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Released Open-Ended Items from the
ATLAST Plate Tectonics Teacher Assessment
Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI) developed the ATLAST Plate Tectonics Teacher Assessment as part of a
larger study. The project—Assessing Teacher Learning About Science Teaching (ATLAST)—was
funded by the National Science Foundation under Grant no. EHR-0335328. Information about the
ATLAST project is available at HRI’s ATLAST website: http://www.horizon-research.com/atlast.
This document contains the plate tectonics teacher items that were developed during the process of
creating the ATLAST Plate Tectonics Teacher Assessment. The items were developed during a monthslong iterative process, and have been used with middle grades science teachers. However, there is little
evidence of reliability and validity because the items were not developed in a rigorous process like the
multiple choice items found on the assessments. To learn more about the item development process,
please see the ATLAST Plate Tectonics Teacher Assessment Technical Manual, which can be found at
the ATLAST website.
Content Assessed by the Items
All of the items measure understanding of the idea that
The outer portion of Earth—including both the continents and the seafloor beneath the oceans—consists of huge
plates of solid rock. The plates move very slowly (a few centimeters per year). Plate movement causes abutting
plates to interact with one another. Interactions between plates result in events and features that are observable on
Earth’s surface (e.g., earthquakes, volcanoes and mountain ranges); these typically occur along boundaries between
plates.1
In addition, the content domain was specified by “unpacking” this idea into 10 “sub-ideas,” which are
shown in Table 1. Each of the released assessment items included addresses one or two specific subideas.
1
Modified from: The Physical Setting: Processes that Shape the Earth: Grades 6-8: #11-13; 4C/M11, 4C/M12 and 4C/M13.
American Association for the Advancement of Science/Project 2061. (2008). Benchmarks for Science Literacy. Retrieved
from http://www.project2061.org/publications/bsl/online/index.php
Table 1
Plate Tectonics Content Domain
Idea: The outer portion of Earth—including both the continents and the seafloor beneath the oceans—
consists of huge plates of solid rock. The plates move very slowly (a few centimeters per year).
Plate movement causes abutting plates to interact with one another. Interactions between plates
result in events and features that are observable on Earth’s surface (e.g., earthquakes, volcanoes
and mountain ranges); these typically occur along boundaries between plates.
Sub-ideas:
A. The solid outer portion of Earth consists of separate plates of almost entirely solid rock.
B. Earth’s plates (the lithosphere or lithospheric plate) are cold (relative to deeper portions of
Earth), strong and brittle and average about 100 kilometers in thickness. Beneath the lithosphere
is an almost entirely solid (~99%) layer of Earth (the asthenosphere) which is hot, weak and
plastic and extends from the base of the lithosphere to a depth of about 350 kilometers.
C. The plates that make up Earth’s surface are constantly moving and changing.
D. Plate motions are driven by a combination of Earth's heat and gravitational forces. The
consensus among geologists is that “slab pull,” the sinking of oceanic plates at subduction zones
(because that rock is old and relatively cold (dense)) is the primary driving force behind plate
tectonics. Ridge push (the pushing forces exerted by elevated and relatively hot rock at midocean ridges) is minor as is the traction along the bottoms of plates due to convection in the
mantle.
E. Since the supercontinent Pangaea split up about 200 million years ago, the shapes of continents
have been somewhat modified, mostly by erosion, sea level changes, and mountain-building;
this is why the present-day "fit" of the continents is less than perfect.
F. Plate motion causes abutting plates to interact with one another along their boundaries resulting
in observable geologic features and events.
G. The occurrence of features and/or events at locations distant from plate boundaries are for
reasons other than plate interactions (some volcanoes occur distant from plate boundaries as a
result of hot spots)]
H. The rock that makes up plates is slowly being formed at some plate boundaries and returned to
Earth’s interior at other plate boundaries. This means that Earth is not changing in size.
I. The part of a plate with ocean floor along its boundary is always subducted beneath a plate with
a continent along its boundary. Continental material is not subducted because of its low density.
If continents on two separate plates are in contact and being pushed together, the continental
rocks are forced upward forming mountain ranges rather than being completely subducted into
Earth’s interior. If two plates without continents are in contact and being pushed together, the
colder/denser plate subducts beneath the other.
