaboration: students will work in groups to create their videos. Communication and collaboration will be key in order to create a successful video with a group. •
Creativity and Innovation will also be key in creating high quality videos. Curricular Integration: o Language Arts: o L.6.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. o Students will be read a book that uses figurative language and tells about the famous earthquake of San Francisco. Then students will use their own figurative language to write a story explaining what it would be like if an earthquake hit Ashe County. In these stories students have to use figurative language. o Social Studies: o 2.01 Identify key physical characteristics such as landforms, water forms, and climate, and evaluate their influence on the development of cultures in selected South American and European regions. o Students will research life in Pompeii before and after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Then students will create a chart comparing and contrasting the different lifestyles. Background Information for Teacher: Layers of the Earth: • Crust: The outermost layer of the earth. It is the thinnest layer of the earth (5 to 100 km thick.) o Lithosphere: made out of the crust and uppermost part of mantle. Divided into pieces called tectonic plates. • Mantle: the layer of rock between the crust and core of the earth. Thickest part of the earth. Contain magna that flows out of active volcanoes. o Asthenosphere: layer of mantle that moves the tectonic plates in the lithosphere. o Mesosphere: lowest part of the mantle. Very strong. • Core: The central part of the earth below the mantle and is mostly made up of iron. Tectonic Plates: • A block of lithosphere • Major Tectonic Plates o Pacific Plate o North American Plate o Cocos Plate o Nazca Plate o South American Plate o African Plate o Eurasian Plate o Indian Plate o Australian Plate o Antarctic Plate • Pangaea Theory: Greek for “all earth” refers to the idea that about 255 million years ago all the continents were one big continent. • Continental drift: the continents are moving farther and farther away from each other • Plate tectonics: theory that the earth’s lithosphere is divided into tectonic plates that move around the upper layer of the mantle. • Tectonic Plate Boundaries: •
o Convergent Boundary: formed when two tectonic plates collide o Divergent Boundary: created by two tectonic plates moving away from each other o Transform Boundary: created when tectonic plates slide past each other horizontally Plate tectonics: theory that tectonic plates are always moving due to the fact that they rest on the uppermost part of the mantle. Deformation: when a rock changes shape because of stress • Compression: stress created when the rock is squeezed. This usually happens when two tectonic plates run into each other. • Tension: stress created when forces work together to stretch an object. This occurs when two tectonic plates are moving away from each other. • Folding: when rock layers are bent due to the stress of the earth’s crust Earthquakes • Seismology: the study of the earthquakes • Earthquakes occur near the edges of tectonic plates • Deformation is the cause of earthquakes. When a rock changes shape because of stress. How to measure an earthquake: • Finding Earthquakes o Seismograph: an instrument that records vibrations in the earth’s crust and establishes the strength and location of an earthquake o Seismogram: diagram of earthquake motion created by a seismograph o Epicenter: the point on the earth’s surface directly above the starting point of the earthquake o Focus: the point inside the earth where the earthquake begins • Earthquake Strength and Intensity o Richter Magnitude scale (Richter Scale): Created in the 1930’s by Charles Richter. Allows earthquakes to be compared by measuring ground motion recorded by seismograms. Scale from 1 to 7. o Magnitude: Earthquake ground motion Magnitude Estimated Effects 2.0 Can be detected only by a seismograph 3.0 Can be felt at epicenter 4.0 Can be felt by most people in the area 5.0 Causes damage at epicenter 6.0 Can cause widespread damage 7.0 Can cause great, widespread damage o Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale: used to measure how much an earthquake is felt by the people and how much damage was caused in the area. Numerical scale that used Roman Numerals I to XII. o Gap hypothesis: based on the idea that a major earthquake is more likely to occur along the part of an active fault where no earthquakes have been occurred for a certain period of time. o Seismic gap: an area along a fault where relatively few earthquakes have occurred recently, but where strong earthquakes have occurred in the past. Map of earthquake and volcano prone areas: List of Materials: • …If You Lived at the Time of the Great San Francisco Earthquake by Ellen Levine • Baking pan, 8 x 8 inches • Measuring cup • 2 1/2 cups water • Pot • Stove • 12 oz. powdered gelatin (two standard-­‐
