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Plate Tectonics
OCDE Project GLAD® Unit: Middle School
By Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
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Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
IDEA PAGES
Strategy
ABC Book
Action Plan
Chants/Poetry
Clunkers and Links with SQ3R
Cognitive Content Dictionary
Comparative Input Chart
Component Area: Assessment and
Feedback Rationale
Component Area: Extended Activities
for Integration Rationale
Component Area: Component Area:
Focus & Motivation Rationale
Component Area: Guided Oral
Practice Rationale
Component Area: Input Rationale
Component Area: Reading & Writing
Rationale
Cooperative Learning
Cooperative Strip Paragraph
Cooperative Strip Paragraph Reading
Group
Directed Reading Thinking Activity DRTA
Ear to Ear Reading
ELD Group Frame
ELD Review
Expert Groups
Exploration Report
Extended Name Tag
Focused Reading
Found Poetry
Graffiti Wall
Graphic Organizers
Guess My Category
Home School Connection
Individual Tasks
Inquiry Chart
Interactive Journals
2-Day Graphic
Organizer
229-230
270-272
145-150
219-221
45-48
95-100
Unit Materials
79-82
32-41
25-28
264
254
29
122
82
170
133-134
203-207
214-216
222-223
234-235
265-266
125-132
187-196
140-142
155
231-232
175-176
279-280
83-88
143-144
156-157
285-286
51-53
236-237
50-51,56-57
59-67
25
86
45-48, 52
84
70-78
93
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Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
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Jeopardy
Learning Log
Listen and Sketch
Literacy Awards
Memory Bank
Narrative Input Chart
Observation Charts
Personal Exploration
Personal Interaction
Pictorial Input Chart
Picture File Cards
Poetry Frames
Portfolios
Prediction Reaction Guide
Process Grid
Sentence Patterning Chart
Story Map
Strip Book
Teacher Made Big Books
Teacher & Student Made Rubrics
Teacher Generated Test
Team/Individual Big Book
Team Presentations
Team Tasks
Three Personal Standards
T-Graph for Social Skills
Where’s My Answer
Whole Class Group Frame
Word Bank
Zero Noise Signal
281-282
240-242
238-239
33-38
224-226
101-110
49-50
275-276
153-154
89-94
138-139
172-174
268
39-44
200-202
151-152
210-213
227-228
54-68
267
273-274
277-278
184-186
31-32
135-137
283-284
208-209
177-178
30
85
31
53-55
49
30
68-69
27
58
42-44
82-83, 93
87-92
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
IDEA PAGES
OCDE Project GLAD®
Earth Materials: Plate Tectonics
Middle School
IDEA PAGES
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UNIT THEME – ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
The geosphere changes and moves over time.
Energy flows and matter cycles within and among the Earth’s system.
The Earth’s interior is made up of layers.
Plate tectonics account for the features and processes that geoscientists
observe in the Earth.
Natural disasters impact people and places they live.
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FOCUS/MOTIVATION
Teacher Made Big Book/ Power Point – based on textbook chapter
Inquiry Chart
Observation Charts
Cognitive Content Dictionary with signal words
Picture File Card Sort
Geologist Awards
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CLOSURE/ASSESSMENT
Prediction/Reaction Guide
Home/ School Connection
Process Charts
Team Action Plan based on NGSS Performance Expectations
Teacher-Made Test
Student-Made Test using Graffiti Wall
Individual Writing Prompt
Individual Writing Frame
Guess My Category
Team Jeopardy
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CONCEPTS
Pangea was a supercontinent consisting of all the Earth’s continental
lithosphere 250 million years ago.
Through continental drift the Earth’s lithosphere is constantly moving on
top of the asthenosphere.
The rate and direction of plate motion is not necessarily constant.
There are different types of plate motion.
Density and temperature of magma cause the movement of the
lithospheric plates.
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Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
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V.
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Plate tectonic processes affect the interior of a continent, produce
landforms, and cause continents to grow over time.
The distribution and location of earthquakes and volcanoes are related to
plate boundaries.
The location, nature, and cause of volcanic arcs and hotspots are related
to plate tectonics.
Mapping and interpreting data on natural hazards can help to forecast
future catastrophic events.
NGSS SCIENCE STANDARDS
Grade Band: 6-8 Middle School
MS-ESS1 EARTH’S PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE
Performance Expectations
Students who demonstrate understanding can:
MS-ESS1-4 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock
strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth’s 4.6-billion-yearold history.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ESS1.C The History of Planet Earth
 The geologic time scale interpreted from rock strata provides a way to
organize Earth’s history. Analyses of rock strata and the fossil record
provide only relative dates, not an absolute scale.
MS-ESS2 EARTH’S SYSTEMS
Performance Expectations
Students who demonstrate understanding can:
MS-ESS2-1 Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth’s materials and the
flow of energy that drives this process.
MS-ESS2-2 Construction and explanation based on evidence for how
geoscience processes have changed Earth’s surface at varying time and spatial
scales.
MS-ESS2-3 Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks,
continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate
motions.
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
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Disciplinary Core Ideas
ESS1.C The History of Planet Earth
 Tectonic processes continually generate new ocean sea floor at ridges
and destroy old sea floor at trenches
ESS2.A Earth’s Materials and Systems
 All Earth processes are the result of energy flowing and matter cycling
within and among the planet’s systems. This energy is derived from the
sun and Earth’s hot interior. The energy that flows and matter that
cycles produce chemical and physical changes in Earth’s materials
and living organisms.
ESS2.B Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions
 Maps of ancient land and water patterns, based on investigations of
rocks and fossils, make clear how Earth’s plates have moved great
distances, collided, and spread apart.
MS-ESS3 EARTH AND HUMAN ACTIVITY
Performance Expectations
Students who demonstrate understanding can:
MS-ESS3-1 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the
uneven distributions of Earth’s mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are
the result of past and current geoscience processes.
MS-ESS3-2 Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future
catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their
effects.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ESS3.B Natural Hazards
 Mapping the history of natural hazards in a region, combined with an
understanding of related geologic forces can help forecast the
locations and likelihoods of future events.
WIDA CONNECTION
ELP Standard 4: The Language of Science, Formative Framework
Level 1: Chart information on natural disasters based on graphic support,
models or pictures.
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
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Level 2: Respond to yes/no, choice, or WH- questions regarding natural
disasters based on graphic support or pictures.
Level 3: Identify characteristics or conditions for natural disasters based
on text and graphic support.
Level 4: Compare types of natural disasters using multiple written sources,
including Web sites and graphic support.
Level 5: Interpret impact of natural disasters on people and places from
grade-level text.
MS-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and
minimizing a human impact on the environment.
Science and Engineering Practices
Asking Questions and Defining Problems
 Ask questions to identify and clarify evidence of an argument.
Developing and Using Models
 Develop and use a model to describe phenomena.
 Develop a model to describe unobservable mechanisms.
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
 Analyze and interpret data to determine similarities and differences in
findings.