J. Old ocean floor rocks return by subduction into Earth’s interior. Hence, ocean floor rocks are
relatively young. Most continental rocks stay at Earth’s surface because of their low density
(although sediment eroded from the continents is carried to the oceans and can be subducted
along with oceanic lithosphere). Hence, the age of some continental rock is quite old.
Item ID: PT-OE10
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
A: The solid outer portion of Earth consists of separate plates of almost entirely solid rock.
C: The plates that make up Earth’s surface are constantly moving and changing.
F: Plate motion causes abutting plates to interact with one another along their boundaries resulting in observable
geologic features and events.
A teacher is eliciting students’ ideas about the break up of the supercontinent Pangaea. What are
the most common ideas students will have for the cause of this occurrence?
Based on what the students are likely to think, what should this teacher’s next instructional step(s)
be?
Item ID: PT-OE13
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
A: The solid outer portion of Earth consists of separate plates of almost entirely solid rock.
C: The plates that make up Earth’s surface are constantly moving and changing.
An activity often found in middle school units on plate tectonics directs students to cut out the
seven continents from a map and then fit them together to form the ancient supercontinent of
Pangaea.
What correct idea(s), if any, is this activity teaching?
What potential student misconceptions, if any, about plate tectonics may be introduced or
reinforced with this activity?
What should the teacher say to students to address this potential problem?
Item ID: PT-OE15
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
A: The solid outer portion of Earth consists of separate plates of almost entirely solid rock.
C: The plates that make up Earth’s surface are constantly moving and changing.
A middle school teacher is conducting a lesson on plate movement where students use the apparatus
shown to simulate how continents can be moved away from, or toward, one another. In using this
apparatus, continents are created out of clay and placed onto two belts that can move. Students twist a
pair of knobs to make the belts rotate toward one another or away from one another, with the
continents moving along with the belts.
What correct idea(s), if any, is this activity likely to help students learn?
What potential student misconceptions, if any, about Earth’s plates and their movement may be
introduced or reinforced with this activity?
What should the teacher say to students to address this potential problem?
Describe another activity that might serve as a model of the movement of Earth’s plates and/or
continents.
Item ID: PT-OE19
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
A: The solid outer portion of Earth consists of separate plates of almost entirely solid rock.
During a class discussion about the movement of continents, a teacher asks “What would you find
in a region where a continent is being pulled apart, such as in eastern Africa?” One student says,
“Water from the ocean would flow into the gap between the two plates.”
What aspects, if any, of this student’s response are correct and what aspects, if any, are incorrect?
What question(s) should the teacher ask this student in order to better understand his/her thinking?
Item ID: PT-OE21
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
A: The solid outer portion of Earth consists of separate plates of almost entirely solid rock.
During a class discussion about how continents move, one student says,
“Continent’s float slowly along on the magma.”
What would be the best assessment of this student’s understanding of how continents move? What
is correct and incorrect?
If the majority of the class agrees with this student’s statement, what should be the teacher’s next
instructional step in this class discussion?
Item ID: PT-OE23
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
A: The solid outer portion of Earth consists of separate plates of almost entirely solid rock.
F: Plate motion causes abutting plates to interact with one another along their boundaries resulting in observable
geologic features and events.
During a class discussion on earthquakes, a student raises his hand and says,
“I heard that with all those earthquakes in California, eventually the edge
of California is going to break off and fall into the Pacific Ocean. Is that
true?”
How should the teacher respond to this student?
What is your understanding of what will happen to California over the next hundred million years?
Item ID: PT-OE04
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
C: The plates that make up Earth’s surface are constantly moving and changing.
F: Plate motion causes abutting plates to interact with one another along their boundaries resulting in observable
geologic features and events.
A teacher asks students to draw what happens when two plates without continents move toward one
another. One student draws the following diagram:
What, if anything, is INCORRECT about this student’s diagram?
Item ID: PT-OE16
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
C: The plates that make up Earth’s surface are constantly moving and changing.
During a discussion about plate tectonics, a teacher asks her students “Are Earth’s plates moving
today?” One student says,
“Earth’s plates moved when Pangaea broke apart, but they are not moving
today.”
What aspects, if any, of this student’s response are correct and what aspects, if any, are incorrect?
What could this teacher do to help move this student forward in his thinking about the movement of
Earth’s plates?
