Download Plate Tectonics

Plate Tectonics (6)
Idea Pages
I. Unit Themes
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Scientists have formed hypothesis about Earth’s layers through investigations using modern
technology.
Plate tectonics accounts for important features of Earth's surface and major geologic events.
The topography of the state of California has been formed through the interactions of
tectonic plates.
Scientists study and monitor earthquakes and tsunamis to gain a better understanding of
ways to protect people and their possessions.
Cross Cultural Theme
o Current major geologic events are affecting people’s lives around the world.
o We can be involved in aiding people suffering from these disasters
II. Focus /Motivation
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Big Book
Observation Charts
Inquiry chart
Exploration Report
Cognitive Content Dictionary
Awards
III. Closure
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Process charts
Conference portfolios
IV. Science Concepts: California State 6th Grade Standards
Focus on Earth Science
Plate Tectonics and Earth's Structure
1. Plate tectonics accounts for important features of Earth's surface and major geologic events. As a
basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know evidence of plate tectonics is derived from the fit of the continents; the
location of earthquakes, volcanoes, and mid-ocean ridges; and the distribution of fossils,
rock types, and ancient climatic zones.
b. Students know Earth is composed of several layers: a cold, brittle lithosphere; a hot,
convecting mantle; and a dense, metallic core.
c. Students know lithospheric plates the size of continents and oceans move at rates of
centimeters per year in response to movements in the mantle.
d. Students know that earthquakes are sudden motions along breaks in the crust called faults
and that volcanoes and fissures are locations where magma reaches the surface.
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e. Students know major geologic events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and
mountain building, result from plate motions.
f. Students know how to explain major features of California geology (including mountains,
faults, volcanoes) in terms of plate tectonics.
g. Students know how to determine the epicenter of an earthquake and know that the effects
of an earthquake on any region vary, depending on the size of the earthquake, the distance of
the region from the epicenter, the local geology, and the type of construction in the region.
Shaping Earth's Surface
2. Topography is reshaped by the weathering of rock and soil and by the transportation and
deposition of sediment. As a basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know water running downhill is the dominant process in shaping the landscape,
including California's landscape.
b. Students know rivers and streams are dynamic systems that erode, transport sediment,
change course, and flood their banks in natural and recurring patterns.
c. Students know beaches are dynamic systems in which the sand is supplied by rivers and
moved along the coast by the action of waves.
d. Students know earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and floods change human and
wildlife habitats.
Investigation and Experimentation
7. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other
three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students
will:
a. Develop a hypothesis.
b. Select and use appropriate tools and technology (including calculators, computers,
balances, spring scales, microscopes, and binoculars) to perform tests, collect data, and
display data.
c. Construct appropriate graphs from data and develop qualitative statements about the
relationships between variables.
d. Communicate the steps and results from an investigation in written reports and oral
presentations.
e. Recognize whether evidence is consistent with a proposed explanation.
f. Read a topographic map and a geologic map for evidence provided on the maps and
construct and interpret a simple scale map.
g. Interpret events by sequence and time from natural phenomena (e.g., the relative ages of
rocks and intrusions).
h. Identify changes in natural phenomena over time without manipulating the phenomena
(e.g., a tree limb, a grove of trees, a stream, a hill slope).
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V. California State English Language Arts Standards
Reading
2.0 Reading Comprehension (Focus on Informational Materials) Students read and
understand grade-level-appropriate material. They describe and connect the essential ideas,
arguments, and perspectives of the text by using their knowledge of text structure, organization,
and purpose. The selections in Recommended Literature, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve illustrate
the quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students. In addition, by grade eight,
students read one million words annually on their own, including a good representation of gradelevel-appropriate narrative and expository text (e.g., classic and contemporary literature,
magazines, newspapers, online information). In grade six, students continue to make progress
toward this goal.
Reading Structural Features of Informational Materials
2.1 Identify the structural features of popular media (e.g., newspapers, magazines, online information) and
use the features to obtain information.
2.2 Analyze text that uses the compare-and-contrast organizational pattern.
Comprehension and Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text
2.3 Connect and clarify main ideas by identifying their relationships to other sources and related topics.
2.4 Clarify an understanding of texts by creating outlines, logical notes, summaries, or reports.
2.5 Follow multiple-step instructions for preparing applications (e.g., for a public library card, bank savings
account, sports club, league membership).
Expository Critique
2.6 Determine the adequacy and appropriateness of the evidence for an author’s conclusions.
2.7 Make reasonable assertions about a text through accurate, supporting citations.
2.8 Note instances of unsupported inferences, fallacious reasoning, persuasion, and propaganda in text.
Writing
1.0 Writing Strategies
Students write clear, coherent, and focused essays. The writing exhibits students' awareness of the
audience and purpose. Essays contain formal introductions, supporting evidence, and conclusions.
Students progress through the stages of the writing process as needed.
1.2 Create multiple-paragraph expository compositions:
a. Engage the interest of the reader and state a clear purpose.
b. Develop the topic with supporting details and precise verbs, nouns, and adjectives to paint a
visual image in the mind of the reader.
c. Conclude with a detailed summary linked to the purpose of the composition.
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1.3 Use a variety of effective and coherent organizational patterns, including comparison and
contrast; organization by categories; and arrangement by spatial order, order of importance, or
climactic order.
Research and Technology
1.4 Use organizational features of electronic text (e.g., bulletin boards, databases, keyword searches,
e-mail addresses) to locate information.
1.5 Compose documents with appropriate formatting by using word-processing skills and principles
of design (e.g., margins, tabs, spacing, columns, page orientation).
Evaluation and Revision
1.6 Revise writing to improve the organization and consistency of ideas within and between
paragraphs.
2.0 Writing Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics)
Students write narrative, expository, persuasive, and descriptive texts of at least 500 to 700 words in
each genre. Student writing demonstrates a command of standard American English and the
research, organizational, and drafting strategies outlined in Writing Standard 1.0.
Using the writing strategies of grade six outlined in Writing Standard 1.0, students:
2.2 Write expository compositions (e.g., description, explanation, comparison and contrast, problem
and solution):
a. State the thesis or purpose.
b. Explain the situation.
c. Follow an organizational pattern appropriate to the type of composition.
d. Offer persuasive evidence to validate arguments and conclusions as needed.
VI. English Language Development Standards (ELD) : Grades 6-8
LISTENING and SPEAKING
B.
• Demonstrates comprehension through non verbal responses
• Begins to speak 1 - 2 words
• Independently uses common phrases (greetings, etc.)
EI.
• Speaks using inconsistent grammar
• Asks and answers simple questions
• Restate and follow multi step directions
• Restate simple main idea
• Communicates basic needs
• Prepares and delivers short presentation (groups and pairs)
I.
• Listens and identifies key ideas; both verbally and non-verbally. (Main
idea and details)
• Is understood when speaking, fairly consistent grammar
• Actively participates (ask and answer) in social situations
• Short presentation from variety of sources
EA. • Does all of above in expanded form
• Speaks appropriately to purpose
• Uses idioms and figurative language
A.