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Spoon Plastic wrap Scissors Knife Paper and pencil 20 hardboiled eggs Nails Large cutouts of every continent Bucket of water Coasters that will float Safety Considerations: • Make sure no students in the class have egg or gluten allergies • Make sure that the teacher is the only one near the knife and the burner (While doing the demonstration do not allow students to touch the materials.) Engagement: • “Good afternoon class, today we are going to be working on a puzzle. I am going to pull out my puzzle pieces and show them to you.” • Take out the cut outs of the continents and tape them up on the board in no particular order. • “Does anyone notice anything in particular about the shapes of my puzzle pieces? o “None of them have straight edges” o “They are all bumpy around the edges” o “That one looks like Africa” o “One looks like North America” • “Great, you guys are onto something. Can anyone see any other continents that would correspond with these puzzle pieces?” (Get the students to name and label the rest of the puzzle pieces.) • “So how would these make a puzzle? Looking at the world map we have in the back of the classroom none of those continents are touching each other like they would in a puzzle. Do you think there was ever a time when they did touch?” o “No, I think the earth has been the same forever.” o “Aren’t the continents connected all the way through the earth? So they wouldn’t be able to move? “ o “Wouldn’t there be more ethnicities on one continent if they were originally one big continent?” o “Maybe, when I look at the edges they look like they might be able to fit together. I am not sure though.” • “Well I happen to have some extra puzzle pieces that I am going to pass out to you to work in pairs to see if you think the continents could have been one big continent at one point.” • Students will take large cutouts of the continents and put them together as if they were one big continent. • “Ok, so tell me what you discovered while working out this puzzle.” o “It looks like they could have been together at one point.” “Some of the continents fit really well with each other, but some did not fit as well as the others.” o “Me and my partner had a hard time figuring out which ones went together.” • “Ok I am going to rearrange the puzzle pieces I put on the board so that they are geographically correct in regards to where they are now on earth. I am going to draw names to see who comes up here to draw arrows explaining which continents went together.” • Students will come up one by one to help their fellow students who did not understand by showing them using arrows which way the continents would have to move to be back together. • “Wow, now if we moved all of the continents the way the arrows show what do you think would happen?” o “They would all be connected” • “Ok, let’s see. (Call up a student who originally did not understand) Student A, will you please move the continents the way the arrows are showing?” What do you see when you put them all together?” o “They do seem to fit” • “Yes, they do look like they once fit together. Many scientists do belief that all the continents were once connected. They call this theory Pangaea. Now I am going to play a little short video about Pangaea. So now that we have seen that the continents were once really close to each other, how do ya’ll think they spread so far apart?” o “The oceans sprang up in the middle of them.” o “Earthquakes ripped the ground if half and then they floated away on the water.” • “Ok class, I am going to show you a quick video clip that might help you organize this new material we are starting on.” Process skills used during engagement: • Observation – when students are looking at the different puzzle pieces • Inference – when students discover that each puzzle piece is a continent Exploration: • Show video about tectonic plates and Pangaea http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYVS_Yh6dTk&NR=1 • After viewing the video students will write in their science journal about why they think the continents moved apart. • “What did the video say was the reason the continents spread apart?” o “It said there were different areas of rock under the earth that made them move.” o “The picture showed the earth divided into several sections” • “How do you think the world would be different if Pangaea did not break apart?” o We would all speak the same language o Would we all look alike? o We wouldn’t need planes because you could drive everywhere o We would probably still be split up into different countries or provinces because you can’t have all of the people in the world living under one government • “You all have a great start, the earth is made up of several divided sections. There are many different sections of the earth made up of the crust and upper part of the mantle. Let’s look back at the picture of the layers of the earth. What do you remember about the mantle layer?” o “It is in the middle.” o “It is the hottest layer.” o “The inside is almost like lava because it is so hot.” o
