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Year 6 Earth and Space Sciences Dynamic Earth Structure of the Earth Plate Tectonics Earthquakes Volcanos Table of Contents Lesson 1 – Engage Lesson 2 – Explore Lesson 3 – Explain Lesson 4 – Explain Lesson 5 – Elaborate Lesson 6 – Evaluate Student Misconceptions Potential Misconceptions Australian Curriculum Links Teacher Background Knowledge Appendix A – B Appendix C – D Appendix E – F Appendix G Reference List 3 3 5 6 7 9 11 11 12 13 15 16 17 18 19 5 E’s Engage Lesson 1 Lesson Description Teacher will show short clips of the following: A volcano erupting. An earthquake shaking stuff about – e.g. NZ 2011 Christchurch earthquake. The Himalaya Mountains. The March 2011 Japanese tsunami. Resources/Assessment Teacher will keep a learning log of the unit - to be used for summative assessment. Computer access to YouTube 1: Round Robin Students will participate in a round robin activity (4 students to a group. Students write their individual thoughts and then collaborate with their group members to come up with agreed explanations. A group speaker will read out students answers during the group discussion. Explore Lesson 2 Student Notebooks Question – these clips are all related to each other. The clips showed a volcano, an earthquake, a mountain range and a tsunami. What caused these events to occur? How are these things connected? Question – what do you think is meant by the term “continental drift” – what do you know Cloze worksheet about it? How does it relate to the clips you saw? Students will complete CLOZE activity (See appendix A). 2: Scientific Method in action Teacher will show students the following map (See appendix B). Question: Who has heard of tectonic plate theory before? Any ideas what it may be and how it is related to earthquakes/ volcanoes/ mountains? Picture of world map Teacher will summarise tectonic plate theory (another later lesson will explain this theory in detail): is the theory that the Earth’s lithosphere is made up of plates, which have moved throughout Earth’s history. The theory explains the how and why behind mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes, as well as how, long ago, similar animals could have lived at the same time on what are now widely separated continents. This map shows all the major plates. Experiment: Help students to visualise what might change on the earth’s surface when the tectonic plates move. Styrofoam Cups Pans Water Divide students into groups of two partners. Have every group fill a pie pan with 1 inch of water. Pass out a Styrofoam cup to each child. Have each student tear the cup into about 12 pieces to represent the major tectonic plates underlying the earth’s surface, and float them on the water, in turns. They have just modelled the lithosphere—the place deep below the surface of the earth where the tectonic plates are located. In the real lithosphere, the tectonic plates are floating on magma. Here they are floating on water. 5. Students should gently experiment with their Styrofoam tectonic plates. First, they should pull them apart. Ask them, “What do you see in the space where the Styrofoam pieces once touched?” (Water. In real life, this is magma.) What might it create? 6. Now, students should gently bump two plates together. Ask them, “What might happen on the surface from a bump like this below? Could it push magma into a mountain range? Cause an earthquake?” (Yes.) 7. Now, students should push one plate under the other (water squirts a bit). Tell students, “Remember, water is magma in our model. So what might you get here on earth from magma shooting up—a volcano?” 8. Now model the Haiti earthquake that struck in January 2010. It was caused by the motions of two plates grinding past each other in opposite directions. In the case of Haiti, the Caribbean plate moved east past the North American plate. It’s called a strike-slip fault. 9. Ask students to experiment for five minutes in different ways with all 12 plates. Ask them to think of what would happen on the surface. 10. Now, ask students to turn to the nearest person who isn’t their partner and show him/her one plate interaction. The partners should interpret it—that is tell what happens on the surface when tectonic plates behave the way you have shown them. Then students should trade places. Worksheet 1. 2. 3. 4. Teacher will give students a handout (See appendix C) that they will label each tectonic plate – this will help students see how many plates the world has. Teacher will guide students and help them to understand the locations of the tectonic plates, volcanos and the boundaries (this will lead into the next lesson). Explain Lesson 3 3: Different types of Plate Movement Divergence, Convergence, and Lateral Slipping At the boundaries of the plates, various deformations occur as the plates interact; they separate from one another (seafloor spreading), collide (forming mountain ranges), slip past one another (subduction zones, in which plates undergo destruction and remelting), and slip laterally. Divergent Plate Movement: Seafloor Spreading Seafloor spreading is the movement of two oceanic plates away from each other (at a divergent plate boundary), which results in the formation of new oceanic crust (from magma that comes from within the Earth's mantle) along