• Does all of above - very expanded
• Does all of the above across content areas
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READING
Word Analysis
B.
• Practice English phonemes
EI.
• Produce some English phonemes while orally reading own writing
• Recognize obvious cognates
I.
• Applies knowledge of common morphemes and phonemes
A.
• Uses knowledge of roots and affixes
FLUENCY and SYSTEMATIC VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT
B.
• Read aloud simple words in literature and content texts
• Responds with short answers in social/academic settings
• Creates a simple dictionary
• Simply retells stories verbally/non-verbally
• Communicates basic needs
EI.
• Uses background knowledge to predict meaning
• Reads simple passages and paragraphs
• Self-corrects some while reading aloud
• Reads own writing with intonation
• Uses standard dictionary
I.
Covered in Listening and Speaking
• Uses decoding, knowledge of vocabulary academic/social to read
• Recognizes words have multiple meanings
EA. • Same as above - expanded
A.
• Applies knowledge of multiple meanings
• Same as above, expanded
READING COMPREHENSION
B.
• Reads and responds to text, directions verbally and non-verbally
• Recognizes categories of common informational materials
• Points out text features: titles, etc.
• Compare/contrast; fact/opinion and cause/effect using visuals and
verbally
EI.
• Same as above - expanded
• Responds simply to a variety of texts
I.
• Use of detailed sentences to respond to variety of texts, directions, or categories of
informational materials
• Understands rhetoric of consumer materials
EA. • Expanded
A.
• Expanded
WRITING
B.
EI.
I.
• Organize and list expository information: pictures, etc.
• Create simple sentence with assistance
• Write simple narrative, description, and compare/contrast
• Uses writing process, basic
• Completes basic business forms (name, phone #)
• Uses common verbs, nouns and high frequency modifiers in simple sentences
• Follows an outline to create paragraph
• Increases writing in content areas
• Collects information and takes notes
• Expanded use of writing process and business forms
• As above - expanded
• Investigate and research a topic in content area
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EA.
• Write in different genre: (plot, characters or thesis and support)
• Expanded above
• Writes persuasive/expository/narrative and informational coherently & with detail
• Writes responses to literature, develops thesis and supports with rhetorical devices
• Writes biographies and autobiographies
WRITING CONVENTIONS
B.
• Recognizes basic editing and revising
EI.
• Edits for basic conventions, revises with teacher assistance
I.
• Expanded editing and revising
EA. • Uses expanded transitions
A.
• Expanded editing and revising
READING - LITERARY RESPONSE AND ANALYSIS
(covered in Reading Comprehension)
B.
• Role-play characters
• Uses visuals to identify characteristic of fiction, non-fiction, poetry
EI.
• Covered in Reading Comprehension
I.
• Covered in Reading Comprehension
EA. • Covered in Reading Comprehension
A.
• Analyzes setting and its influence
• Compare/contrast similar themes, authors, plots, etc.
VIII. SKILLS – MATH/SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES (CALIFORNIA STANDARDS)
MATH – GRADE 6/7
• Analyzes and use tables, graphs, and rules to solve problems involving rates and
proportions
• Computes and analyzes statistical measurements for data sets
• Uses data samples of a population and describe the characteristics and limitations of the
samples
• Determines theoretical and experimental probabilities and use these to make predictions
about events
• Makes decisions about how to approach problems
• Uses strategies, skills, and concepts in finding solutions
• Move beyond a particular problem by generalizing to other situations
VII. Vocabulary
Earth’s layers
cold, brittle lithosphere
lithospheric plates
interior
oceanic crust
dynamic
hot, convecting mantle
asthenosphere
compositions
density
physical state
dense, metallic core
rock cycle
continental crust
magnetic field
depth
Plate tectonics
fit of the continents
ancient climatic zones
mid-oceanic ridges
subduction
fossils
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Geologic events: plate motion
Earthquakes
volcanic eruptions
uplift
Earthquakes
faults
epicenter
fissures
seismic waves
mountain building
magma
California geology: plate tectonics
Mountains: subduction, convergent plate boundary, rifting, tension stress, volcanic mountains,
Klamath Mnts. Mount Shasta, Cascade Range, Lassen Peak, Modoc Plateau, Sierra Nevada,
Panamint Range, Peninsular Ranges, Transverse Ranges, Coastal Ranges,
Valleys: Central Valley, Death Valley,
Deserts: Mojave desert, Colorado Desert
Faults: San Andreas fault: transform plate boundary, strike-slip fault
Volcanoes: Lassen Peak, Mount Shasta
Investigation and Experimentation
hypothesis.
collection of data
display data
qualitative statements
relationships between variables
investigation
written report
evidence
consistent
topographic map
geologic map
natural phenomena
graphs
scale map
VIII. Resources
A. Text Book
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Glencoe Science. Focus On Earth Science
B. Internet sites
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http://www.thetech.org
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http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/01424/types_of_earthquakes.htm
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(Types of earthquakes)
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http://library.thinkquest.org/17457/
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http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsanim/world.php
(animation maps of earthquakes currently happening)
(USGS: Science for a Changing World: Earthquake Hazards Program)
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http://www.shakeout.org/
(The Great California Shake-out)
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http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2314&from=rss_home
( Recovery Act Funds will upgrade earthquake monitoring)
(USGS Advanced National Seismic System)
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http://bayquakealliance.org/lomaprieta/stories/
(2009 Bay Area Earth Quake)
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2009/us2009bjbn/#summary
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/world/index.php?region=Indonesia
(Indonesian Earthquake summary)
http://www.redcross.org
(Red Cross Support)
http://safe-t-proof.com/html/resources/facts_figures.html
(Earthquake facts & figures)
www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/volcanoes.htm
(Positive effects of volcanoes)
http://www.unmuseum.org/geysers.htm
(causes & types of geysers & hotsprings)
www.wikipedia.org
C. Nonfiction Literature
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Collier, Michael. A Land in Motion: California’s San Andreas Fault
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Darling, David. Could You Ever Dig a Hole to China?
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Downs, Sandra. Earth’s Fiery Fury
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Glencoe Science . Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Day of Destruction
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Hinshaw-Patent, Dorothy. Shaping the Earth
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Kovacs, Deborah. Dive to the Deep Ocean
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Lauber, Patricia. Volcano: the Erupting and Healing of Mount St. Helens
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Mallory, Kenneth. Diving to a Deep Sea Volcano
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Morris, Ann. Tsunami: Helping Each Other
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O’Neill Grace, Catherine. Forces of Nature (Fact Awards)
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Simon, Seymour. Earthquakes
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Triumph, Tsunami: Hope, Heroes and Incredible Stories of Survival
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Woods, Michael & Mary. Earthquakes
D. Fiction Literature
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Buck, Pearl S. The Big Wave
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Kajikawa, Kimiko. Tsunami
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Scholastic. The Magic School Bus Blows It’s Top
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Scholastic. The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth
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Tanaka, Shelley. The Buried City of Pompeii
E. Magazines
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Scientific American. Our Ever Changing Earth
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Readers Digest. Natural Disasters, 1996.