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“Yes, all of those facts are correct. The different sections that the crust is divided into sit on top of the mantle. Someone described the mantle as being so hot that it was almost like lava. How do you think this lava-­‐like mantle area affects the divided sections if they sit on top of it?” o “It holds them up” o “It keeps them close to each other so the lava doesn’t ooze out.” “Ok, I want you to think about a swimming pool. Now imagine that the swimming pool had so many floats on the water that you could only see the floats. Do you think those floats would stay in the same place forever? o “Yes, since there are so many of them. They are pushing so close to each other that they stay in place.” o “No, I think they would move because water in a pool is usually always moving just a little bit, and the floats usually move with the water.” “Ok, well let’s test out both of our theories. I have a little bucket full of water. I am going to place these coasters that float on top of the water in the bucket. In your science journals I want you to each write down a prediction of what you think will happen to the coasters while they are on top of the water.” Students will write their predictions in their science journals. “Let’s see what will happen.” (Place coasters on the water. Let students come up to the table to see how they are moving.) “Ok, tell me some of the things you are seeing.” o “They are floating on the water.” o “They are moving up and down a little bit.” o “They are bumping into each other.” “You all make some very important points. Does anyone see any connections we can make between this water in the bucket and the lava in the mantle?” o “Lava is kind of like water, they both flow.” o “The coasters on top could be like the divided pieces of the crust.” “Exactly! So just like these coasters moved around and bounced into each other, the divided sections on the lithosphere (uppermost part of the mantle) move slowly on top of the mantle. There is a term for these divided sections, they are called tectonic plates. Since the tectonic plates are always moving, they bump into each other and slide past each other sometimes. What do you think would happen to the earth’s surface when the tectonic plates move past each other or bump into each other?” o “They would get stuck by each other.” o “They would break each other because they are so strong.” o “The earth would explode.” “What happened to the coasters on the water when they were moving?” o “They scraped by each other.” o “Some bounced together and apart a few times.” “Yea, I saw them doing those things too. To get a better sense of what happens when tectonic plates move past each other, we are going to use this gelatin to act like tectonic plates. How could I move the gelatin to show how tectonic plates interact with each other based on what we saw with the bucket of water and coasters?” o “Run them into each other” o “Make them hit each other” “These are all great ideas. Today I am going to show you some specific ways that tectonic plates interact with each other.” •
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Now take the container of gelatin and dump it out onto the plastic wrap. Be sure to have about half of the gelatin on each side of the plastic wrap. Take the knife and cut the gelatin in half right on the line where the two pieces of plastic wrap touch. “Ok class now I want you all to look at what I have put on the table and write about it in your science notebook. Make some observations and draw a diagram. Also take some time to think about how this demonstration will work and write down how you think these two ‘tectonic plates’ will interact.” Give students time to complete their observations. “I am going to show you one way that tectonic plates move past each other, and I want you to pay close attention to what happens at the sides that are touching each other. After I have shown you I want you to write your observations down in your science notebook.” Slide the two gelatin parts past each other. This will cause the gelatin to act like tectonic plates, creating an “earthquake” along the fault. “Ok class, tell me some of the things you just saw happen.” o “You slid the gelatin pieces past each other in opposite directions making them wiggle.” “Yes, can anyone tell me why sliding the pieces past each other made them wiggle?” o “They were touching and so when you moved them they affected each other.” o “The moving of the pieces of gelatin created friction which made the pieces wiggle.” “Ok, so moving the pieces past each other created friction, which caused both sides to wiggle. Does anyone know of another occurrence in the world that makes things wiggle?” o “Music” “Yes, music can make us wiggle, but what about something that makes buildings wiggle too?” o “Oh, I know, an earthquake!” Yes, what we just did with the gelatin is very similar to how an earthquake works. These two pieces of gelatin represent the tectonic plates that move, and the line in the middle is the fault line. When the fault line is moved, and earthquake occurs. Would there ever be a situation when only one side wiggled?” o “I don’t think so, both tectonic plates have to move for there to be an earthquake.” o “Yes, if on side stayed still and the other side moved.” “If only one side did move, which side would the wiggling occur on? The side that moved or the side that stayed still?” o “The side that moved would wiggle because it is the one creating the friction.” o “I still think both sides would wiggle a little bit.” “Looking at this gelatin, are there any other ways that we can make the two pieces interact to create wiggling?” o “Pick one up and drop it on the other (“Ok, do pieces of earth usually come up and then drop down?” No, probably not”.) o “Run them into each other, making their sides hit.” o •