 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for phenomena.
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
 Construct a scientific explanation based on valid and reliable evidence
obtained from sources (including the students’ own experiments) and
the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world
operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the
future.
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
 Collect data to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence to
answer scientific questions or test design solution under a range of
conditions.
Engaging in Argument from Evidence
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
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Construct an oral and written argument supported by empirical
evidence and scientific reasoning to support or refute an explanation or
a model for a phenomenon or a solution to a problem.
WIDA CONNECTION:
Students at all levels of English language proficiency will UNDERSTAND
how to interpret and represent the results of scientific inquiry.
Level 1: Produce labeled illustration of scientific questions and
conclusions using graphic organizers with a partner.
Level 2: Describe scientific questions and conclusions using graphic
organizers (e.g., cloze activity) using word banks with a partner.
Level 3: Describe in detail scientific questions and conclusions using word
banks and graphic organizers.
Level 4: Organize language about scientific questions and conclusions
using graphic organizers (e.g., paragraph frames).
Level 5: Summarize scientific questions and conclusions.
Crosscutting Concepts
Patterns
 Patterns can be used to identify cause-and-effect relationships.
 Patterns in rates of change and other numerical relationships can
provide information about natural and human designed systems.
 Graphs, charts, and images can be used to identify patterns in data.
Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
 Time, space, and energy phenomena can be observed at various scales
using models to study systems that are too large or too small.
Systems and System Models
 Models can be used to represent systems and their interactions.
 Models can be used to represent systems and their interactions-such as
inputs, processes and outputs-and energy, matter, and information flows
within systems.
Cause and Effect
 Relationships can be classified as causal or correlational, and correlation
does not necessarily imply causation.
Influence of Science Engineering, and Technology on Society and the Natural
World
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OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
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All human activity draws on natural resources and has both short and
long-term consequences, positive as well as negative, for the health of
people and the natural environment.
The uses of technologies and any limitations on their use are driven by
individual or societal needs, desires, and values; by the findings of
scientific research; and by differences in such factors as climate, natural
resources, and economic conditions. Thus technology use varies from
region to region and over time.
COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS GRADES 6-12
Reading Standards for Literature
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific
word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other text.
5. Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the
differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
Reading Standards for Informational Text
Key Ideas and Details
1. Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the
text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
2. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the
course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an
objective summary of the text.
3. Analyze how a text makes connection among and distinctions between
individuals, ideas, or events
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact
of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or
allusions to other texts.
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
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5. Analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph in a text, including the
role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g.,
print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high
end of the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Writing Standards
1.Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
a. Introduce claim(s), acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or
opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate,
credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the
relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the
argument presented.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas,
concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of
relevant content.
a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what
is to follow; organize ideas,
concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g.,
headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to
aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details,
quotations, or other information and examples.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the
relationships among ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
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explain the topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the
information or explanation presented.
WIDA Connection: Can Do Descriptors: Grade level Cluster 6-8 Writing
Level 1 Entering
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Draw content-related pictures
Produce high frequency words
Label pictures and graphs
Create vocabulary/concept cards
Generate lists from pre-taught words/phrases and word banks (e.g., create menu
from list of food groups)
Level 2 Beginning
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Complete pattern sentences
Extend “sentence starters” with original ideas
Connect simple sentences
Complete graphic organizers
Respond to yes/no, choice, and some WH-questions
Level 3 Developing
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Produce short paragraphs with main ideas and some details
Create compound sentences (e.g., with conjunctions)
Explain steps in problem-solving
Compare/contrast information, events, characters
Give opinions, preferences, and reactions along with reasons
Level 4 Expanding
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Create multiple-paragraph essays
Justify ideas
Produce content-related reports
Use details/examples to support ideas
Use transition words to create cohesive passages
Compose intro/body/conclusion
Paraphrase or summarize text
Take notes (e.g., for research)
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
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Level 5 Bridging
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Create expository text to explain graphs/charts
Produce research reports using multiple sources/citations
Begin using analogies
Critique literary essays or articles
3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using
effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event
sequences.
a. Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and
introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that
unfolds naturally and logically.
b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection,
to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
c. Use a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence,
signal shifts from one time frame or setting to another, and show the
relationships among experiences and events.
d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory
language to capture the action and convey experiences and events.
e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on the narrated
experiences or events.
WIDA Connection: Can Do Descriptors: Grade level Cluster 6-8 Speaking
Level 1 Entering
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Answer yes/no and choice questions
Begin to use general and high frequency vocabulary
Repeat words, short phrases, memorized chunks
Answer select WH-questions (e.g., “who,” “what,” “when,” “where”) within context
of lessons or personal experiences
Level 2 Beginning
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Convey content through high frequency words/phrases
State big/main ideas of classroom conversation
Describe situations from modeled sentences
Communicate in social situations
Make requests
Level 3 Developing
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OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
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Begin to express time through multiple tenses
Retell/rephrase ideas from speech
Give brief oral content-based presentations
Connect ideas in discourse using transitions (e.g., “but,” “then”)
State big/main ideas with some supporting details
Ask for clarification (e.g., self-monitor)
Level 4 Expanding
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Paraphrase and summarize ideas presented orally
Defend a point of view
Explain outcomes
Explain and compare content-based concepts
Connect ideas with supporting details/evidence
Level 5 Bridging
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Defend a point of view and give reasons
Use and explain metaphors and similes
Communicate with fluency in social and academic contexts
Negotiate meaning in group discussions
Discuss and give examples of abstract, content-based ideas (e.g., justice)
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,
and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific
expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
5. With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and
strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a
new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been
addressed. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language
standards 1–3 up to and including grade 8.)
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and
present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to
interact and collaborate with others.
7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a selfgenerated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional
related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using
search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and
quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism
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OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
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and following a standard format for citation.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.
a. Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Analyze how a modern
work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from
myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including
describing how the material is rendered new”).
b. Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and
evaluate
the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the
reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when
irrelevant evidence is introduced”).
10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and
revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of
discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Speaking and Listening Standards
1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
groups, and teacher- led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under
study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic,
text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
b. Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress
toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
c. Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to
others’ questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.
d. Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted,
qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented.
WIDA CONNECTION
Students at all levels of English language proficiency ANALYZE diverse views on
contemporary issues.
Level 1: Identify points of view from oral statements using illustrated graphic
organizers and word banks.
Level 2: Classify points of view from oral statements using illustrated graphic
organizers and word banks.
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
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Level 3: Compare point of view from oral discussion using graphic organizers
and word banks.
Level 4: Compare point of view from oral discussion using word banks.
Level 5: Interpret point of view in expanded oral discourse.
2. Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in divers media and
formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a
topic, text, or issue under study.
WIDA CONNECTION:
Students at all levels of English language proficiency APPLY main ideas of short
stories, novels, and essays.
Level 1: Produce key words about themes related to the main idea using visual
support (e.g., captioned illustrations of plot and main ideas) with a partner.