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Planning Pages
I. Focus /Motivation
 Big Book (The Earth is Moving’ & Changing’; I Just Thought You Might Like to Know)
 Observation Charts (earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, faults, mid-oceanic ridges, tectonic
uplift, prediction devices, disaster relief)
 Inquiry chart (What do we know about the earth’s geologic structure and movements?)
 Exploration Report ( Key Idea: Geological evidence of plate movement)
 Cognitive Content Dictionary- Signal Word (Plate tectonics, lithosphere)
 Anticipation Guide
 Awards (Geologist fact awards, Tsunami Survival Stories, geologist bookmarks, geologist
notes, science pencils)
 Read Aloud
II. Input
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Pictorial Input of the layers of the Earth & world’s plates
Pictorial Input Map of California Geography
Pictorial Input of earthquakes
Graphic Organizer/time line of plate tectonic theory development & inventions
Narrative input: Hill of Fire
Read Alouds
Expert Groups:
o Tsunami
o Volcano
o Hot Spots
o Tectonic uplift
(Alternative study skill: Have students look for info. from books, periodicals, & online resources to
sketch and record on a mind map the information they will need to teach for the process grid. Keep a
bibliography) 6th Reading 2.1 & 2.3
III. Guided Oral Practice
 Expert Groups
 Team tasks
 Poetry, chants, highlighting
 T-graph for social skills (Cooperation)
 Picture file cards
 Personal Interactions
 10/2 negotiating for meaning with L1 – numbered heads together
 Mind maps
 Flex groups: ELD review
 Sentence Patterning Chart (Noun: plates)
 Process Grid: Natural Phenomenon
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PLANNING PAGES 2
IV. Reading / Writing Activities
A. Whole Class
 Shared Reading, Whole class graphic organizer: Earth’s Layers – Text
pp.102-105
 Poetry Frame: Plates Here, Plates There
 Narrative Story Map
+ List sensory details and dialogue that developed the plot
 Cooperative Strip paragraph
2.2 Write expository compositions
a. State the thesis or purpose.
b. Explain the situation.
c. Follow an organizational pattern appropriate to the type of composition.
d. Offer persuasive evidence to validate arguments and conclusions as needed
 Group Frame for ELD: student generated text
B. Small Group/Cooperative practice
 team graphic organizer : Interactions at plate boundaries text pp. 215-221
 Team tasks
 Process Grid
 Partner focused reading
 Ear-to-ear reading
 Team writer’s workshop
 Observation charts
 Flexible groupings: leveled and heterogeneous
C. Individual
 Graphic organizer –Hazards of Volcanic Eruptions: text pp. 313-317
 Individual tasks
 Interactive Journals
 Learning logs
 Home/school connections
 Letter to parents
 Writer’s Workshop
V. Extended Activities for Integration
 Listen & Sketch
 Analysis of earthquake intensity and effects around the world
 Investigations of current daily earthquakes using internet
VI. Closure
 Process charts and inquiry
 Graffiti Wall-student generated text
 Assess learning logs: on-going
 Individual portfolios
 Three pieces of writing: expository, narrative, and poetry
 Personal exploration with rubric
 Class/team big books
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Sample Daily Lesson Plan
DAY 1
FOCUS/MOTIVATION
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Set Standards – Geologist Awards
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Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word
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Observation charts
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Inquiry Chart
- L1 Inquiry Chart
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Big Book
- Personal Interaction: Have you ever experienced an Earthquake?
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Portfolios
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Anticipation Guide
INPUT
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Pictorial Inputs of the layers of the Earth & Tectonic plates – Living Wall
- L1 groups – 10/2 lecture
- Learning Log
- ELD review
GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE
• Chant
• T-graph - Cooperation
• Picture file cards
- Free exploration
- Classify/categorize (list, group, label)
- Exploration Report ( Key Idea: Geological evidence of plate movement)
INPUT
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Pictorial input of earthquakes
- L1 groups – 10/2 lecture
- Learning Log
- ELD review
GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE
• Chant
READING/WRITING
• Interactive Journal
CLOSURE
• Process Inquiry Chart
• Home/School Connection: Survey: the causes of earthquakes and any experiences
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Sample Daily Lesson Plan
DAY 2
FOCUS/MOTIVATION
• Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word
• Process Home/School Connection
• Read aloud
• Review with word cards
- Layers & Tectonic Plates
- Earthquakes
GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE
• Chants/Poetry – highlight, add sketches and picture file cards
READING/WRITING
• Whole class graphic organizer: Earth’s Layers – Text pp.102-105
INPUT
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Pictorial Input Map of California Geography
- 10/2 Lecture
- Paraprofessional – L1 groups
- Learning Log (sketch and write)
- ELD Review
GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE
• Chants– highlight, add sketches and picture file cards
INPUT
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Narrative input: Hill of Fire
- Personal Interaction: How would you react in Dionisio’s situation?
READING/WRITING
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Flexible Group Reading
• Expert Group
- Team Tasks
• Writer’s Workshop
- Mini Lesson
- Write
- Author’s Chair
CLOSURE
• Process Inquiry Chart
• Home/School Connection: Explain California’s plate boundaries + attitude survey
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Sample Daily Lesson Plan
DAY 3
FOCUS/MOTIVATION
• Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word
• Process Home/School Connection
• Chants
• Read aloud
INPUT
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Review Pictorial Input Map of California Geography
• Review Narrative with word cards & conversation bubbles
GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE
• Chants– highlight, add sketches and picture file cards
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Sentence Patterning Chart (Farmer-in-the-Dell) – Noun: Plates
- Reading
- Trading Game
- Flip Chant
READING/WRITING
• Expert Group
- Team Tasks
GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE
• Mind Map - Earthquakes
• Process Grid Game
READING/WRITING
• Coop strip paragraph – respond/revise/edit
• Interactive Journal
CLOSURE
• Process inquiry chart
• Home/School Connection: retell the narrative: Hill of Fire
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Sample Daily Lesson Plan
DAY 4
FOCUS/MOTIVATION
• Cognitive Content Dictionary with “stumper word”, student selected vocabulary
• Share Home/School Connection
• Re-read Big Book
• Read aloud
GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE
• Story Map with Narrative
• Chants– highlight, add sketches and picture file cards
READING/WRITING
• Team graphic organizer : Interactions at plate boundaries text pp. 215-221
• Flexible reading groups
- Clunkers and Links with SQ3R (at or above) Text pp. 184-187
- ELD Group Frame - Story Retell (Narrative)
• Team Tasks
- Team Evaluation – oral
• Writer’s Workshop
- Mini Lesson
- Write
- Author’s Chair
• Memory Bank – Earthquake hazards & safety (Text pp. 274-278)
• Framed Poetry
• Interactive Journal
CLOSURE
• Process charts
• Home/School Connection – Earthquake Safety Plan
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Sample Daily Lesson Plan
DAY 5
FOCUS/MOTIVATION
• Cognitive Content Dictionary with “stumper word”, student selected vocabulary
• Share Home/School Connection
• Chants/Poetry
GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE
• Chants– highlight, add sketches and picture file cards
READING/WRITING
• Listen and Sketch – Tsunami by Morris
• Flexible Group Reading with Coop Strip Paragraph (struggling readers)
- Team Tasks – written evaluations
- Team presentations
• Focused Reading with Personal Cognitive Content Dictionary
• Ear to ear reading poetry booklet
• Found Poetry: Types of volcanoes - Text p 304-305
• Individual Graphic organizer –Hazards of Volcanic Eruptions: text pp. 313-317
CLOSURE
• Where’s My Answer
• Team Feud
• Graffiti Wall
• Process Inquiry Chart
• Evaluate week
• Letter home
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Big Book: (please note: Big book text is often typed small to not take up many pages, but when you make up your
book, you need to change the fonts to make it big enough for students to read together. I recommend changing the page
orientation to landscape and then using approximately the following font sizes: Title:88, repeated phrase:44, text:33)
The Earth is Moving & Changing
By: Karen Hernandez
Repeated Phrase at the top of each page
The Earth is moving and changing!