a mid-ocean ridge. Where the oceanic plates are moving away from each other is called a zone of divergence. Ocean floor spreading was first suggested by Harry Hess and Robert Dietz in the 1960's. Convergent Plate Movement: When two plates collide (at a convergent plate boundary), some crust is destroyed in the impact and the plates become smaller. The results differ, depending upon what types of plates are involved. Oceanic Plate and Continental Plate - When a thin, dense oceanic plate collides with a relatively light, thick continental plate, the oceanic plate is forced under the continental plate; this phenomenon is called subduction. Two Oceanic Plates - When two oceanic plates collide, one may be pushed under the other and magma from the mantle rises, forming volcanoes in the vicinity. Two Continental Plates - When two continental plates collide, mountain ranges are created as the colliding crust is compressed and pushed upwards. Lateral Slipping Plate Movement: When two plates move sideways against each other (at a transform plate boundary), there is a tremendous amount of friction which makes the movement jerky. The plates slip, then stick as the friction and pressure build up to incredible levels. When the pressure is released suddenly, and the plates suddenly jerk apart, this is an earthquake. Hands on activity: Start by watching the Plate Tectonics Video: http://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/greatestdiscoveries/videos/100-greatest-discoveries-plate-tectonics.htm Computer Access Then, have students wash their hands, and hand them a candy bar that has several layers. Snickers, Milky Way, and Twix will work best. After they open their candy bars, instruct students to use a plastic knife to make cracks in the chocolate. These cracks represent fault lines. Explain to them how these fault lines are the meeting places of large plates, which are represented by the chocolate. Next, have your children demonstrate the following tectonic movements: One candy bar for each child Plastic knives Tension: Have students pull the ends of their candy bars apart. Compression: Have students push the ends of their candy bars together. Shearing: Have students move the two halves of the candy bars opposite one another. As they experiment with each type of movement, have your children discuss the changes they see in the layers of the candy, which represent the layers of the Earth. Explain that the movement of the plates causes, rifts, mountains, and earthquakes. This environmental science activity for kids will demonstrate the power of plate tectonics. An important concept, this idea will explain the occurrence of earthquakes, the development of mountains, and the appearance of rifts along the ocean floor. Explain Lesson 4 4: Continental puzzle Use of Appendix D A recap discussion will be held about plate tectonics and the different forms of plate movements. From here, the teacher will engage in discussion regarding Alfred Wegener’s theory of continental drift and how he believed all of the Earth’s continents used to form one single landmass or supercontinent, known as Pangea. Wegener’s theory implies that over millions of years these landmasses have gradually separated, establishing the 7 distinct continents we know today. Up until the 1950’s and 60’s Wegener’s theory was rejected, as it seemed impossible, to others, for such vast areas to move. A world Map As a group discuss questions such as: 1 “How do you think Wegener may have come to this theory to begin with?” 2 “Why do you think his theory was rejected for so long?” Writing tools (Paper, pen) YouTube https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=1-HwPR_4mP4 (additional work, might be too complex and need discussion) - 3 “What were some of the examples that lead Wegener to believe the continents used to be together?” Have the students discuss their thoughts in small groups. Review results as a class Wegener saw the continents as large puzzle pieces that used to fit together. He used the location of discovered flora and fauna fossils from separate continents, to further his belief that it was impossible for these animals to have evolved together unless they used to live on the same landmass Have the students complete the continental puzzle activity. In groups, students should be debating the fossil evidence shown on the puzzle pieces. They should reflect on their prior knowledge of how to use evidence. They will discuss and reach consensus about how to put the puzzle together and be able to defend their choices. They will record their findings and ideas in their notebooks, including how they made their decision and why they made their decision. Apply scientific inquiries and technological designs to examine Earth’s lithosphere and its changes, using the rock cycle remnants, soil formation and tectonic movements, and fossil records. Expand this conversation toward different planetary constructs, such as Mars. After discussion has been made regarding Earth’s own plate tectonics (Australia moving about 6cm a year, plate movement, heat, etc.), discuss with the class if a planet such as Mars would have plate tectonics or any evidence of continental drift. (This activity could be made as an external or additional homework task). Elaborate Lesson 5 Lesson 5: Tectonics and Earthquakes