Level 2: Produce statements about themes related to the main idea using graphic
organizers with a partner.
Level 3: Explain themes related to the main idea using graphic organizers (e.g.,
story map, plot line) to a partner.
Level 4: Discuss themes related to the main idea using graphic organizers.
Level 5: Discuss themes related to the main idea using extended discourse.
3. Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, evaluating the soundness
of the reasoning and relevance and sufficiency of the evidence and identifying
when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
4. Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent
manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details;
use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of
formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 8 Language standards
1 and 3 for specific expectations.)
Language Standards
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and
usage when writing or speaking.
a. Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and
their function in particular sentences.
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OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
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b. Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice.
c. Form and use verbs in the indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and
subjunctive mood.
d. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.*
2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing.
a. Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to indicate a pause or break.
b. Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission. c. Spell correctly.
3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking,
reading, or listening.
a. Use verbs in the active and passive voice and in the conditional and
subjunctive mood to achieve particular effects (e.g., emphasizing the actor or the
action; expressing uncertainty or describing a state contrary to fact).
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or
phrases based on grade 8 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of
strategies.
a. Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s
position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to
the meaning of a word (e.g., precede, recede, secede).
c. Consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries,
glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a
word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech.
d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g.,
by checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).
6. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and
nuances in word meanings.
a. Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony, puns) in context.
b. Use the relationship between particular words to better understand each of the
words.
c. Distinguish among the connotations (associations) of words with similar
denotations (definitions) (e.g., bullheaded, willful, firm, persistent, resolute).
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OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
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7. Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domainspecific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a
word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
LITERACY IN SCIENCE AND TECHNICAL SUBJECTS, GRADES 6-8
Key Ideas and Details
1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical
texts.
2. Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate
summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
3. Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking
measurements, or performing technical tasks.
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific
words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical
context relevant to grades 6–8 texts and topics.
5. Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the
major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic.
6. Analyze the author’s purpose in providing an explanation, describing a
procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text.
7. Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with
a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram,
model, graph, or table).
8. Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and
speculation in a text.
9. Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations,
video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same
topic.
Range of reading and Level of text Complexity
10. By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the
grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Writing Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects
Grades 6-8
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1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
a. Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the
claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and
evidence logically.
b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and
evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using
credible sources.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the
relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the
argument presented.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events,
scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what
is to follow; organize ideas,
concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to
achieving purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g.,
charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete
details, quotations, or other information and examples.
c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the
relationships among ideas and concepts.
d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or
explain the topic.
e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.
f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports
the information or explanation presented.
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
5. With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and
strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or
trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have
been addressed.
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and
present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
IDEA PAGES
19
efficiently.
7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a selfgenerated question), drawing on several sources and generating
additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of
exploration.
8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using
search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each
source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while
avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
9. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and
research
20
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
IDEA PAGES
VI.
VOCABULARY
Tier II
boundary
contrast
core
crust
description
factor
Focus
hypothesis
interpret
interpretation
issue
opinion
pattern
property
reaction
relationship
Relief
repel
report
resource
risk
summarize
transfer
unexpected
valid
Tier III
Ash
Asthenosphere
Atmosphere
Basalt
Body of Water
Caldera
chemical
compare
Composite cone
Continental accretion
Continental crust
Continental drift
Contour interval
Contour line
Convergent plate
Density
Divergent plate boundary
Earthquake
Elastic rebound
environment
Epicenter
evidence
evolution
extinct
Extrusive igneous rock
Fault
Fracture zone
Friction
Frictional force
Geologist
Global Positioning System
Hazard
heat (thermal) energy
Hot spots
hydrosphere
Igneous rock
Intrusive igneous rock
(plutonic igneous rock)
Island arc
Isoseismic map
Kinetic energy
Lahar
landform
landform profile
landmass
landslide
Lapilli
Lava
Lava flow
Lithosphere
Magma
magnetic pole
magnetism
manipulated (changed)
Mantle
Mercator projection
metamorphic
Mid-ocean ridge
Oceanic crust
Oceanic trenches
Paleomagnetism
Pangea
Phenomena
Phenomenon
Plate
potential energy
pressure
Primary wave (P wave)
Pyroclastic flow
Resonance
Retrofit
Ridge
Rift Valley
rock cycle
Seamount
Secondary wave (S wave)
Seismogram
Seismology
Seismometer
Shear strength
Shield volcano
sedimentary
Silica
sphere
Strato volcano
Subduction
Subduction zone
Supercontinent
Surface wave
Suture zone
Tephra
Thermal convection
topographic
Topographic map
Transform fault
Transform plate boundary
Trench
Tsunami
USGS survey
Viscosity
Volcanic arc
Volcanic bomb
Volcanic explosivity index
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
IDEA PAGES
VII.
21
RESOURCES, MATERIALS, AND TECHNOLOGY
Materials
 Exploration Table Realia: Landforms globe, volcanic rocks (basalt,
pumice, obsidian), maps
 Science Experiment materials: Earth Systems, FOSS
Books
 Berger, Melvin. The restless earth. Newbridge Educational Publishing,
LLC. 1996.
 Caplan, Jeremy and the editors of Time for Kids. Volcanoes! Time Inc.
2006.
 Collier, Barbara and the editors of Time for Kids. Earthquakes! Time Inc.
2006.
 Fraden, Judy and Dennis., Earthquakes: witness to disaster. National
Geographic. Washington, D.C., 2008
 Ganeri, Anita. Eruption! the story of volcanoes. Dorling Kindersley
Limited. 2001.
 Geiger, Beth. Earth’s changing land. National Geographic Society. 2006.
 Griffey, Harriet. Volcanoes and other natural disasters. Dorling Kindersley
Limited. 1998.
 Harman, Rebecca. Earth’s changing crust: plate tectonics and extreme
events. Heiemann Library. 2005.
 Hiscock, Bruce. The big rock. Bruce Hiscock. 1998.
 Hutmacher, Kimberly M. Studying our earth, inside and out. Rourke
Educational Media. 2013.
 Lassieur, Allison. Natural disasters earthquakes. Capstone Press. 2003.
 Nicolson, Cynthia Pratt. Earthquake! Kids Can Press Ltd. 2002.
 Roney Sattler, Helen., Our patchwork planet: the story of plate tectonics.
Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, New York. 1995.
 Rooney, Anne., Volcano. DK Experience
 Simon, Seymour. Earthquakes. Smithsonian. 2006.
 Smith, Michael J., Southard, John B., Demery, Ruta. Earth’s dynamic
geosphere: earth comm: earth system science in the community. It’s
About Time Inc. Armonk, NY. 2001.
 Stewart, Melissa. Earthquakes and volcanoes fyi. Harper Collins
Publishers, New York. 2008.
 Turnbull, Stephanie. Volcanoes. Usborne Publishing Ltd. 2007.