Item ID: PT-OE24
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
D: Plate motions are driven by a combination of Earth's heat and gravitational forces. The consensus among
geologists is that slab pull, the sinking of oceanic plates at subduction zones (because that rock is old and
relatively cold (dense)) is the primary driving force behind plate tectonics. Ridge push (the pushing forces
exerted by elevated and relatively hot rock at mid-ocean ridges) is minor as is the traction along the bottoms
of plates due to convection in the mantle.
F: Plate motion causes abutting plates to interact with one another along their boundaries resulting in observable
geologic features and events.
What ideas do you think students have about the causes of earthquakes? Describe one correct idea
in terms a middle school student would use, and another that is incorrect, but may be a common
student interpretation of events.
Item ID: PT-OE11
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
D: Plate motions are driven by a combination of Earth's heat and gravitational forces. The consensus among
geologists is that slab pull, the sinking of oceanic plates at subduction zones (because that rock is old and
relatively cold (dense)) is the primary driving force behind plate tectonics. Ridge push (the pushing forces
exerted by elevated and relatively hot rock at mid-ocean ridges) is minor as is the traction along the bottoms
of plates due to convection in the mantle.
During a class discussion about how the continents of North America and Europe have moved away
from one another because of the motion of the underlying plates, a student asks,
“How is that possible? How can something as big as North America be
moved thousands of miles?”
How should the teacher respond to this student?
What is your understanding of the specific mechanism for plate motion?
Item ID: PT-OE17
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
E: Since the supercontinent Pangaea split up about 200 million years ago, the shapes of continents have been
somewhat modified, mostly by erosion, sea level changes, and mountain-building; this is why the present-day
fit of the continents is less than perfect.
After class, a middle school student said the following to her teacher:
“I know that it kind of looks like South America and Africa fit together,
but when we did that puzzle activity today, they didn’t fit together very
well. Why is that?”
How should the teacher respond to this student?
What, if anything, should the teacher do the following day in class?
Item ID: PT-OE01
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
F: Plate motion causes abutting plates to interact with one another along their boundaries resulting in observable
geologic features and events.
A teacher shows her students a map that displays the occurrence of earthquakes around the world.
She then asks her students if there is any reason for the pattern they are seeing on the map or if it is
just a coincidence.
One student says,
“There is a reason for the pattern. I think that the earthquakes are happening
in that pattern because that is where the edges of the continents meet the
oceans.”
What aspects of this student’s response, if any, are correct? What aspects of this student’s
response, if any, are incorrect?
Item ID: PT-OE02
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
F: Plate motion causes abutting plates to interact with one another along their boundaries resulting in observable
geologic features and events.
Historically, the area indicated on the map below () has been the site of some of the largest
earthquakes in North America.
Does the location of these earthquakes align with the globabl patterns of earthquake locations?
Why or why not?
Item ID: PT-OE09
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
F: Plate motion causes abutting plates to interact with one another along their boundaries resulting in observable
geologic features and events.
In units focusing on plate motion, students are often asked to draw pictures of plates and plate
motion.
For each of the following situations, draw a common incorrect diagram that teachers are likely to
see from middle school students. For each drawing, please describe what is incorrect about it.
Two plates moving toward one another
Two plates moving away from one another
Two plates moving alongside one another
Item ID: PT-OE12
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
F: Plate motion causes abutting plates to interact with one another along their boundaries resulting in observable
geologic features and events.
A teacher presents to her students a map that shows the occurrence of earthquakes around the
world. She then asks her students if there is any reason for the pattern they are seeing on the map
or if it is just a coincidence. One student says,
“There is a reason for the pattern. I think that the earthquakes are
happening in that pattern because that is where the edge of a plate and
an ocean meet.”
What would be the best assessment of this student’s understanding of the pattern of earthquakes?
What should the teacher say, or do, in response to this student’s statement?
Item ID: PT-OE14
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
F: Plate motion causes abutting plates to interact with one another along their boundaries resulting in observable
geologic features and events.
G: The occurrence of features and/or events at locations distant from plate boundaries are for reasons other than
plate interactions (some volcanoes occur distant from plate boundaries as a result of hot spots).
A study of the Hawaiian Islands is sometimes included in a unit on processes that shape Earth and
plate tectonics. Thinking about the students you typically teach, should such a study be included in
your unit?
If yes, please explain how it is relevant to your unit of instruction, including why it would be
important for students to learn about the Hawaiian Islands.