Repeated Phrase at the bottom of each page
I just thought you might like to know.
Page 1
What is inside the Earth?
What are the forces behind all the change?
The basis for science is discovery based on what is actually observable.
But since geologists have only sampled Earth’s deep interior up to 12 kilometers, scientists have
to use indirect methods to hypothesize what Earth’s interior layers may be like.
Most of the evidence comes from observing geologic structures and activity on the surface of
the Earth. Other evidence used to understand Earth’s interior structure comes from the study of
seismic waves.
Through the scientific process, theories have been proposed about Earth’s interior and the
causes of change on the exterior.
Page 2
Earth’s interior is made up of layers with different compositions. The temperature and
pressure in these layers increases with the depth.
The inner core of our planet is believed to be a solid iron ball about as hot as the surface of the
sun. It is pressed into a dense solid state by tremendous pressure.
High temperatures with slightly less pressure seem to cause the metallic elements of the outer
core’s metal to be molten.
Scientists call the thick middle layer of the Earth the mantle. Even within the mantle, there are
distinct layers ranging from partly melted convecting rock to a more brittle rock nearer the surface.
The thin, rocky, outer layer of the Earth is called the crust. By sampling the crust, geologists
know with more certainty its composition, density, physical state, and convection tendencies.
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Page 3
Observation of the Earth’s continents and how they fit together started a scientists’ hypothesis
of continental drift in the early 1900’s.
Alfred Wegener supported his hypothesis that the continents had once been attached and
were now drifting slowly apart with evidence through fossils, rock types, and ancient climatic zones.
Since then, technological advances, such as the GPS (Global Positioning System), sonar and
deep sea drilling have helped scientist study the lithosphere, which is the upper mantle and the crust.
They have used the evidence to develop new hypothesis for what is now called plate tectonics.
Page 4
The Earth’s lithospheric plates are constantly moving and colliding at their boundaries,
creating stresses that cause interesting geologic formations and catastrophic natural phenomenon.
Geologic formations at the boundaries in the sea are ocean trenches and mid ocean ridges.
Boundaries on the continents result in lithosphere being uplifted into mountain ranges and
sinking to form rift valleys.
Dramatic movements between plates shake land during earthquakes, send molten lava out of
volcanoes, and send humungous tsunamis onto the land. The results are destructive and deadly to the
people living where these natural disasters occur.
Page 5
Within the state of California, lies a boundary between the North American Plate and the
Pacific Plate. This transform boundary has shaped California’s topography through its strike-slip fault
called the San Andreas Fault.
The Transverse Ranges and Coastal Ranges have formed as chunks of the lithosphere have
been uplifted.
Humungous blocks of rock have dropped down, forming The Los Angeles Basin and San
Francisco Bay.
The subduction and melting of the oceanic plate has formed the volcanic mountains of the
Cascade Range: Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak.
Page 6
Thanks to many years of research by dedicated scientists, we can now predict when a volcano
will blow its top.
Although we still can't predict when an earthquake will happen, we have learned much about
earthquakes as well as the Earth itself from studying them.
Seismologists can determine the focus and epicenter of an earthquake through comparing
seismic waves recorded by seismographs.
The Richter Scale and Moment Magnitude Scale have been developed to describe an
earthquake’s magnitude. The Mercalli Scale is used to describe its destructibility.
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Page 7
Architects have learned how to build flexible structures that can withstand the strong shaking
produced by earthquakes.
In poor underdeveloped countries, builders are limited to the materials they can afford and
often can’t take advantage of this knowledge of earthquake safe construction. The destruction which
occurs in those places is exponentially greater.
People who live in earthquake or tsunami zones are being educated as to the signs of these
disasters and how to react to save their lives.
Page 8
Earthquakes and tsunamis have destroyed whole regions and claimed countless lives, leaving
devastation and despair. The economy of the affected region is often crushed and unable to support its
citizens. Homeless people are left with the pain of having lost family members, yet they need to keep
on living and rebuild their lives from nothing.
However, out of the midst of this hopelessness, rise incredible tales of survival and acts of
heroism and generosity. The rallying together of the world to help the victims has renewed faith and
hope to many.
Page 9
Someday you can go yourself to help or become a scientist to help discover ways to predict and
warn people of destructive phenomenon.
You can make a difference where you are right now by donating to organizations which send
food, water, medical supplies and workers to help in the tremendous task of rebuilding lives.
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Team Big Book Page
The Earth is moving and changing!
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
We just thought you might like to know.
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Narrative Input
HILL OF FIRE
About sixty years ago, in the state of Michoacán, Mexico, something happened which had only
happened once before in all of history. And the funny thing is, it happened to someone who was
always complaining that nothing interesting ever happened in his little town.
A farmer named Dionisio lived with his wife and son in that town, and nearly everyday he went to his
cornfield to work. At planting time he took his ox with him to plow the rocky soil to get it ready for
sowing the corn. One afternoon when there was no school, the farmer’s son Pablo came to help him.
As the ox was pulling the plow through the earth, the plow got stuck. The farmer yelled at the ox to
pull harder, but the plow still didn't move. Dionisio and Pablo pushed together on the handle of the
plow, but it went deeper and deeper into the ground. All of a sudden, the little hole the plow was stuck
in began to get bigger, and there was a loud rumbling noise, and smoke shot up through the opening.
“Run!” screamed the farmer to his son. As he and Pablo and the ox raced down the hillside, there was a
loud CRACK and a BOOM as a crevice opened up, and the volcano known as Parícutin was born.
When they reached the town plaza, Dionisio rang the churchbell, so that everyone would come out to
see what was happening. The farmer pointed at where his field had been, and people stared in
amazement at the flames erupting from the mouth of the volcano, the scalding lava streaming down its
slopes, and the ash and cinders flying through the air. They watched all night as the volcano turned the
hill to a mountain, and a river of molten rock flowed closer and closer to the town.
Days later, when the noise and fires had died down somewhat, Dionisio and his family and neighbors
returned from the surrounding countryside where they had gone to escape the danger. Half the town
was completely buried by chunks of igneous rock expelled by the volcano. Soldiers arrived to evacuate
the town, telling people they would have to start a new life somewhere else. For their own safety, they
could not continue to live so close to an active volcano.