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“OK, let’s try that idea and see what happens.” (slide the two pieces of gelatin towards each other) “What did ya’ll see?” o “It worked, it made the gelatin wiggle!” “If we wanted to make the gelatin wiggle even more, what would we do? o “Hit the two pieces together harder” o “Slide them faster on the table” “Looking at the gelatin as tectonic plates, we can see how earthquakes are created when tectonic plates interact with one another. Has anyone ever experienced and earthquake?” o “Yes, when I was a baby.” o “No, but my parents did.” o “Yes, when I was visiting relatives, etc.” “Ok, well we are going to explore tectonic plates further to see how earthquakes are created.” Process skills used during exploration: •
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Observation: students observing what happens to the gelatin when the two parts slide past each other Prediction: students predict what happens if the two parts of gelatin slide faster or slower. Recording data: students write in their journals what they saw while observing the gelatin demonstration. Explanation: • “So a lot of you just told me that you have experienced an earthquake or know someone who has. Today we are going to look further into the relationship between tectonic plates and earthquakes.” • “We know that the earth’s lithosphere is divided into sections that are called tectonic plates. All of these tectonic plates touch. The areas where the plates touch are called boundaries. There are several different kinds of tectonic plate boundaries and they are named according to how the tectonic plates touch.” • “Ok, so here I have a hardboiled egg and we are going to pretend that this egg is the earth. I am going to take a nail and tap the egg very lightly in a two different places. By cracking the egg slightly with the nail, what did I just put on the earth?” o “The different continents” o “The tectonic plates” • “This is what the tectonic plates on the earth look like. What did we say the tectonic plates are always doing?” o “They are always bumping into each other” •
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o “They are always moving” “Yes, so each of you is going to get your own hardboiled egg and you are going to tap it very lightly with a nail to create the tectonic plates. Once you have your tectonic plates, I want you to gently grab the egg shell from the top and bottom and move the two halves of the shell in opposite directions. As you do this, take notes in your science journal and sketch the different kinds of boundaries you see between tectonic plates. How are they touching each other? I also want you to write about what you think the egg part represents and why you think that.” Students will do this activity and complete a science journal entry. “Ok, so I want to hear about some of the boundaries you saw on your earth.” o “A lot of my tectonic plates stayed close to each other, but some of them slid past each other side by side.” o “Some of mine crashed into each other and looked like they were standing up.” o “Some of mine separated from each other and left the mantle exposed.” “Man, you all made some great observations! And you all hit on key ideas. Most of you saw three different kinds of movement on the boundaries, and that is because there are three different kinds of boundaries. We now know what the boundaries basically are, so now we are just going to give names to them.” “Many of you said that your tectonic plates slid past each other side by side. This is called a transform boundary.” “Some of you said your tectonic plates moved apart from each other. This is called a divergent boundary.” “Most of you also saw your tectonic plates crashing into one another and ‘standing up.’ This is called a convergent boundary.” “Ok, I want all of you to go back to the diagrams of your tectonic plates in your journals and add your new vocabulary words to that section, making sure to label each diagram correctly using convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries.” “Deformation also occurs due to the movement of tectonic plates. Can anyone tell me a root word they see in the word deformation?” o “Deformed” “Ok, and what does the word deformed mean?” o “When something changes shape.” o “When someone doesn’t look the same as everybody else some people call them deformed.” “Ok, so using what we already know about the word deformed, what do we think the deformation of a rock is referring to?” o “Maybe the rock changes shape” o “Or it is no longer the shape it was at first.” “You all are doing a great job at using root words to figure out vocabulary! You are right, deformation refers to when the shape of a rock is changed because of stress. What kind of stress do you think rocks in the earth’s lithosphere would be under?” o “The earth might be too heavy for some parts, so it gets stressed.” o “When the tectonic plates move they put pressure on each other and that can cause tension between them.” “Yes, ya’ll just listed some really great examples of situations that lead to the deformation of rocks. There are several different circumstances that create the deformation of rocks. Most deformations can be linked to a tectonic boundary. So let’s look at the terms we learned earlier and see if we can make sense of this. Compression is stress created when the rock is squeezed. •