and Volcanoes. In the elaborate phase students need to extend and deepen their understanding of plate tectonics and apply their knowledge to a range of situations. Students need to apply the knowledge they have gained in previous classes, to understand volcanic and seismic activity in Australia. A brief YouTube clip can be shown to the class to refresh them of the different forms of volcanoes. Australia has an abundance of mineral resources resulting from past volcanic Access to Google Earth Different types of volcanoes https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=DnBggrCdkN0 activity, and an abundance of coastal rainforests and rich, fertile, volcanic soil. A bit of time spent in the classroom discussing Australian volcanic history could be followed by an excursion to a local post volcanic area (such as the glass house mountains). If an excursion is not possible, Google Earth could be used to view the map from above which can lead to a fantastic information area containing information about the mountains and accompanying pictures. The Gold Coast has a rich indigenous past and our indigenous population view our volcanoes quite differently – This segment could be crossed with a social studies class to investigate how local indigenous people regard the volcanic region. Indigenous presenters are available through the Minjungbal Aboriginal Museum in Tweed Heads, Gold Coast. Show students the News report of a magnitude 5 earthquake that hit just Near Perth in 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83QJVGsB010 Think: Pair: Share – why does Australia have earthquakes when we are not on a tectonic plate boundary (formative assessment to ensure students understand the concept of minor fault lines)? Think: Pair: Share – Australia has many dormant and extinct volcanoes, yet we are not on a tectonic plate boundary – what kind of volcanoes are the volcanoes in Australia likely to be? (Appendix E). What kind of lava are they likely to produce the most? (This will get students to apply their information about hotspots and basalt lava to form shield volcanoes). Concept map: Students need to help compile a concept map on the board about what they know about Earthquakes What large earthquakes do you know about in Australia’s history? Prompt students by asking, what is meant by a large earthquake? I.e. applying their knowledge of magnitude of earthquakes. Provide students with a map of Australia, with its fault lines, for their log books. Question and document where the students’ believe the greatest risk of earthquakes would take place in Australia. YouTube: https://www.youtube.comm /watch?v=83QJVGsB010 Appendix E + F http://www.ga.gov.au/earth quakes//getQuakeDetails.do ?quakeId=3502141&orid=90 9644&sta=KMBL Pens Notebooks Once sufficient time has been given to complete the fault line activity, show the students an earthquake hazard map of Australia, developed by Geoscience Australia. Students will be instructed to research the Geoscience Australia website and answer the following questions in their log books (may be done in pairs). - - - Have any earthquakes occurred in Australia in the past 24 hours? Week, etc.? If so what were their magnitudes? Does the area match up with areas of high fault lines on your map? What earthquakes have occurred in the surrounding regions near Australia? Are these earthquakes more frequent or of higher magnitude? WHY do you think seismic activity is higher in this region? Check the Earthquake Historic Events to see the significant earthquakes in Australia’s history and the Tsunami events to see tsunami activity. These events have triggered an increase in funding for seismic monitoring and tsunami warning systems, what other role does the government play in the impact of natural disasters? Additional questions can be modelled around the website, for instance the inclusion of a more frequently hit area such as Thailand and what the magnitudes of those readings are. Reflect as a class on what was discovered in the lesson. Question students on what they learnt. Did anything surprise you? Updates to the class concept map should be made with the help of the class. Evaluate Lesson 6 Lesson 6: Outline to the students that they are a scientist reporting to the government on a natural disaster. You, and your partner, will prepare a 5-6 minute long presentation (PowerPoint or Multimedia) on the event. The presentation should include: 1. What occurred and When 2. Where the disaster was situated on a map and pictures/ video footage 3. Why/ how the disaster occurred (include an overview of tectonics behind the disaster and any other related important science – e.g. type of volcano, why tsunamis occur etc.) 4. What warning devices were in place and what could have been done to reduce the impact of the disaster? Students will work in pairs for this activity and will be allocated a natural disaster (one of the list below) to investigate – time will be provided in class and you should also spend time outside school hours to prepare your presentation. Natural Disasters: Mt Krakatoa, Indonesia – August 26-28, 1883 – Volcanic eruption/ tsunami Tohoku, Japan – March 11, 2011 – Earthquake/ tsunami Indian Ocean, Sumatra, Indonesia – December 26, 2004 – Earthquake/ tsunami Nevado del Ruiz, Columbia – November 13, 1985 – Volcanic