Even though the place where they would build their new town was not so far from the old one, the only
thing still visible was the church belltower, rising above the rockpile. So they started over. When they
had finished building a new school, new homes, and a new marketplace, they celebrated with a fiesta,
eating and drinking and singing and dancing as the volcano glowed in the night sky.
After that, life went on pretty much as before. Farmers grew corn, women ground it into tortillas to
feed their families, and people sold food and crafts in the marketplace. But the town now had
something it had never had before: tourists. People came from miles around to see the volcano
Parícutin and the destruction it had caused, and to hear the story from Dionisio, the man whose wish
for something exciting to happen came true.
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&
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Plate Tectonics Sound off
By Karen Hernandez
Earth is made of lithospheric plates,
Constantly moving at a very slow rate.
Plates in the ocean, and plates on the land.
Shakin’ up the water, and shifting the sand.
Sound off… earth’s crust
Sound off… geological features
Sound off… 1,2,3,4’: plate tectonics!
Divergent boundaries, where plates move apart,
Giving many mid ocean ridges a start.
Divergent on the land, continental rifting,
Causes rift valleys from the shifting.
Sound off… earth’s crust
Sound off… geologic features
Sound off… 1,2,3,4’: plate tectonics!
Convergent boundaries are where plates collide,
Compression to mountains or subduction side.
Magma can bubble up and volcanoes grow,
Like the islands of Hawaii we know.
Sound off… earth’s crust
Sound off… geological features
Sound off… 1,2,3,4’: plate tectonics!
When moving plates slide, it creates a big shock,
To shake up a region and change the rock.
Seismologists track this movement on charts,
Recording where the earthquake starts.
Sound off… earth’s crust
Sound off… geological features
Sound off… 1,2,3,4’: plate tectonics!
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I’m A Fault
(To the tune of “I’m a Little Piece of Tin”)
by Melissa Alexander and Theresa Watters
I’m a fault, they call me spreading zone,
Bottom of the ocean is mostly my home.
I happen when two plates separate,
Magma might come and then life’s great.
I’m a fault (shake shake)
I’m a fault (quake quake)
I’m a spreading zone fault.
I’m a fracture zone fault.
Pressure builds up and I can’t halt.
One plate will move forward or back,
The earth’s gonna move, so watch out Jack!
I’m a fault (shake shake)
I’m a fault (quake quake)
I’m a fracture zone fault.
I’m a fault, I’m convergent A.
I form new mountains, don’t stand in my way!
I push up against a fault friend of mine,
I push on past and I’m first in line.
I’m a fault (shake shake)
I’m a fault (quake quake)
I’m a convergent A fault.
I’m a fault, I’m convergent B.
I make the mountain ranges that you see.
When two plates crash there’s no place to go,
So up we go but magma won’t flow.
I’m a fault (shake shake)
I’m a fault (quake quake)
I’m a convergent B fault.
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Mt. St. Helens
(To the tune of “Oh Susanna”)
by Theresa Watters and Melissa Alexander)
In May of 1980
Mt. St. Helens blew her top,
Through earthquakes and explosions
That they thought would never stop.
At 100 miles per hour,
Mudflow destroyed another route
Wiping out the trees and flowers.
It started back in March
With a rumble here and there,
A little spew of gas
That clogged up all the air.
***CHORUS***
***CHORUS***
(To be sung after every 2 stanzas)
Oh St. Helens,
In 1980 you blew,
With earthquakes and explosions
And an avalanche or two.
************
By 5 p.m. most things were quiet,
All forms of life were gone,
More than 1000 ft. shorter
Than when we woke at dawn.
2 decades after Helens blew
Some forms of life are back,
Plants, seeds, bugs and rodents
Had survived her attack.
***CHORUS***
By May there were new craters
And a bulge on her north side,
It was filled with molten lava
And the rodents all did hide.
At 8:32 on May 18th
The mountain went into shock,
Phase 1 the earthquake avalanched
The bulging face of rock.
***CHORUS***
Pressure had built for many years
Out the north side came phase 2,
The “stone wind” leveled the
mountainside
When St. Helens sneezed, achoo!
New lava traveled down the mount
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Volcano Rap
Down deep within the mantle, brewing magma finds a crack,
Its heat propels it upward, never looking back.
A volcano is beginning, though we may not have a clue,
Earthquakes may be rumbling, around the mountain too.
A volcano has a magma chamber inside
Where pressure builds and magma hides.
Finally Magma needs a way to an outside hole,
It travels through a vent that’s like a pole.
Magma erupts through the vent,
It gets to the surface and then it’s sent.
During the eruption magma changes its name,
Outside the earth it’s lava but it’s really still the same.
Lava flows from a volcano and you can trust
That lava will harden and form new crust
In violent eruptions ash comes out,
It’s bits of rock and lava the volcano spouts.
After the eruption there may be a deep hollow,
It’s called a crater and more eruptions may follow.
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Yes Ma’am: Earth’s Layers
By Karen Hernandez
Does our Earth have layers?
Does our Earth have layers?
Yes Ma’am
Yes Ma’am
How do you know?
How do you know?
Through seismic waves
Waves show differences
Give me an example:
Give me an example:
Just one more example:
different compositions
different pressures
different temperatures
Are you through?
Did you tell me true?
What did you chant?
Yes Ma’am
Yes Ma’am
Earth’s layers!
Do you know about the lithosphere?
Do you know about the lithosphere?
Yes Ma’am
Yes Ma’am
What do you know?
What do you know?
It’s rocky and brittle
It’s the crust and upper mantle
What’s its composition?
What’s its physical state?
What’s its depth?
Igneous & peridotite
Solid and rigid
About 600 kilometers!
Are you through?
Did you tell me true?
What did you chant?
Yes Ma’am
Yes Ma’am
The lithosphere!
(Teams write verses of this chant for the other layers of the Earth.)
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Earth’s Simple Layers
Inner core, outer core, mantle, crust,
The scientific method is a must!
Rocks Everywhere!
Rocks here, rocks there,
Rocks, rocks everywhere!
Igneous rocks moving well,
Sedimentary rocks uplifting dramatically,
Metamorphic rocks pressing slowly,
And melted rocks spurting quickly.
Rocks through the mantle,
Rocks in the oceanic crust,
Rocks inside the lithosphere,
And rocks outside of volcanoes.
Rocks here, rocks there,
Rocks, rocks everywhere!
By: Karen Hernandez
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I’m a Geologist
I’m a geologist and I’m here to say
I study the changing earth every day,
Sometimes I write a paper,
Sometimes I read a book,
But, I’m usually outside to take a look.
Digging up rocks, analyzing too,
Doing the geologist, Bugaloo!
Studying the forces that shape the earth,
Analyzing rocks for clues of its birth,
From caves beneath the surface to mountainsides,
Mapping where different rocks are found, worldwide.
Digging up rocks, analyzing too,
Doing the geologist, Bugaloo!
By Susan McCoy
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I Know the Changing Earth
Adapted from David Greenberg
By Susan McCoy
I know the changing earth.