 Wenkam, Robert. The edge of fire: volcano and earthquake country in
western north america and hawaii. Sierra Club Books. San Francisco.
1987.
 York, Penelope. Earth. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. 2002.
 Young, Greg. Alfred wegener: pioneer of plate tectonics. Teacher Created
Materials Publishing. 2010.
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics Unit
IDEA PAGES
22
Websites and Online Resources
 cnn.com/2014/01/16/us/northridge-earthquake-things-learned/
 Earthquake.usgs.gov
 geology.com
 iris.edu/hq/
 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/01/0118_050118_tsunami
_geography_lesson.html
 pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/tectonics/
 pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/tectonics/intro.html
 science.nasa.gov/earth-science/
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjwK_h_WRxg
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics
Project GLAD
Plate Tectonics
Middle School
PLANNING PAGES
I.
FOCUS/MOTIVATION
 Teacher Made Big Book/ Power Point – based on textbook chapter
 Read Aloud
 Observation Charts
 Inquiry Chart
 Cognitive Content Dictionary – with signal words
 Picture File Card Sort
 Three Personal Standards and Geologist Awards
 Prediction Reaction Guide
 Chants
II.
INPUT
 Narrative Input Chart
 Lithosphere Graphic Organizer
 Layers of the Earth Pictorial
 Graphic Organizer of Scientific Method
 Divergent Boundary Pictorial
 10/2 lecture with primary language
 Realia: geologists tools, rocks and minerals, seismograph
 Action Plan – earthquake preparedness
III.
GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE
 Chants/ Poetry
 Picture File Cards
 Exploration Report – with science experiment
 T-graph for Social Skills with team points
 Expert Groups
 Team Tasks
 Sentence Patterning Chart
 Personal Interactions
 Science explorations
IV.
READING/WRITING
B. Total Class Modeling
 Techer Made Big Book
 Listen and Sketch
 Story Map of Narrative
 Found Poetry
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics







Poetry Frame
Flip Chant
Group Frame for ELD
Process Grid
Cooperative Strip Paragraph – responding, revising, editing
Expository writing
DRTA
C. Small Group Practice – Anything modeled by teacher
 Team Tasks
 Expert Groups
 Ear-to-Ear reading
 Flexible groups: ELD review, reinforcement
 Leveled Reading Groups
 Team Cooperative Strip Paragraph
 Story mapping
 Focused Reading
 Team Action Plan based on NGSS Performance Expectations
D. Individual
 Individual Tasks
 Interactive Journals
 Home/School Connection
 Learning Logs
 Listen and Sketch
 Personal Inquiry
 Focused Reading
 Individual Writing Frame
 Individual Writing Prompt
V.
EXTENDED ACTIVITIES
 Science Experiments -density
 Projects – model of earth’s layers
VI.
ASSESSMENT & FEEDBACK
 Portfolio Assessment: teacher, peer and self-assessment
 Assess Group Frames
 Assess Learning Logs for formative feedback
 Process Charts
 Teacher-Made Test
 Student-Made Test using Graffiti Wall
 Team Jeopardy
 Guess My Category
 Model of a geologic feature that changes the earth’s surface
24
25
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics
Project GLAD
Plate Tectonics
SAMPLE DAILY LESSON PLAN
Day 1:
FOCUS/MOTIVATION
 Three Personal Standards/ Literacy Awards
 Prediction/Reaction Guide
 Cognitive Content Dictionary – CCD - with signal word ”lithosphere”
 Observation Charts
 Inquiry Chart
 Teacher Made Big Book
 Individual Student Portfolios
INPUT
 Lithosphere Graphic Organizer
10/2 lecture
Learning Log
ELD review
FOCUS/MOTIVATION
 Poetry/Chants
GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE
 T-graph for Social Skills and Team Points
 Picture File Card Sort
 Exploration Report with key word “layers”
INPUT
 Mid-Ocean Ridge Pictorial
10/2 lecture, Learning Log, ELD review
GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE
 Chant
EXENTED ACTIVIES
 Science Lab: Divergent Boundaries
READING/WRITING
 Interactive Journal
*Strategies appearing in italics are presented daily in the
classroom.
Day 1 of the SDLP represents 1 to 1 ½ weeks of instruction in
the classroom.
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics
26
DAY 2:
FOCUS/MOTIVATION
 Cognitive Content Dictionary- signal word “convection”
 Process Home/School Connections
 Three Personal Standards/ Literacy Awards
 Review Input with word cards
 Chants
o Highlight, sketch, add picture file cards
INPUT
 Pictorial Input – Layers of the Earth/ Earth Systems
10/2 lecture, Learning Logs, ELD Review
EXTENDED ACTIVITY
 Science Lab: Convection cells; Thermal convection and viscosity of a fluid
 Science Lab: Density of a substance
GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE
 Exploration Report with science experiment – Convection Currents
INPUT
 Narrative Input Chart
GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE
 Expert Groups
 Team Tasks
 Process Chants
o Highlight
o Add pictures/ sketches
ASSESSMENT & FEEDBACK
 Home/School Connection
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics
DAY 3:
FOCUS/MOTIVATION
 Cognitive Content Dictionary with signal word “asthenosphere”
 Process Home/School Connections
 Three Personal Standards/ Literacy Awards
INPUT
 Review new Inputs with word cards
GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE
 Process Chant
 Sentence Patterning Chart (noun: plates)
o Reading/Trading Game
o Flip Chant
 Mind Map
 Process Grid
READING/WRITING
 Cooperative Strip Paragraph (possible topic sentence: Geologic
processes continually change the surface of the earth.)
o Write
o Read
o Respond
o Revise
o Edit
 Interactive Journals
ASSESSMENT & FEEDBACK
 Process Inquiry Chart
 Home/School Connection
27
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics
DAY 4:
FOCUS/MOTIVATION
 Cognitive Content Dictionary with student selected Signal Word
 Process Home/School Connections
 Three Personal Standards/ Literacy Awards
READING/WRITING
 Finish Cooperative Strip Paragraph
 Memory Bank
 Review Narrative with Story Map
INPUT
 Cause/Effect Graphic Organizer start of Action Plan
GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE
 Chant
 Oral Evaluation (from T-graph for Social Skills)
 Team Tasks
READING/WRITING
 Flexible Reading Groups
o Clunkers and Links (at or above reading level)
o Group Frame/ELD Story Retell
ASSESSMENT & FEEDBACK
 Process Inquiry Chart
 Interactive Journals
 Read Aloud
 Guess My Category
28
Jody Bader and Jennifer Salas
OCDE Project GLAD®, Plate Tectonics
DAY 5:
FOCUS/ MOTIVATION
 Cognitive Content Dictionary with Signal Word
 Process Home/School Connections
 Chant
GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE
 Written Evaluations
 Team Tasks
READING/WRITING
 Flexible Reading Group
o Cooperative Strip Paragraph with emergent/struggling readers
 Team Presentations
 Found Poetry
 DRTA
 Focused Reading with personal CCD
 Ear to Ear Reading
 Listen and Sketch
ASSESSMENT & FEEDBACK
 Prediction/Reaction Guide
 Graffiti Wall
 Team Jeopardy
 Process Inquiry Chart
 Letter Home
 Evaluate Week
29
Name_______________________
Date_______________________
Plate Tectonics Unit
Prediction/Reaction Guide
Circle True or False.