eruption/ mudslide Christchurch, New Zealand – February 22, 2011 – Earthquake/ liquefaction Mount Pelée, Martinique – April 23 – May 8, 1932 – Volcanic eruption/Pyroclastic flow Students will present these Disaster Reports – likely to take 1 ½ lessons each. There will be a short discussion time after each presentation and presentations are to go for around 5-6 mins (give or take 1 min). Presentations will be marked according to the rubric. In the end of the final class of the unit, time will be taken for students to reflect on their learning. The original diagnostic assessment questions from the first lesson will be revisited, and students will reflect on how their answers have changed. The teacher will ask students what they liked most and least about the unit, what they found the most interesting and what surprised them the most. Students will be asked to reflect on what they would like to know more about and any other comments. Student Misconceptions about Plate Tectonics: Only continents move (Wegener’s original concept, along with the common use of ‘Continental Drift’ term in general texts, secondary education earth science films, etc.) Plate movement is imperceptible on a human timeframe (common use of fingernail growth analogy is only true for slowest plates and underestimates importance of motion). Earthquakes occur from collapse of hollow spaces in the earth The earth’s core is hollow, or large hollow spaces occur deep within Earth Wind blowing through subterranean passages causes earthquakes Continental ‘shelves’ are similar to shelves in homes, extend out over edge of continent and can break and collapse to form tsunamis (so Boxing Day tsunami was due to shelf collapse) All mountains are volcanoes Earthquakes are rare events The ground cracks opens during an earthquake to swallow people and buildings (comes from human centred approach) Earth shaking is deadly (as opposed to building collapse, tsunamis, landslides, fire, etc.) (Taylor, M Ford, B. 2006). Potential Misconceptions (if lessons are not taught properly): Crust and Lithosphere (or plates) are synonymous terms. The edge of a continent is the same thing as a plate boundary. Most crust motions (especially those associated with processes of mountain building or deep sea trench formation) are due to vertical motions, not lateral (i.e. it is the lateral movement of plates that causes the mountains – not that there is vertical movement to cause them. Divergent ocean ridges are due to vertical uplift or convergence, rather than divergence (In students’ experience, buckling is usually due to convergence or uplift, not heat/density differences, so illustrations of ridges do not readily fit with a pulling apart motion). Present oceans only began as Pangea broke apart – tied to general idea that Pangea was the original continent at the Earth’s start (few educational earth science films mention what came before Pangea & emphasis on Atlantic spreading leads to Pacific being overlooked). Over time there has been no significant change in ratio of oceanic to continental areas (idea of stasis is a common misconception, but this was also part of Lyell’s original concept). Seismic waves involve the long distance net motion of particles (Taylor, M Ford, B. 2006). Australian Curriculum links: Sudden geological changes or extreme weather conditions can affect Earth’s surface (ACSSU096) - Investigating major geological events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis in Australia, the Asia region and throughout the world Recognising that earthquakes can cause tsunamis Describing how people measure significant geological events Exploring ways that scientific understanding can assist in natural disaster management to minimise both long and short term effects Considering the effect of drought on living and nonliving aspects of the environment Our learning module on Plate Tectonics encompasses many, if not all of the elaborations found in the year 6 Earth and Space Sciences section, as seen above. The first lesson (Engage) touches on events such as Earthquakes, Volcanic activity and tsunamis, through a variety of different methods. Initially this is displayed to the students via visual imagery and further exemplified when they are made to discuss and document how they think the events are occurring amongst their peers. This lesson structures the unit to come regarding tectonics, as they will learn it is due to the movement of said plates that causes these events to occur. The second lesson (Explore) focuses primarily on the Earth’s lithosphere followed by discussion and hands on practice regarding the plate tectonics around the Earth. This lessons sets in place a precursor for Wegner’s Theory of continental drift and can be linked to scientific understanding and exploration. Further discussion could broaden this topic to include what scientific means are going into monitoring the movements of the plates. The third lesson (Explain) focuses heavily on how the different surfaces of the Earth are shaped via plate movement. This lesson draws attention to how volcanic formations are created both above ground and below, as well as earthquake activity that takes place over the globe, drawing back to, in particular Australia and New Zealand. Additionally, the hands on lesson, allows students to appreciate that