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Faculty of Sciences
e-Science Teachers Pack
Issue 12, February 2015
Uniting Gondwana: Unravelling a Past Planet Puzzle
Summary & learning outcomes
Most people know the fact that the Earth looked very different millions of years ago compared to
what it looks like now; that movement of the continents on tectonic plates change how the Earth
looks. In this pack, students will learn about how tectonic geologists are using minerals such as
zircon to determine how the Earth was constructed millions of years ago. They will also discover the
little known micro continent “Azania” and see how geologists are trying to determine where it
originally came from and its role in reconstructing the past planet puzzle.
Learning outcomes:
 The continents are situated upon an unstable, dynamic and always moving crust; this movement
lead to the formation and destruction of the Pangea and Gondwana supercontinents
 The isotopes in zircon can be used as fingerprints to past geological processes; highlighting what
the Earth looked like when the mineral was formed
 The theory of plate tectonics explains global patterns of geological activity and continental
movement
Prior learning
Some students will probably already know about tectonic plates and their movement; they may even
know the names of the landmasses that the Earth was made up of millions of years ago. Determine
their level of understanding about plate movement and how the Earth may have looked in the past
during brainstorming and before reading the article.
 Ask the students if they know of the name “Gondwana” Do they know where it is? If they know
that it was an ancient land mass, do they know the time period when it was in existence? Are
there any other landmasses that they know the names of? How is it that the Earth looks so
different now compared to millions of years ago? What causes the changes to the construction of
the planet?
Curriculum
View the relevance of this article and its resources to the Australian Curriculum:
www.sciences.adelaide.edu.au/schools-resources/docs/curriculum-issue12-uniting-gondwana.pdf
Lesson plan & learning activities
Lesson 1 – Introduction to Gondwana and continental drift
 Brainstorm what students already know about Gondwana. Do they know that it is an ancient
landmass? What time period was it in existence? Are there any other landmasses that they know
the names of? How is it that the Earth looks so different now compared to millions of years ago?
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You want the students to realise (if they didn’t already know) that all of the continents on the
Earth are on top of tectonic plates. You may want to show some images of how the tectonic
plates are laid out in comparison to the continents. Ask the students if they know what causes the
changes to the construction of the planet? You want to try and steer the discussion onto the topic
of continental drift.
Introduce Gondwana, continental drift and tectonic plate movement through reading through
“Uniting Gondwana: Unravelling a Past Planet Puzzle” (Issue 12, February 2015) article as a
class (organise students into pairs or small groups to share resources).
Images within the article can be utilised (printed out or used on an interactive whiteboard) to
reinforce points of importance.
Discuss with the students (as a class) what they learned from the article. Find out:
o Were there things that they already knew about Gondwana, continental drift and tectonic
plate movement but reluctant to mention during brainstorming?
o What things didn’t they know? Did they learn anything interesting?
o Are there things they want to find out more about from the article?
Define any unknown words and use them to create glossary of keywords.
View YouTube videos (see resources list below) if there is time (otherwise show at start of 2 nd
lesson).
Lesson 2/3 – Tennis Ball Globe
 Show YouTube videos if you didn’t have time in the first lesson.
 Quick review of points from e-Science article.
 Download and print the Tennis ball globe activity sheet (see materials below) and collect all
materials needed for globe construction, after choosing which globe you are going to be building.
 Most of the globes will have the basic lines of latitude and longitude along with the outlines of the
continents but otherwise you are able to customise it to show physical geography, climate,
political boundaries or anything else you may want to see on your 3D planet Earth.
Extension activity
 What do you think will happen to the location of the continents on the globe 50, 100 or 200 million
years from now? Using your tennis ball globe and a bit of research into the current direction of
continental drift, track where you think each continent will move to as they keep moving.
Research what scientists think will happen (hint: try looking in to a supercontinent called Pangea
Ultima).
Resources
YouTube videos (can be shown through a PC or interactive whiteboard):
 Watch Pangea break apart in this animation.
http://youtu.be/HhkyXrWNoVA
 Or take a look at this video for a slower look at the stages of movement over the last 600 million
years.
http://youtu.be/cQVoSyVu9rk
 Learn a bit more about the birth of continental drift theory, the evidence for it and the man who is
largely credited with its discovery in this video.
http://youtu.be/_5q8hzF9VVE
 This documentary explains some of the more unpleasant consequences of tectonic plate
movement.
http://youtu.be/1-HwPR_4mP4
Useful Websites
 Learn about our dynamic plant using the interactive tools on this website.
www.learner.org/interactives/dynamicearth/drift3.html
The University of Adelaide
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 Can you reconstruct Pangea? Try it!
www.geo.cornell.edu/hawaii/220/PRI/PRI_PT_contdrift.html#
 The Exploratorium has this great little interactive on the break up on Pangea. (Two versions are
available for use with and without Flash.)
www.exploratorium.edu/origins/antarctica/ideas/gondwana2.html (Flash)
www.exploratorium.edu/origins/antarctica/ideas/gondwana3.html
 For perspective on when Pangea fits in to history, visit the BBC’s Earth timeline.
www.bbc.co.uk/science/earth/earth_timeline
Materials
 “Uniting Gondwana: Unravelling a Past Planet Puzzle” (e-Science Issue 12, February 2015). This
can be supplied on iPad or printed out from the web edition here:
www.sciences.adelaide.edu.au/schools-resources/e-science/
 Tennis ball globe activity:
www.sciences.adelaide.edu.au/schools-resources/docs/activity-tennis-ball-globe.pdf
Assessment
Teachers should choose assessment rubrics relevant to the year level and topic that they are
teaching.
Summative assessment:
 Teachers could elect to assess students understanding and knowledge of Gondwana and
continental drift concepts through the tasks provided with the Tennis ball globe activity.
Formative assessment:
 Contributions to discussions
 Glossary of words
The University of Adelaide
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