BEFORE
AFTER
1.
True
or
Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest
are a result of the movement of the
Juan de Fuca Plate.
False
True
or
False
True
or
False
True
or
False
True
or
False
True
or
False
True
or
False
2. Major Earthquakes can happen
anywhere.
True
or
False
3. The Earth can change shape and size.
True
or
False
4. Volcanic activity produces new crust.
True
or
False
5. The theory of Plate Tectonics was
supported by similar fossil evidence on
different continents.
True
True
or
or
False
False
6. The Continental Drift Hypothesis was
never proven because scientists could
not figure out how the continents
moved.
31
Sample Literacy Awards
Insert authentic graphic
Insert graphic
Insert graphic
Insert graphic
Upon the improvement of world maps in
the early 1900's, a German meteorologist
by the name of Alfred Wegener
introduced the hypothesis of
continental drift. He suggested a
supercontinent, called Pangaea
(meaning "all land"), that broke up
millions of years ago, slowly moved to
their current positions, and continue to
move today.
When Wegener first noticed the
similarities in the shoreline of continent
on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, he
then began fitting them together. He
particularly liked the way in which South
America and Africa fit. It was not until the
1960's that scientists proposed a new
map using the edges of the continental
shelfs as the true boundaries of the
continents.
Wegener used documented cases of
fossil organisms that had been found on
different landmass that could not have
crossed the current oceans. Fossils of
Mesosarus have been found only in
South America and Africa. Remains of
other organisms appear to link these two
continents during the late Paleozoic and
early Mesozoic eras.
This picture shows matching mountain
ranges on each side of the Atlantic
Ocean. The Appalachian Mountains that
disappear off the coast of Newfoundland
match mountains in the British Isles and
Scandinavia which are comparable in
age and structure.
32
Poetry
Booklet
Name_________
33
Plates Here, There
by Jody Bader
Plates here, plates there,
Plates, plates everywhere.
Lithospheric plates moving slowly
Divergent boundaries pulling away
Convergent boundaries subducting densely
And, transform boundaries slipping side-ways.
Plates in the ocean,
Plates on the continents,
Plates beside each other,
And, plates across the Earth.
Plates here, plates there,
Plates, plates everywhere.
Plates! Plates! Plates!
34
Plate Tectonics Bugaloo
by Jody Bader and Melissa DeLeeuw
I’m a geologist and I’m here to say,
I study plate tectonics every day.
Using latitude and longitude and a GPS
I determine how plates move from east to west.
Pacific plate, Nazca plate, Juan de Fuca plate, too
Doing the plate tectonics Bugaloo!
The lithospheric plates float easily,
Moving a few centimeters a year as you can see.
The asthenosphere is the layer below,
Convection cells make the movement flow.
Heat, Viscosity, Density, too,
Doing the plate tectonics Bugaloo!
A divergent boundary is where plates move away,
They happened in Pangea and they’re happening today.
Mid-ocean ridges on the ocean floor abound,
A rift valley forms from cracks in the ground.
Magma, bubble, new crust, too,
Doing the plate tectonics Bugaloo!
A convergent boundary is when 2 plates collide,
The denser plate subducts and slides.
The pressure of the water makes it slip below,
The oceanic plate is the first to go.
Earthquakes, Trenches, Island Arcs, too,
Doing the plate tectonics Bugaloo!
On transform boundaries parallel plates slide,
The San Andreas Fault is known far and wide.
When pressure at the fault line becomes too great,
The plates move suddenly and the earth does shake.
Fracture zone, Ridge crest, transform fault, too
Doing the plate tectonics Bugaloo!
35
Earthquake Rap
By John Gorman
The earth is made
of nine different plates.
They’re constantly moving
at a very slow rate.
There are plates in the ocean,
and plates on the land.
They’re shakin’ up the water,
and shifting the sand.
These plates move together.
These plates move apart.
There are people called seismologists
who track this movement on a chart.
When under the ocean
these plates move apart,
magma bubbles up
and volcanic mountains start.
36
When plates move together
and form a subduction zone,
the bottom plate gets melted
and it makes new stone.
Continental plates collide
and mountain ranges are made.
Those mountains will be there
after the quake memory fades.
When sliding plates slide
it creates a big shock.
It may shake up a city
but won’t make new rock.
The focus is the place
inside the earth,
Where pressure builds
and earthquakes have their birth.
The epicenter is the place
directly above,
on the surface
where the land gets a shove.
Earthquakes change the earth
and you should know,
How they sometimes make craters
or make mountains grow.
Plate Tectonics
Original lyrics penned 1993, © 2004 by Jim Nelson
Highlands Middle School, Kennewick School District
Classroom Educational Use Only
Tune: "Oh Suzanna "
Plate Tectonics, oh what a fine theory
It explains the big volcanoes that are underneath the sea
.
There is a rift in the Earth's crust, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Where magma rises from below then dives down deep again
Whenever this is happening the sea floor starts to spread
New lava flowing through the gap makes brand new ocean bed
Ocean Floor Spreading, explains so much to me
Why continents can drift apart to form a wider sea
The entire crust beneath our feet, is made of moving plates
That creep our from the middle and then bump into their mates
Where ocean plates do spread apart we call Divergent Zones
Where they crash into the continents we call Convergent Zones
Deep Sea Trenches, where subduction occurs
Make ocean plates dive way below the continental shores
Wherever there's subduction, the pressure start to grow
From massive heat and friction, someday its gonna blow
If this really happens, the earth begins to quake
And it might just cause a mountain to erupt a lava lake
.
Plate Tectonics makes so much sense to me
But we still don't know the forces, behind this fine theory
Somewhere deep beneath the crust the mantle does reside
Could it be convection currents there cause continents to glide
Someday perhaps we'll know the rest and plainly we shall see
The benefits of research that we call seismology
Plate Tectonics, oh what a fine theory
It explains the big volcanoes that are underneath the sea
37
38
Sphere Yes Ma’am
Written by Cindy Swenson and Jody Bader
Is this an atmosphere?
Is this an atmosphere?
How do you know?
How do you know?
How do you know?
Give me some examples.
Give me some examples.
Yes Ma’am
Yes Ma’am
Layers of gases
Retained by Earth’s gravity
Protects from harmful rays
Troposphere and Stratosphere
Mesosphere and Thermosphere
Is this a hydrosphere?
Is this a hydrosphere?
How do you know?
How do you know?
How do you know?
Give me some examples.
Give me some examples.
Yes Ma’am
Yes Ma’am
It contains all the water
Interacts with other spheres
It’s a universal solvent
The hydrologic cycle
Always circulating
Is this the lithosphere?