If no, please explain how it would not be relevant to your unit of instruction and why it would not
be important for your students to learn about the Hawaiian Islands.
Item ID: PT-OE18
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
F: Plate motion causes abutting plates to interact with one another along their boundaries resulting in observable
geologic features and events.
A teacher shows her students a map that shows the occurrence of volcanoes around the rim of the
Pacific Ocean. She then asks her students if there is any reason for the pattern they are seeing on
the map or if it is just coincidence. One student says,
“There is a reason for the pattern. I think that the volcanoes happen
only at the edge of the ocean, because if they happened out in the
middle, the water would put out the fire.”
What would be the best assessment of this student’s understanding of the pattern of volcanoes?
What should the teacher do in response to this student’s statement?
Item ID: PT-OE03
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
H: The rock that makes up plates is slowly being formed at some plate boundaries and returned to Earth’s interior
at other plate boundaries. This means that Earth is not changing in size.
A teacher provides his class with a world map showing Earth’s surface without water in the oceans.
The teacher asks the students to shade areas of the map where they would expect to find relatively
young rock material. Where should the students shade their maps?
Item ID: PT-OE05
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
H: The rock that makes up plates is slowly being formed at some plate boundaries and returned to Earth’s interior
at other plate boundaries. This means that Earth is not changing in size.
A middle school science teacher asks his class to describe where they would expect to find new
rock being created on Earth. One student says,
“I think that you’d find new rock only in places where two plates rub against
each other. When plates rub together, they can break off pieces of rock –
that’s the new rock.”
What aspects of this student’s response, if any, are correct? What aspects of this student’s
response, if any, are incorrect?
Item ID: PT-OE07
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
H: The rock that makes up plates is slowly being formed at some plate boundaries and returned to Earth’s interior
at other plate boundaries. This means that Earth is not changing in size.
After completing a unit on plate tectonics, a middle school student submitted the following slogan
in a local newspaper’s contest aimed at increasing the community’s awareness of the importance of
recycling:
Be more like Earth – Recycle!!
What aspects of this student’s response, if any, are correct? What aspects of this student’s
response, if any, are incorrect?
Item ID: PT-OE08
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
H: The rock that makes up plates is slowly being formed at some plate boundaries and returned to Earth’s interior
at other plate boundaries. This means that Earth is not changing in size.
In a discussion of Earth’s plates, a student says,
“Earth must slowly be getting bigger because new plate material is added to the
edges of Earth’s plates.”
What aspects of this student’s response, if any, are correct? What aspects of this student’s
response, if any, are incorrect?
Item ID: PT-OE20
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
I: The part of a plate with ocean floor along its boundary is always subducted beneath a plate with a continent
along its boundary. Continental material is not subducted because of its low density. If continents on two
separate plates are in contact and being pushed together, the continental rocks are forced upward forming
mountain ranges rather than being completely subducted into Earth’s interior. If two plates without continents
are in contact and being pushed together, the colder/denser plate subducts beneath the other.
During a class discussion about how non-volcanic mountain ranges are formed, a student says,
“The other day you said that when plates come together one slides
beneath the other one, but now you’re saying that the continents on those
two plates push up to form mountains. Why doesn’t one continent go back
down into Earth?”
How should the teacher respond to this student?
Why are continents not subducted into Earth’s interior?
Item ID: PT-OE06
Primary Sub-Idea(s) Assessed:
J: Old ocean floor rocks return by subduction into Earth’s interior. Hence, ocean floor rocks are relatively
young. Most continental rocks stay at Earth’s surface because of their low density (although sediment eroded
from the continents is carried to the oceans and can be subducted along with oceanic lithosphere). Hence, the
age of some continental rock is quite old.
A student says to her teacher,
“Last month when we were talking about the formation of the solar
system, you said that Earth formed billions of years ago. If that’s true,
then all of the rock on Earth must be about that old too.”
What aspects of her response, if any, are correct? What aspects of her response, if any, are
incorrect?
Item ID: PT-OE22
Most K-12 science curricula are based on some type of spiraling effect, where a given topic is
addressed in increasingly complex ways as students move from elementary school through middle
school and into high school. As a middle school science teacher planning a unit on Earth processes
and plate tectonics, what key concepts in this area would you hope that elementary school teachers
had thoroughly explored with students before they reach your class?
What concepts in this area would you leave for high school or college earth science teachers?