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This usually happens when two tectonic plates run into each other. What type of boundary have we already learned about that occurs when tectonic plates run into each other? o Convergent and transform boundaries “Deformation also occurs when stress is created by forces that are working together to stretch an object. This is called Tension. What kind of a boundary have we learned about that is created when two tectonic plates pull apart from each other?” o “Oh, that was a divergent boundary” “Yes, so what conclusion can we draw from the fact that with each type of boundary there is also some kind of rock deformation?”’ o “They are connected in some way” “Ok, can anyone tell me how they are connected?” o “Well there is a certain type of boundary for each certain type of rock deformation.” o “When the boundaries move it makes deformation happen.” “Ya’ll are some heavy thinkers! There is definitely a connection between the boundaries and the type of deformation that takes place. So remembering back to the gelatin activity, who can tell me what that was showing?” o “It was showing how tectonic plates can move past each other.” o “It was showing the wiggle.” “And what was the wiggle representative of?” o “An earthquake” “Yes, and looking at the new vocabulary words we just learned about deformation, is there any word you could use to describe the wiggling in the gelatin?” o “Compression could be used because it was talking about when rocks are squeezed from sliding past each other.” “I am going to slide the gelatin past each other one more time, and I want you to really pay attention to what is happening and be thinking of where deformation would be taking place.” Slide gelatin sides past each other again. “Does anyone think they know where deformation took place?” o “When they slid past each other.” o “The wiggling would be the rock changing shape!” “Ok, great! When the gelatin which is symbolizing rock, moves past one another and wiggles, that would be right where the deformation takes places. Now, since this is gelatin it moves back to its original shape, but the rock sometimes stays deformed.” “Ok, so now we have this connection between tectonic plate boundaries and rock deformation. Does anyone see another connection we can draw here that would relate tectonic plates and earthquakes?” o “with the gelatin when the tectonic plates moved the sides wiggled and we said that could be an earthquake.” o “Yea, I think that when the tectonic plates run into each other that is what causes an earthquake.” “Would everyone agree with that last statement? Do ya’ll think that when tectonic plates run into each other they create earthquakes?” o “Yes, because when they hit each other they wiggle.” “Ok, using the vocabulary we have learned today, could you explain that idea?” o “Well, when the tectonic plates move into each other they either scrape past each other or bump head on into each other. When this happens the force is so strong it creates stress, which leads to rock deformation, and when the crust of the earth is moving, that is an earthquake.” • “Exactly! So we have now discovered that tectonic plates are linked to earthquakes. OK, I am going to pass out a piece of paper that has a map of the earth and all of the earth’s tectonic plates lined out. I want you to color where you think the most earthquake prone areas are and then write a paragraph explaining how you know where earthquake prone areas would be. (Students should color near the edges of tectonic plates and write about the relationship between earthquakes and tectonic plates being caused by one another.) • “OK, let’s talk about some of the things we know about earthquakes.” Process Skills used in explanation: • Prediction: students will predict what happens when they move their egg shells • Observation: students will observe what occurs at the cracks when the egg shell is moved • Recording Data: students will write down their observations and use diagrams to explain • Classifying: students will classify each type of movement they see on their egg shell using transform, convergent, or divergent boundaries. Expansion: • “I want to hear from ya’ll. Tell me some of the things you know about earthquakes.” (Write all of these down on the board as students say them.) o “They shake the earth” o “A lot of people get hurt by them” o “Tectonic plates create earthquakes.” o “There is always an epicenter, that is where the earthquake starts” o “Some earthquakes create mountains.” • “Ok, great. So we know that earthquakes are caused by tectonic plate movement, they shake the earth, there is a specific point where an earthquake starts. Has anyone ever experienced an earthquake?” o “My parents have.” o “When I was a baby.” o “No, I don’t think I ever have.” • “Well what are some of the things you think we would experience if we had ever been in an earthquake? How do you think it would feel?” o “I think you would bounce all around like a ball” o “I saw a movie once and the people experienced an earthquake and everything fell out of their cabinets in the kitchen. So I think an earthquake would be messy.” o “I think all of your skin would vibrate and feel funny.” • “A lot of you have really great ideas about what an earthquake might feel like. And I really liked the way Student B described how she would feel, ‘bounce all around like a ball.’ Does anyone know what kind of language she was using when she related being in an earthquake to bouncing around like a ball? Do you think we would really bounce like a ball ever? No, she was using figurative language. Has anyone ever heard of that term before? Figurative language is used to describe something or relate something to another thing that is seemingly un-­‐relatable. We are going to read a book about an earthquake, and the book tells us all about this particular earthquake and what people felt and saw. There is a lot of figurative language in this book, and every time you think you hear figurative language I want you to hold your thumb up. This book is called …If You Lived at the Time of the Great San Francisco Earthquake and it is written by Ellen Levine. (Read pgs. 4 – 19 of the book, stopping to ask students to tell you what figurative •
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language they heard on certain pages. Keep track on the white board all of the examples the students point out.) “Ok, does anyone remember an example from the book of figurative language?” o Students will pull out examples o “After the earthquake, it looked like a skeleton.” P.7 o “The front wall of one hotel fell off completely, and the bedrooms looked like rooms in a doll’s house.” P.8 o “people were running about like excited insects.” P.8 o ‘When the earthquake hit, the bed snapped closed and he was trapped inside, bent over like a jackknife.” P.13 o “a stampede of cattle” p.16 o “a heavy hailstorm.” P.16 o “thunder underground.” P.16 o “a locomotive coming at full speed.” P.16 o “wagons crossing a bridge.” P.16 o “a string of firecrackers.” P.16 o “Buildings swayed and shook…they looked like they were dancing.” P.18 o “…the ground rolled like waves on the ocean.” P.18 o “…said she danced the whole time she was trying to get dressed.” P. 19 o “like corn in a popper.” P.19 “Ok, well now that we all know a little bit more about figurative language, I am going to ask all of you to do some writing using figurative language. Everyone needs to take out some paper and a pencil. Now I want you to all think about what it would be like if an earthquake hit Ashe County this morning at 6:30 am. What were you doing when the earthquake hit? What did it feel like? What does the county look like after the earthquake? Be sure to use figurative language. In your story I want you to underline all the figurative language that you use. Be sure to include at least 4 sentences with figurative language.” Give students about 20 – 35 minutes to complete this writing assignment. After students have finished writing, put students into small groups so they can share the figurative language they used with each other. Guide students to talk about how they know when others are using figurative language and to compare and contrast their own figurative language with the other students in the group. “Wow, you all did a great job today! We figured out several different ways to model an earthquake using gelatin as tectonic plates and we created some outstanding stories using figurative language.” Process Skills used in expansion: •
Classifying: students will be looking at several different sentences and classifying each as a sentence that either has figurative language or one that does not have figurative language. Evaluation: •
Formative Evaluations: These are scattered all throughout the lesson plan. o Students will keep a journal during this whole unit on earthquakes and volcanoes. In their journals for this lesson they will: Write thoughts/a reflection on the video they watch about tectonic plates and Pangaea  Write down their observations and draw diagrams of what they saw during the egg exploration  Write down their observations and predictions regarding the gelatin demonstration o Identify earthquake prone areas based on a map of tectonic plates and write a paragraph explaining the relationship between tectonic plates and earthquakes o Paragraph using figurative language explaining what an earthquake would be like in Ashe county Summative Assessments: o Vocabulary Book: throughout this unit students will be keeping track of vocabulary words in a separate book. For each vocabulary word they must have the word, definition, and a diagram further explaining the word. o Movie: Students will be placed in groups of four. Using rented flip cameras, students will plan and make a movie that is 1 minute long explaining how tectonic plates work. The students will also be responsible for making the connection between tectonic plates and earthquakes in their movies. 