Is this the lithosphere?
How do you know?
How do you know?
How do you know?
Give me some examples.
Give me some examples.
Yes Ma’am
Yes Ma’am
It’s the rocky surface
It’s broken into plates
Plates float on the mantle
Oceanic crust
Continental crust
Is this the biosphere?
Is this the biosphere?
How do you know?
How do you know?
How do you know?
Give me some examples.
Give me some examples.
Yes Ma’am
Yes Ma’am
It’s the living sphere
Connects all the spheres
It depends on all the spheres
Anthrosphere is humans
Plants and animals too
Tectonics Cadence
By J. Bader
I’ve been told, so I know
Continents move very slow
Land and water don’t stay the same
So scientists gave them names
Sound Off – Laurasia
Sound Off – Pangea
Sound Off - 1,2,3,4 - ancient continents!
39
Alfred Wegener was the first
To hypothesize continental drift
They laughed and laughed, he felt a fool
In the 60’s the theory became so cool
Sound Off – Glossopteris
Sound Off – Glacial sediment
Sound Off – 1,2,3,4 - Evidence!
Today we know how continents grove
The mantle keeps them on the move
The lithosphere floats on top
The asthenosphere is dense and hot
Sound Off – heat rises
Sound Off – cools and sinks
Sound Off – 1,2,3,4 – Convection!
Permafrost Here There
By Cindy Swenson and Jody Bader
Permafrost here, permafrost there
Permafrost, permafrost everywhere.
Permanent permafrost insulates naturally
Frozen permafrost melts unevenly
Deep permafrost disintegrates quickly
And, boggy permafrost thaws annually
40
Solid permafrost from the geologic past
Permanent permafrost at the poles
Deep permafrost inside the ground
And, squishy permafrost under the railroad tracks
Permafrost here, permafrost there,
Permafrost, permafrost everywhere.
Permafrost! Permafrost! Permafrost!
Continental Drift
Original lyrics penned 1993, © 2004 by Jim Nelson
Highlands Middle School, Kennewick School District
Classroom Educational Use Only
Tune: " He's Got the Whole World in His Hands "
41
It makes the whole world move and shake
It makes volcanoes and big earthquakes
It makes land masses float apart
We call it Continental Drift
.
Not very long ago in Germany, Mr. Alfred Wegener tried to see
Why the maps he was reading seemed to fit like a jigsaw puh-uz-zel
He said it to himself then he said out loud, "The continents are drifting." to the crowd
Well they laughed and laughed and wouldn't believe, that the land could move like the sea
But many years later other scientists, kept searching and searching for some bits
Of proof or information that seemed to fit the Continental Drift Theory.
First they found fossils on opposite shores of the wide Atlantic and said, "Of course."
"These creatures couldn't swim here, why couldn't it be, long ago there wasn't this sea."
Next they matched rocks up, and wouldn't you know, so many miles apart, but together they go
People started saying, "Maybe Wegener was right. Let's keep searching both day and night."
It makes the whole world move and shake
It makes volcanoes and big earthquakes
It makes land masses float apart
We call it Continental Drift
.
Teacher Made BIG BOOK
The Important Thing About Geoscience
by Jody Bader
42
Repetitive Phrase at top and bottom of each page:
The important thing about geoscience is that there are processes that continually change the
surface of the Earth.
This is the process that continually changes the surface of the Earth.
Page 1
 The structure of the Earth is in layers.
 The top layer is called the crust.
 Below the crust is the mantle. The mantle is made up of a different kind of rock than the crust.
 The upper rigid part of the mantle, together with the crust, is called the lithosphere. It is
broken into sections called plates, much the same way as the shell of a hard boiled egg can
be cracked into sections.
 On the crust there are oceanic plates and continental plates.
 Below the lithosphere is the part of the upper mantle called the asthenosphere. The
asthenosphere contains magma.
 The lithospheric plates float and move on top of the moveable asthenosphere.
Page 2
 Movement happens along plate boundaries.
 Geologists classify these movements into three categories.
 The first is a divergent boundary, where two plates move away from each other.
 On the ocean floor a mid-ocean ridge is created when magma from the asthenosphere rises
upward.
 The magma fills in the gap where the sea floor spread.
 When the asthenosphere rises beneath a continent, the lithosphere bulges upward and is
stretched sideways forming long cracks that eventually fall into themselves creating a rift
valley.
 The East African Rift Valley is an example of a divergent boundary on a continental plate.
Page 3
 The second is a convergent boundary, where two plates move toward each other.
 A subduction zone is formed when the denser heavier oceanic plate is pushed under a
continental plate.
 Off the coast of the Pacific NW the Juan de Fuca plate is subducting underneath the North
American Plate.
 Convergent boundaries can also happen between two continents.
 When two continents collide and are welded together a suture zone is formed.
 An example of a continental-continental convergent boundary is the collision of India and Asia,
which began about 45 million years ago, producing the majestic Himalayan Mountains.
43
Page 4
 Volcanoes are also common along subduction zones, where they form volcanic arcs.
 Magma is produced above the subducted plate, and rises toward the surface because it is less
dense than the surrounding rock. The “Ring of Fire” around the Pacific Ocean is caused by this
melting at subduction zones all around the Pacific.
 Hot spot volcanoes, like Hawaii, are produced when narrow plumes of unusually hot mantle
material rise up through the lithosphere, creating pools of magma.
Page 5
 The third classification of plate boundary movement is a transform boundary, where two
plates slide parallel to each other.
 The surface along which the plates slide is called a transform fault. The longest and most
famous transform fault is the San Andreas Fault in California.

When plates move past each other the movement is not always smooth. Earthquakes happen
when the rocks at plate boundaries can no longer withstand the pressure and move suddenly.
Page 6
 Geoscientists believe that the process of thermal convection moves the plates.
 Geoscientists divide Earth into five main layers: the inner core, the outer core, the lower
mantle, the upper mantle or asthenosphere, and the lithosphere.
 The core is made mostly of iron and is so hot that the outer core is molten.
 This heat from the core is also what keeps the asthenosphere moving in a slow viscous
manner, much like melted plastic.
 Heat from deep in the Earth rises toward the surface. It spreads out horizontally, cools, and
sinks back into the interior.
 These extremely slow moving flows are called convection cells.
 Scientists hypothesize that convection cells are what help move the lithospheric plates.
Page 7
In conclusion, Plate Tectonics Theory states that 225 million years ago the Earth’s lithosphere was
combined into one supercontinent named Pangaea. Over million of years the lithospheric plates
assemble, break up, and reassemble.
Thermal convection cells distribute heat from deep inside the Earth. This enables the plates to float
upon and move on top of the viscous asthenosphere.
But, the important thing about geoscience is that there are processes that continually change the
surface of the Earth.