The thunderous roar of the wind,
Rumbling flowing rivers carving canyons,
Volcanoes erupting in the distance.
I know the changing earth.
Sulfuric gases rising from volcanoes,
The salty air of crashing waves,
Dusty heat fills my lungs.
I know the changing earth.
The fiery heat of the lava,
The giant shuddering jolt of earthquakes,
Powerful pounding of ocean waves
I know the changing earth.
Immense glaciers of constantly moving ice,
The wondrous landforms in the Colorado Desert,
The awe-inspiring sight of an erupting volcano.
I know the changing earth.
“Did you know the Grand Canyon is one-mile deep?
“Look at the towering peaks of that mountain!”
“Look at the crashing waterfall.”
(Use this poetry frame to write adapted poetry.)
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I Know the Changing Earth
Adapted from Susan McCoy
By ____________________
I know the changing earth.
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
I know the changing earth.
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
I know the changing earth.
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
I know the changing earth.
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
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Project GLAD
Plate Tectonics (6)
Home/School Connection #1
Tell a parent or caregiver what you learned about the causes of earthquakes. Sketch below
what you are describing. Ask him or her to tell you about any experiences that he or she has had
with earthquakes.
Describe a un padre u otro adulto sobre lo que aprendiste de las causas de terremotos. Traza
abajo mientras que describes. Pide que el te diga sobre alguna experiencia que ha tenido con
terremotos.
_________________________________
Student Signature
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Project GLAD
Plate Tectonics (6)
Home/School Connection #2
Sketch and tell to a parent or caregiver what you learned about how tectonic plate boundaries
effect California’s geography. Take a survey of 5 family members or friends that measures their
attitude about living in a seismically active state.
Traza y describe a un padre u otro adulto lo que aprendiste sobre como las fronteras de las
placas tectónicas afectan a la geografía de California. Toma una enquesta de 5 personas para
medir su actitud de como vivir en esta zona sismica.
How do you feel about living in a seismically active state where earthquakes are always a
possibility?
Name
Attitude
____________________ ____________________________________________________
____________________ ____________________________________________________
____________________ ____________________________________________________
____________________ ____________________________________________________
____________________ ____________________________________________________
_________________________________
Student Signature
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Project GLAD
Plate Tectonics (6)
Home/School Connection #3
Tell a parent or adult caregiver about the narrative, Hill of Fire. What was his or her reaction?
Narra a un padre u otro adulto la historia, Hill of Fire. ¿Cuál fue su reacción?
_________________________________
Student Signature
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Project GLAD
Plate Tectonics (6)
Home/School Connection #4
Tell to an adult or caregiver what you learned about earthquake hazards and safety. Using this
page, plan together an earthquake safety plan for your family.
Write guidelines for what people in your house should do during an earthquake:
Based on the structure of your house, what are the safest locations?
What potential Hazards in and around your house should you check for after an
earthquake occurs?
What items would be important in an earthquake supply kit for your home?
_________________________________
Student Signature
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Project GLAD
Plate Tectonics (6)
Home/School Connection #4 (Spanish)
Describe a un padre u otro adulto lo que aprendiste sobre los peligros de terremotos y
seguridad familiar. Usando este página, haga un plan de seguridad para tu familia.
Escribe un plan de acción para tu familia en caso de un terremoto.
Basada en la estructura de tu casa, cuales lugares serán más seguros?
¿Cuales peligros potenciales adentro y alrededor de tu casa deben de revisar despues de que
ocurre un terremoto?
¿Cuál conjunto de articulos serán importantes tener para tu familia en caso de un terremoto?
_________________________________
Student Signature
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Expert Group #1
Tsunami
Interesting Facts
A tsunami is often misnamed a tidal wave, but in fact, a tsunami is not just one wave but
usually a series of seven or eight, that have nothing to do with the tide. In the open ocean, tsunamis
are only about one meter high, but as they approach shallower waters and the shore, they grow to
heights as high as eighty-five meters. The term tsunami comes from the Japanese, meaning
"harbor" (tsu, 津) and "wave" (nami, 波).
Definition & Causes of a Tsunami
The most common causes of tsunamis are volcanoes, earthquakes and earth slides - mostly
undersea. Volcanoes that have been erupting continuously for a long time have empty magma
chambers. The roof then collapses forming a crater sometimes up to one kilometer in diameter.
Water gushes into this crater in a very short amount of time, causing a tsunami. Earthquake
originated tsunamis occur when portions of the Earth's crust on either side of a fault jolt past each
other. For a tsunami to occur, however, there must be some kind of vertical movement along the
fault. This vertical movement must be capable of displacing huge amounts of water, thus causing
waves. Tsunamis can also be caused by land sliding in to the sea with such great force that it
creates a wave, similar to the effect of throwing a pebble into a puddle of water.
Location of Tsunamis
About 80% of tsunamis occur in the Pacific Ocean, but are possible wherever there are large
bodies of water, including lakes. Tsunamis usually only occur in coastal regions; islands are the
main targets. The Pacific Ocean is surrounded by the Ring of Fire, a highly active volcano and
earthquake zone. The Ring of Fire circles the ocean from Alaska down to the west coasts of North
and South America and up along the east coast of Asia, taking in parts of China, Japan and Russia.
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Effects on Civilization
"Imagine a flood of water swirling up the street, lifting cars and flinging them through
flimsy buildings as it goes. Then imagine the buildings themselves being washed away, leaving
behind little more than scattered rubble. This is a tsunami.” ( Natural Disasters, Readers Digest, 1996.)
The effects of a Tsunami on any region vary, depend on its magnitude, the distance of the region
from the epicenter, the local geology, and the type of construction in the region. The deadliest
tsunami in history occurred on December 26, 2004. The series of waves left around 1,126,900
people homeless and killed more than 283, 000 people in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Thailand.
The port town of Aonae on Okushiri Island was completely surrounded by a tsunami wall, but the
waves washed right over the wall and destroyed all the wood-framed structures in the area. The
village of Naluvedapathy in India's Tamil Nadu region suffered only minimal damage and few
deaths because the wave broke against a forest of 80,244 trees planted along the shoreline in 2002
in a bid to enter the Guinness Book of Records.
Geological Effects
The geologic changes related to Tsunamis are the changes in the ocean floor due to volcanic
and earthquake activities or landslides. The actual waves have not been recorded to have changed
the geologic structure of the coastlines and islands that are affected.
Scientific Monitoring & Warning
A tsunami cannot be precisely predicted—even if the right magnitude of an earthquake
occurs in the right location. Geologists, oceanographers, and seismologists analyze each earthquake
and based upon many factors may or may not issue a tsunami warning. Computer models can
predict tsunami arrival—predicted arrival times are usually within minutes of the actual time.
Bottom pressure sensors relay information in real time and based upon the pressure readings and
other seismic information and the seafloor's shape and coastal topography, the models estimate the
amplitude and surge height of the approaching tsunami. All Pacific rim countries collaborate in the
Tsunami Warning System and most regularly practice evacuation and other procedures. A tsunami
warning system is currently being installed in the Indian Ocean.