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Vocabulary Map Rubric Student Name: ________________________________________ 4 CATEGORY Drawings/Diagrams Clear, accurate diagrams are included and make the experiment easier to understand. Diagrams are labeled neatly and accurately. Participation Used time well in lab and focused attention on the experiment. Definition 1 Needed diagrams are missing OR are missing important labels. 3 Diagrams are included and are labeled neatly and accurately. 2 Diagrams are included and are labeled. Used time pretty well. Stayed focused on the experiment most of the time. Did the lab but did not appear very interested. Focus was lost on several occasions. Participation was minimal OR student was hostile about participating. Definition missing two parts. Definition not included. Clear and accurate Definition missing definition is stated. one part. Movie Rubric Student Name: ________________________________________ CATEGORY Storyboard 4 Storyboard is complete with sketches for each scene, detailed notes on titles, transitions, special effects, sound, etc. Storyboard reflects outstanding planning and organization for the visuals in the video. 3 Storyboard is relatively complete with sketches for most scenes, and notes on titles, transitions, special effects, sound, etc. Storyboard reflects effective planning and organization for the visuals in the video. Students meet and discuss regularly. All students contribute to the discussion and all are listened to respectfully. All team members contribute a fair share of the work. Script Script is complete and it is clear what each actor will say and do. Entries and exits are scripted as are important movements. Script is quite professional. Science Vocabulary All 3 types of Words tectonic plates are talked about in the video and relate back to earthquakes. Students meet and discuss regularly. Most students contribute to the discussion and are listened to respectfully. All team members contribute a fair share of the work. Script is mostly complete. It is clear what each actor will say and do. Script is shows planning. Teamwork Only 2 types of tectonic plates are mentioned in the video and relate back to earthquakes. 1 2 Storyboard has Storyboard is not glaring omissions done or is so in scene planning. incomplete that it There are some could not be used sketches, and even as a general notes on titles, guide. Storyboard transitions, special reflects very little effects, sound, etc. planning of the Storyboard reflects visuals. attempts at planning and organization for the visuals in the video. A couple of team Meetings are not meetings are held. held AND/OR some Most students team members do contribute to the not contribute a discussion and are fair share of the listened to work. respectfully. All team members contribute a fair share of the work. Script has a few There is no script. major flaws. It is Actors are not always clear expected to invent what the actors are what they say and to say and do. do as they go Script shows an along. attempt at planning, but seems incomplete. Only 1 type of None of the tectonic plate is vocabulary words mentioned and it is are used in the not related back to video. earthquakes. Modifications: The extended standard for this lesson plan is, “learner will describe forces and processes that shape the earth • Observe and describe geological processes (volcanoes, earthquakes, plate tectonics, rock formation, minerals, etc.) • Observe, describe and investigate soil and human activities that impact soil properties.” o ADD/ADHD Students: This lesson moves from topics in a quick and easy way to understand, so that students with ADD will be asked to focus in a way that is doable for them. o Learning Disabled Students: Students who suffer from learning disabilities will be required to have a fewer number of vocabulary words in their vocabulary book. Students who struggle particularly with writing will only be asked to use a word or two and a diagram in their vocabulary books. Also, students with learning disabilities might get a simpler prompt for writing activities or be asked to write less, depending on the needs of the students. o ESL Students: During this lesson many diagrams and pictures are used. This is especially beneficial for ESL students who may not know enough words in English to understand the lesson, but through diagrams and acting out main themes these students will still be able to learn the targeted objectives. o AG Students: These students will be expected to turn in a higher degree of performance on their work. Later in this unit, they will also be given above grade level texts to research more about earthquakes and volcanoes. Reflection: This lesson went really smoothly. My students were very engaged during the entire lesson and really learned a lot. The hands on activities went really well with my students. This lesson was taught over a day period, and each day when it was time for class they were constantly asking me what fun thing we were going to do in science that day. After each hands-­‐on activity the students