Table of Contents
44
The Lithosphere……………………………………………p. 1
Divergent Boundaries……………………………………..p. 2
Convergent Boundaries…………………………………...p. 3
Volcanoes……………………………………..……………p. 4
Transform Boundaries……………………….……………p. 5
Thermal Convection…………………………..…………..p. 6
Pangea………………………………………..……………p. 7
Glossary
asthenosphere – The region below the lithosphere in which the rock is less rigid than that above,
and has sufficient temperatures to melt rock into magma.
continental plates – A section of Earth’s crust that is above the ocean
convergent boundary – Tectonic plates that are moving toward each other.
crust – The top layer of Earth.
divergent boundary – Tectonic plates that are moving away from each other.
earthquake – A series of vibrations in the earth’s crust by the abrupt rupture and rebound of rocks.
hot spot volcano – Volcanic regions thought to be fed by underlying mantle that is anomalously hot
compared with the surrounding mantle. They may be in, near to, or far from tectonic plate boundaries.
lithosphere – The solid portion of the earth. The crust and upper mantle.
mantle – The portion of the earth about 1800 miles thick between the crust and the core.
mid-ocean ridge – Any of several seismically active submarine mountain ranges that extend through
the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and South Pacific oceans; each is the locus of seafloor spreading.
oceanic crust – The section of Earth’s crust that is below the ocean on the seafloor.
Pangaea – The landmass that existed when all continent were joined, from about 300 to 200 million
years ago.
plates – A section of Earth’s crust.
rift valley – a chasm extending along the crest of a mid-ocean ridge, locus of the magma upwelling
that accompany seafloor spreading.
subduction zone – The process by which collision of the earth’s crustal plates results in one plate’s
being drawn down or overridden by another, localized along the juncture of two plates.
super continent – A large continent that consists of all the landmass today.
thermal convection – The transfer of heat by the circulation or movement of the heated parts of a
liquid or gas.
transform boundary – Tectonic plates that slide past one another.
transform fault – A strike-slip fault that offsets a mid-ocean ridge in opposing directions on either
side of an axis of seafloor spreading.
volcanic arc – A curving chain of active volcanoes formed above a subduction zone and adjacent to
a convergent plat boundary.
volcano – A mountain, hill, or vent in the earth’s crust through which lava, steam, ashes, etc. are
expelled, either continuously or at irregular intervals.
Input Background Information
45
Interior Structure of the Earth and Convection Currents
The thin, outermost layer of the Earth is called the crust. There are two kinds of crust:
continental and oceanic. The continental crust forms the Earth’s continents. It is generally 30-50 Km
thick, and most of it is very old. Some continental crust has been dated as old as four billion years! The
geological structure of the continental crust is generally very complicated. In contrast, the oceanic crust
is only 5-10 km thick, and it is young in terms of geologic time. All of the oceanic crust on the Earth is
younger than about 200 million year.
Beneath the Earth’s crust is the mantle. The rocks of the mantle are very different in
composition from the crust, and the boundary between the crust and the mantle is sharp and well
defined. The uppermost part of the mantle, which is cooler than below, moves as a rigid block, carrying
the crust with it. The upper rigid part of the mantel, together with the crust, is called the lithosphere. The
Earth’s plates are composed of the lithosphere. At greater depths, the mantle is hot enough that it can
flow very slowly, just like a very stiff liquid. That part of the mantle is called asthenosphere.
In terms of composition and origin, the crust and the mantle are very different, but in terms of
how they move, they behave in the same way. On the other hand, the lithosphere part of the mantle is
the same in composition as the asthenosphere part of the mantle, but in terms of how they move, they
behave very differently.
Geoscientists divide Earth into four main layers: the inner core, the outer core, the mantle, and
the crust. The core is composed mostly of iron. It is so hot that the outer core is molten. The inner core
is also hot, but under such great pressure that it remains solid. Most of the Earth’s mass is in the
mantle. The mantle is composed of iron, magnesium, and aluminum silicate minerals. At over 1000
degree C, the mantle is solid rock, but it can deform slowly in a plastic manner. The crust is much
thinner than any of the other layers, and is composed of the least dense rocks.
The temperature of the Earth increases with depth. Temperature affects the density of
materials. Thermal convection transfers heat energy from one place to another by the movement of
materials.
In 1929, geologist Arthur Holmes, elaborated on the idea that the mantle undergoes thermal
convection. He suggested that this thermal convection is like a conveyor belt. He reasoned that rising
mantle material can break a continent apart and then force the two parts of the broken continent in
opposite directions. The continents would then be carried by the convection currents.
According to this hypothesis of mantle convection, material is heated at the core-mantle
boundary. It rises upward, spreads out horizontally, cools, and sinks back into the interior. These
extremely slow-moving convection cells might provide the driving force that move the lithospheric
plates. Material rises to the surface at places where tectonic plates spread apart from one another.
Material sinks back into the Earth where plates converge. Although the idea was not widely appreciated
during Holmes’ time, mantle convection cells became instrumental in the development of the platetectonic theory.
Geoscientists are sure that the mantle is convecting, but they are still unsure of the patterns of
convection. Geoscientists now think that the lithospheric plates themselves play a major part in driving
the convection, rather than just being passive riders on top of the convection cells. In a mid-ocean ridge
the plate on either side of the ridge crest slope downward away from the ridge crest, and they tent to
slide downhill under the pull of gravity. In this way, they help the convection cell to keep moving,
instead of the other way around. Also, most materials expand when they are heated and shrink when
they are cooled. The plates in the ocean are denser than the deeper mantle, because they have almost
the same composition but they are not as hot. They sink into the mantle of their own accord. In this way
they help to keep the convection cell moving.
Types of Plate Boundaries
Divergent Plate Boundaries – Divergent plate boundaries are plates that move away from each
other. Mid-ocean ridges are divergent plate boundaries. The mid-ocean ridges are place where mantle
asthenosphere rises slowly upward. As it rises, some of the rock melts to form magma.
Melting temperature of rock decreases as the pressure on the rock decreases. As the mantle
rock rises, its temperature stays about the same, because cooling takes a long time. However, the
46
pressure from the overlying rock is less, so some of the rock melts. The magma then rises up,
because it is less dense than the rock. It forms volcanoes in the central valley of the mid-ocean ridge.
Geoscientists in deep-diving submersibles can watch these undersea volcanoes! Because of the great
water pressure in the deep ocean, and also the cooling effect of the water, these volcanoes behave
differently from volcanoes on land. The lave oozes out of cracks in the rocks. Some of the magma stays
below the sea floor and crystallizes into rock there. All of these new igneous rocks, at the sea floor and
below, make new oceanic crust, which then moves away from the ridge and crest.
A new ocean begins when hot mantle material begins to move upward beneath a continent.
Geoscientists are still not certain about why that happens. The lithosphere of the continent bulges
upward and is stretched sideways. Eventually it breaks along a long crack, called a rift. Magma rises up
to feed volcanoes in the rift. As the rift widens, the ocean invades the rift. A new ocean basin has now
been formed, and it gets wider as time goes on.