People in tsunami warning areas can recognize the signs and warn others to head for higher
land. Once the Tsunami reaches shore, the water moves back rapidly, exposing a large area of land
that is normally under water. These drawbacks can serve as a brief warning. People who observe
drawbacks can survive only if they immediately run for high ground or seek the upper floors of
nearby buildings.
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Expert Group #2
Volcanoes
Definition & Causes of a Volcano
Heat from the interior of the Earth melts underground rock into magma. Magma is more
buoyant than the surrounding rock and is forced to rise toward the surface of the lithosphere. This is
called a mantle plume. When magma reaches the surface, it creates a hot spot that may escape
through a volcano. When magma reaches earth's surface, it is called lava. It may pour out in gentle
streams called lava flows or erupt violently into the air. A volcano constitutes of a vent, a pipe, a
crater, and a cone. The vent is an opening at the Earth's surface. The pipe is a passageway in the
volcano in which the magma rises through to the surface during an eruption. The crater is a bowlshaped depression at the top of the volcano where volcanic materials like, ash, lava, and other
pyroclastic materials are released. Solidified lava, ashes, and cinder form the cone. Layers of lava
alternate with layers of ash to build the steep sided cone higher and higher. There are three main
types of volcanoes.
Location of Volcanoes
The flow of heat from Earth’s interior, which causes volcanic action, is high at the boundaries
of the lithospheric plates. 95% of the world’s active volcanoes occur along the Ring of Fire, a highly
active volcano and earthquake zone caused by plate boundaries. About 1,000 live subduction
volcanoes occur in this ring, and in any one-year, approximately 40 will be in some state of eruption.
The location of volcanoes splits them into three groups: rift volcanoes, subduction volcanoes, and hot
spot volcanoes. Rift volcanoes occur where the plates are moving away from each other. They fill the
separations with lava flows, creating new sea floor and mountain ridges beneath the waves.
Subduction volcanoes form where the plates collide and slide over each other, causing one to melt.
They create ridges and peaks. Hot spot volcanoes are not at the plate boundaries and are thought to
be caused by a narrow stream of hot mantle convecting up from the Earth’s interior.
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Effects on Civilization
Volcanic eruptions can change human and wildlife habitats. Explosive eruptions cause a
pyroclastic flow of hot gases and solids that burn and destroy wildlife and humans. Volcanic ash can
spread through the air and destroy cities, bury living things, and contaminate water supplies. Gases
released from the volcanoes can form acidic rain which is harmful to animals and vegetation.
Volcanoes are known for their violent eruptions and lava flows, but there are many benefits
that volcanoes provide for society. Volcanoes help enrich soil for farming and in some cases provide
reservoirs for the storage of ground water. Many valuable resources are formed in volcanoes such as
sulfur, zinc, copper, and gold. Scientists have learned how to tap into the heat source they provide for
geothermal power, which is an alternate energy source that is better for the environment. Volcanoes
have even helped us understand past civilizations and cultures. The lava preserves fossils and artifacts
that scientists can learn from.
Geological Effects
The Earth is full of geological marks made by volcanic activity. Composite volcanoes leave
tall, majestic mountains like Mount Hood, Mount Rainier, Mount Shasta, and Vesuvius. Shield
volcanoes can result in Islands such as Hawaii. Cinder cone volcanoes leave steep sided cone shaped
platforms as evidence of their existence. When the top of a volcano collapses and becomes wedged
into the empty magma chamber, the large sunken crater (called a caldera) can fill with water and form
scenic lakes and landscapes. Crater Lake in California is an example.
Scientific Monitoring & Warning
Scientists define volcanic activity by how often a volcano erupts. A volcano may be active,
intermittent, dormant, or extinct. Active volcanoes erupt constantly. Intermittent volcanoes erupt
fairly regularly. Dormant volcanoes are inactive, but not long enough to determine whether they will
erupt again or not. Extinct volcanoes have been inactive since the beginning of recorded history.
Volcanoes usually show signs of activity before they erupt, allowing scientists to warn people in
the surrounding region to evacuate. Small earthquakes, changes in the emission of gases, and changes
in ground movement and temperature of the surface give clues to a coming eruption. Scientists can
also monitor volcanic activity from space using satellite imaging which reveals even small changes in
the surface of a volcano.
Interesting Facts
The volcano is named after Vulcano, an Italian island north of Sicily. There, a volcano has
been active for thousands of years and the ancient Romans named their god of fire, Vulcan, after it.
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Expert Group #3
Geothermal Fields
Definition & Cause of geothermal fields
If the conditions are just right, geothermal fields can occur over a mantle plume, which is an
unusually hot area of the mantle rising to Earth’s surface. Geothermal water starts as rain water,
which seeps down through cracks in the rock towards a heat source deep within the earth. Hot
water is less dense than cold water, so it rises and emerges at the earth’s surface, sometimes as
steam or mixed with steam. The hot water reacts with the rock it comes into contact with, and
becomes enriched with dissolved minerals. The bubbling water or steam we see is just the tip of a
column or tongue of hot water that may extend for hundreds or thousands of meters below the
ground. This is known as a geothermal system.
Geological effects of geothermal fields
Hot Springs & Boiling Springs
When you see a very clear, boiling spring, you are looking at water from deep in the
geothermal reservoir, freshly arrived at the earth’s surface after its journey up through the heated
rock below. They are far too hot for bathing, and need to be cooled by trickling over cool
ground, or dilution with cold water. Other springs are just right to sit in for relaxation and
rejuvenation.
Geysers
Geysers are a special class of boiling spring. They occur when underground water cannot
discharge freely, but is forced through a narrow neck or opening from a larger reservoir below. The
water pressure builds up, and the superheated mixture of water and steam erupts. Geysers are some
of the most unusual geologic phenomena in the world. They are incredible natural fountains that can
shoot boiling hot water and steam hundreds of feet into the sky in violent eruptions. While most
geyser eruptions last only a few minutes, some last for days. Some geysers almost never stop.
Others erupt violently, and then stay dormant for years or even decades. Geysers are rare; there are
less than 700 known geysers in the world.
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Fumaroles
If there is heat, but not enough water in the underground reservoir, a fumerole appears. A
fumarole is a steam vent. There is so little water in this type of hot spring that while coming to the
surface it boils away, and all that you see is a hole in the ground with steam coming out of it, often
accompanied by a roaring or rushing sound. Fumaroles often have the smell of "rotten eggs"
because small amounts of hydrogen sulfide get mixed in with the steam. A fumarole that comes up
in a wet surface area can become a mud pot. Mud pots bubble, and can throw lumps of clay for
some distance when they are active.
Sinter deposits
Sinter deposits are a characteristic feature of boiling springs. They are composed of almost
pure silica, which is abundant in most rocks. When geothermal water pours out of a spring or
geyser, it cools quickly, and starts to deposit some of the dissolved silica onto the nearest surface.
Sinter deposits can take different shapes:
 Small cones, resembling miniature volcanoes, can form around geyser vents.
 Terraces form when the discharge from a hot spring flows over a suitably sloping surface.