had to write in their journals relating how the activity we did corresponds to what we were learning about earthquakes. For the engagement part of this lesson using the cut out puzzle pieces of Pangaea were very beneficial to the understanding of the theory of tectonic plates. After solving the puzzle with a partner, my students were pulling pieces of the puzzle out one by one without me prompting them to do so, because they were explaining to their desk partners how Pangaea split apart. Using these puzzle pieces and having a set for every two students was very helpful because the students were able to see for themselves that the continents could actually have been together at one point. My exploration activity using the gelatin to show how two pieces of rock slide past each other to create an earthquake was a mess, but it still worked for the students. You are supposed to heat the gelatin over a hot plate to get it off the edges of the pan you made it in. Unfortunately, I held it over a hot plate a little too long and the gelatin started to liquefy. Having to improvise, I folded up the edges of the tin foil I was using to slide the pieces past each other so the gelatin would not run off the edges. This procedure worked just great. When I slid the two pieces of tin foil past each other, the gelatin that was in each tin foil pan still jiggled. My students were able to see hoe when tectonic plates slide past each other or crash into each other there is an earthquake. The activity for explanation using the hard boiled eggs was very successful. Every student was able to see the connection between the egg shell acting as the core, the slimy part under the shell acting as the mantel, and the cracks in the shell representing tectonic plate boundaries. (See below for attached student work.) Throughout the whole unit this was an activity my students would relate back to because it was the basis of everything we were learning about earthquakes, and they really understood that. Unfortunately, because of time restraints I was not able to give my students the project of creating a video to show how tectonic plates work. My teacher was on a schedule with another teacher and they were ending science and switching to social studies and she had to start on a new topic. However, I was able to work with my students to create an information book on several different famous volcanoes and earthquakes. Below is the work shown by my students and the information they found regarding each earthquake and volcano. Sources: E How Family, Carrie Perles. (2011). How to make an earthquake model for kids. Retrieved from: http://www.ehow.com/how_5347246_make-­‐earthquake-­‐model-­‐kids.html On this website there are several helpful and educational activities to do with children on earthquakes. This website was very easy to navigate. The instructions were very easy to follow and there was a comprehensive list of materials. Levine, Ellen. (1992). …If you lived at the time of the great San Francisco earthquake. U.S.A.: Scholastic Inc. This book has many facts about the great San Francisco earthquake that occurred in 1906 and destroyed the city. This book is also a great example of figurative language. It is very useful when trying to explain to students what it would be like to experience and earthquake as well as integrating some language arts into a science lesson. PBS: A Science Odyssey. (1998.) Mountain Maker, Earth Shaker: You try it. [Egg activity] Retrieved from: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/tectonics/ This website had a lot of great activities dealing with the topic of plate tectonics. There was also a full length lesson plan that could be accessed from this page also dealing with plate tectonics. The instructions were very easy to follow and understand. I would recommend using this website when planning science lessons. Tectonic Plates. (2011). [Diagram of compression.] Useful Earth Science Poetry. Retrieved from: http://home.mindspring.com/~cms-­‐stuff/id3.html This website was very helpful when looking for diagrams related to earthquakes. There are several easy to understand diagrams that use arrows to show what direction the piece of earth moves to create the different types of tectonic plate boundaries. Tyler and Morgan’s Site of Plate Tectonics. (2006). [Diagram of transverse boundaries.] Retrieved from: http://www.freewebs.com/morganisrupert/photos.htm This website was very helpful when looking for diagrams related to earthquakes. There are several easy to understand diagrams that use arrows to show what direction the piece of earth moves to create the different types of tectonic plate boundaries. Youtube.com (2011.) Video about Pangaea and Plate Tectonics. Retrieved From: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYVS_Yh6dTk&NR=1 This video was very helpful. It lays information out in a very easy way to understand. This video is particularly beneficial for students who are being introduced to a new topic because it allows them to learn the surface information, and form their own questions about the topic. Red = Revisions