the Earth’s subsurface is comprised of a variety of different formations and rock types. Again this particular lesson draws attention to how events take place. Lesson four introduces Wegner’s theory of continental drift. This allows students to think scientifically about Wegner’s justification for his theory and discuss why the scientists at the time may have rejected his claims. Additionally, the concept of external planets such as Mars and its formation is questioned, drawing on drought discussions and environmental factors. Lesson 5, utilises ICT allowing students to discover different methods to measure global events, such as earthquakes. Furthermore, this lesson makes use of fault line readings, furthering the student’s understanding on the likeliness of earthquakes taking place in particular regions. The final lesson for the unit, lesson 6, draws on all the knowledge the students have accumulated and allows them to formulate their own discussion topic regarding a particular real life disaster event. All of these lessons draw on the Australian curriculum’s general capabilities, through a variety of different approaches. The unit is consistently using multimodal techniques to engage and include different strengths and abilities, whether through visual, kinaesthetic or digital means, inclusion is made for a variety of learners. This science unit further delves into energy transfer from different physical bodies and systems (volcanism, subduction, convergence, divergence, lateral slipping, earthquakes, etc.). Students begin to see the role of variables in measuring changes and learn how look for patterns and relationships between variables. They develop explanations for the patterns they observe, drawing on evidence. Furthermore, this unit incorporates a variety of cross curricular elements including, history (aboriginal volcanic relevance), a variety of different linguistic skills, both in a written and verbal capacity, and mathematical elements such as longitude and latitudinal plotting when using apps such as Google Earth. Teacher Background Knowledge: As an educator of science it is important to completely understand the topic you are teaching. According to the theory of plate tectonics the Earth's crust is composed of a number of individual plates that change shape and position over time. Geophysical evidence indicates that the face of Earth's surface has changed significantly since its initial formation and that the plates on which the continents are located are in constant motion. The movement of the plates is responsible for the formation of ocean basins, mountain ranges, islands, volcanoes, and earthquakes. Important concepts in the theory of plate tectonics include the following: The ocean floors are continually moving — spreading from the center, sinking at the edges, and being regenerated. Convection currents beneath the plates are responsible for plate movement. The source of energy responsible for generating the heat and convection currents that move the plates is most likely radioactivity deep in Earth's mantle (Carter, F. 2011). You wouldn’t recognise the Earth if you could see it 225 million years ago. Back then, all the major continents formed one giant supercontinent; called Pangaea. Perhaps initiated by heat building up underneath the vast continent, Pangaea began to rift, or split apart, around 200 million years ago. Oceans filled the areas between these new sub-continents. The land masses continued to move apart, riding on separate plates, until they reached the positions they currently occupy. These continents are still on the move today. Exactly what drives plate tectonics is not known. One theory is that convection within the Earth's mantle pushes the plates, in much the same way that air heated by your body rises upward and is deflected sideways when it reaches the ceiling. Another theory is that gravity is pulling the older, colder, and thus heavier ocean floor with more force than the newer, lighter seafloor. Whatever drives the movement, plate tectonic activity takes place at four types of boundaries: divergent boundaries, where new crust is formed; convergent boundaries, where crust is consumed; collisional boundaries, where two land masses collide; and transform boundaries, where two plates slide against each other ( Science Odyssey, 1998). Worksheets for Activities: Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E Appendix F (Fault lines) Different types of Volcanoes Appendix G References Carter, F. (2011). 5Es Engage - Plate Tectonics. Retrieved from Fionamariecarter.wordpress.com: Fionamariecarter.wordpress.com/2011/04/27/5es-engage-plate-tectonics/. Ferrett, R. (2005). Australia's volcanoes. Sydney: Reed New Holland. Frankel, H. R. (2012). The Continental Drift Controversy. Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press. Georg Stadler, M. G. (2010). Science AAAS. The Dynamics of Plate Tectonics and Mantle Flow: From Local to Global Scales, 1033-1038. Science Odyssey. (1998). Mountain Maker, Earth Shaker. Retrieved from Science Odyssey: pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/tectonics/crush.html Taylor, M. f. (2006). Retrieved from Investigating Ideas about Plate Tectonics: Leo.acu.edu.au/pluginfile.php/830613/mod_resource/content/1/students%20under standing%20of%20plate%20tectonics.pdf