Location of geothermal fields
Geothermal fields exist on every continent in the world except Antarctica. They occur at the
boundaries of lithospheric plates or above hot spots in the mantle. The most active field is
Yellowstone National Park in the United States, which is home to more than half of the geysers on
the planet!
Effects on Civilization
All over the world, geothermal areas are exciting for tourists to visit and scientists to study.
Geothermal power plants tap into the heat as an alternative form of energy. Some hot springs are
used for relaxation and medicinal purposes. However, people who live in these geothermal fields
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can be adversely affected. The gases carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide are emitted and can
accumulate to deadly concentrations. In built-up areas, much of the ground is covered with roads,
car parks, pavements and buildings. Unable to escape through these structures, the gases are
channeled under the surface to emerge wherever they can. One study of buildings in a geothermal
area found that geothermal gases were seeping through cracks in floors, walls and floor boards.
Scientific Monitoring & Warning
Because geothermal waters contain lots of minerals, they conduct electricity better than
other underground water. Scientists can map geothermal fields by making a resistivity survey –
measuring how well electricity is conducted through the ground. When dangerous concentrations
of gases are found to be present through monitoring of chemicals, areas are declared uninhabitable.
Interesting Facts
Geothermal areas are more than just rocks, minerals and hot water. They are also home to
unique and remarkable plants, animals and micro-organisms. Geothermal ecosystems are protected
by law because they are so rare and easily damaged. There is also strong – and growing – scientific
interest in how inhabitants of geothermal areas adapt to living in some of the most extreme
conditions on earth.
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Expert Group #4
Tectonic Uplift
Definition & Causes of Tectonic Uplift
Tectonic uplift is a geological process which increases the elevation of land. The opposite of
uplift is subsidence, which results in a decrease in elevation. Uplift may be orogenic or isostatic.
Orogenic uplift is the result of tectonic plate collisions. It can result in mountain ranges or be a
more modest uplift over a large region, forming a plateau. Isostatic uplift can be a gradual uplift
following rapid erosion from a mountain range. The land rises as a result of the removal of the
weight. Another example of isostatic uplift is post-glacial rebound following the melting of
continental glaciers and ice sheets.
Location of Tectonic Uplift
Tectonic uplift is common all over the world at convergent boundaries of tectonic plates as
well as along smaller faults. The Himalayan mountain range is still rising due to the collision of the
Indian and Eurasian Plates. This same converging boundary produced the Tibetan Plateau and other
ranges. On the North American Continent, the Great Lakes of Canada and the United States are
undergoing gradual rebound as a result of the melting of the ice sheets 10,000 years ago. Another
area of uplift is the Llano Uplift in Texas, a geographical location named after its uplift features.
Effects on Civilization
Uplift has affected people in various ways. Throughout history, people have used mountains
as a protection against enemies, dividing countries and cultures. Some of the Indus cities in Pakistan
which used to be seaports were affected adversely by tectonic uplift on a grand scale. Harappan
seaports along the Makran coast, are now as far as 50 km inland. These displaced ports make it
evident that the coastline of Pakistan has risen considerably during the past 4,000 years. The uplift
of the lithosphere has also made minerals and rocks from different layers available for our use.
Geologists use the information that is revealed through fossils and rock layers to make hypothesis
about the Earth’s past.
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Geological Effects
Besides large scale formations like mountains and plateaus, there are many geological
examples of tectonic uplift. It can be seen by the presence of various oceanic islands composed
entirely of coral, which otherwise appear to be high islands. The uplift of these islands is the result of
the movement of oceanic tectonic plates. Another example is a ridge, a geological landform that
features a continuous elevational crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains
as well, depending on size.
Scientific Monitoring
Landforms might seem like permanent features, but landforms in your surroundings change
continuously. Scientists can only record the activity of heat energy from the sun and from earth’s
interior to explain the change in landscapes. There can be no warning of tectonic uplift that
happens suddenly due to earthquakes, but scientists do study and record amounts of uplift in areas
that are elevating gradually.
Interesting Facts
Scientific theories have been made concerning “acts of God”; but our understanding of the
long term dynamics of the Earth’s topography is based mainly on the results of theoretical analysis
and numerical models for which little evidence exists to validate macroscopic evolution, and the
characteristics of simulated topographies.
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Definition & Causes
Location / Examples
Interesting Facts
Scientific Monitoring /Warning
Effects on Civilization
Phenomenon
Geological Effects
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Natural Phenomenon Process Grid
Natural Phenomenon
Definition
& Causes
Location &
examples
Effects on
Civilization
Geological Effects
Scientific Monitoring
& Warning
Interesting
facts
Earthquakes
plates move
faults
elastic stress
compression
stress
edges of plates
focus
epicenter
fault zones
Ring of fire
collapse of
buildings &
structures
deaths
fires
continents move
landslides
liquefaction
tsunami
seismic waves
(S,P)
seismograph
Richter Scale
Mercalli Scale
Moment magnitude
Earthquake
safety
Tsunamis
undersea
collapsing
volcano
earthquakes
earthslides
Edges of plates
Pacific ring of fire
India
Deaths
homelessness
Destroyed cities
desease
None from waves
Bottom pressure
sensors
Tsunami Warning
System
Coastal drawbacks
tidal wave
Tsunami
means harbor
wave
Volcanoes
Magma to surface
Surface tension
subduction
edges of plates
hot spots
ring of fire
Deadly
Destroy habitat
Enrich soil
Form minerals
Source of
geothermal energy
Builds mountains
Seafloor ridges
Islands
calderas
active, intermittent,
dormant, or extinct
satellite imaging
predictable- gases,
temperature,
movement
Vulcano, an
Italian island
Hot Spots
mantle plumes
geothermal
system
plate boundaries
plate interiors
every continent
yellow Stone
national Park
exciting to see
medicinal
geothermal energy
deadly gases
hot springs
boiling springs
geysers
fumeroles
sinter deposits
map fields
electricity
conducting
monitor gases
unique plants
& animals
protected by
law
Tectonic Uplift
elevation of land
plate collision
gradual uplift
post-glacial
rebound
convergent
boundaries
faults
move cities
useful minerals &
rocks
reveal history
mountains
plateaus
ridges
coral islands
Continuous
heat energy
monitor uplift
study layers
Causes of
tectonics
theoretical
analysis
numerical
models
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Name: _________________________
Plate Tectonics
Anticipation/Prediction Guide
Read the following statements and use your prior knowledge to respond whether you think each is
true or false. As you learn more information, record the page number from your text that verifies
the validity or invalidity of the statement.
True
False
Statement
Page
1. Scientists know exactly what the composition is of each layer of
Earth’s interior.
2. Matter and energy move from Earth’s interior toward the
surface.
3. There is one type of crust near Earth’s surface, and it is found on
the continents.
4. Most Earthquakes occur in the middle of lithospheric plates.
5. A magnitude -4 earthquake releases about twice as much energy
as a magnitude 3 earthquake.
6. Subduction occurs when oceanic and continental lithospheric
plates move toward each other.
7. Faults are surfaces where rocks break and move.
8. Tsunamis are huge tidal waves
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