Convergent Boundaries – At a convergent plate boundary, two plates are moving toward each
other. There are three types of convergent boundaries.
In some places, two oceanic lithospheric plates are converging. One plate stays at the surface, and the
other plate dives down beneath it at some angle. This process is call subduction, and so these plate
boundaries are called subduction zones. Where the down-going plate first bends downward, a deep
trench is formed on the ocean floor. These trenches are where the very deepest ocean depths are
found. As the plate goes down into the mantle asthenosphere, magma is produced at a certain depth.
The magma rises up to the ocean floor to form a chain of volcanic islands, called a volcanic island arc.
Other subduction zones are located at the edges of continents. The down-going plate is always
the oceanic lithosphere and the plate that remains at the surface is always continental lithosphere.
That’s because the continental lithosphere is less dense that the oceanic lithosphere. Ocean-continent
subduction is similar in many ways to ocean-ocean subduction, except that the volcanic arc is built at
the edge of the continent, rather than in the ocean. The Andes mountain range in western South
America is an example of a continental arc.
The third kind of convergent boundary is where two continental lithospheric plates have collided
with each other. The continental lithosphere is much less dense than the mantle, so continental
lithosphere cannot be subducted. The subduction stops. The continent that was coming along toward
the subduction zone keeps working its way under the other continent, for hundreds of kilometers, until
finally the friction between the two continents is so great that plate movement stops. The zone where
two continents have met and become welded into a single continent is called a suture zone. There is
only one good example on today’s Earth: the Indian Plate has collided with the Eurasian Plate and is
still working its way under it.
Transform Plate Boundaries – At transform boundaries, plates slide past one another. The
surface along which the plates slide is called a transform fault. Most are short, but some are very long.
The most famous transform fault forms the boundary between the North American Plate and the Pacific
Plate, in California. It is several hundred kilometers long. The San Andreas Fault connects short
segments of spreading ridges at its northern and southern ends. The movement along the transform
fault is limited to the distance between the two segments of ridge crest.
Constructive and Destructive forces - Land forms are the result of a combination of
constructive and destructive forces. Constructive forces affect the earth's surface by building it up to
form new landforms like mountains and islands. Destructive forces affect the earth's surface by
breaking down landforms to form new ones.
Features at divergent plate boundaries are constructive because they add new crust. Features
at Convergent plate boundaries are destructive forces because they destruct, or take away land mass.
The Earth is always the same circumference so constructive and destructive forces work together to
keep the Earth the same size. Wherever there is an action, there is an equal reaction. Transform
boundaries move parallel to each other which is a neutral force.
Sea Floor Spreading
The computer model at the Plate Motion calculator web site uses several sources of geologic
data. One source comes from the study of the magnetism of rocks that make up the sea floor. All
magnets and materials that have magnetism have a north and south direction, or magnetic polarity.
47
Rocks with a normal magnetic polarity match that of the Earth’s magnetic field. The other
group has magnetic minerals with reversed polarity. It was known that as lava cools to form basalt, an
iron-rich volcanic rock that makes up the ocean floor, its iron minerals become magnetized and “lock in”
the polarity of the Earth’s magnetic field. Beginning in the 1950’s, scientists began noting patterns in the
magnetism of rocks on the ocean floor. The alternating belts of higher and lower than average magnetic
field strength were of normal and reverse polarity, respectively.
In 1963, two scientists, F.J. Vince and D.H. Matthew, proposed the revolutionary theory of seafloor spreading to explain this pattern. According to their theory, the matching patterns on either side of
the mid-ocean ridge could be explained by new ocean crust forming at the ridge and spreading sway
from it. As ocean crust forms, it obtains the polarity of the Earth’s magnetic field at that time. Over time,
the strength of the Earth’s magnetic field changes. When new ocean crust forms at the center of the
spreading, it obtains a new kind of magnetic polarity. Over time, a series of magnetic “stripes” are
formed. Since the theory of sea-floor spreading was proposed, core samples of volcanic rock taken
from the ocean floor have shown that the age of the rock increases from the crest of the ridge, just as
the theory predicts. What’s more, by measuring both the age and magnetic polarity of rocks on land,
geologists have developed a time scale that shows when the magnetic field has reversed its polarity.
Because the magnetic striping on the ocean floor records the reversals of the Earth’s magnetic field,
geoscientists can calculate the average rate of plate movement during a given time span. These rates
range widely; the Arctic Ridge has the slowest rate at less than 2.5cm/yr. The East Pacific Ridge has
the fastest rate of more than 15cm/yr. The computer model in the plate motion calculator uses
spreading rates from ocean ridges throughout the world to compute plate motion.
Geologic data is also used to find the direction of movement of the plate. Surveys of the depth
of the ocean floor, mainly since the 1950’s, revealed a great mountain range on the ocean floor that
encircles the Earth. The mid-ocean ridge zig-zags between the continents, winding its way around the
globe. The mid-ocean ridge is not straight; it is offset in many places. The offsets are perpendicular to
the axis of the ridge. When combined with knowledge that the ocean floor is spreading apart at midocean ridges, geologists realized that the offsets are parallel to the direction the plates are moving. By
mapping the orientations of these offsets, and entering this data into the computer model, the plate
motion calculator is able to generate the directions of plate motions.
Excerpts taken from the textbook:
Smith, Michael J., Southard, John B., Demery, Ruta. Earth’s Dynamic Geosphere: Earth Comm: Earth
System Science in the Community. It’s About Time Inc. Armonk, NY. 2001
48
http://www.iris.edu/hq/
49
http://www.iris.edu/hq/
50
ELD Review Questions: Mid-Ocean Ridge Pictorial
Stages of Language
Acquisition
WIDA Levels
Preproduction/ Early Production
Speech Emergence
Intermediate Fluency
Advanced Fluency
Level 1 Entering
Level 2 Emerging
Level 3 Developing
Level 4 Expanding
Level 5 Bridging
point, match, express
basic needs, recite
words, identify
cognates, label,
communicate by
drawing, copy,
categorize pictures,
arrange, draw, ask
simple questions,
restate, share basic
social information,
identify story elements,
follow visual directions,
list, fill-in
Multi-step directions,
identify main ideas,
match literal meanings,
sequence, retell,
predict, offer solutions,
problem-solve,
interpret, use context
clues, produce simple
text, compare/contrast,
describe
interpret, identify
supporting details, infer,
role play, opinions with
detail, discuss, give oral
reports, problem-solve,
compare/contrast,
classify genres, find
details, differentiate,
take notes, summarize,
author
Construct models,
distinguish literal and
figurative, opinion,
justify/defend, give
presentations,
sequence,
summarize, give
examples, draw
conclusions, extended
responses,
Levels of Questions
Point To
Yes/No/ 1 word
Create
Point to the
Can earthquakes
feature that proves happen on the ocean
the existence of
floor?
sea floor spreading.
Either/Or/Short
phrase
Name the
characteristics of
plate movement not
found at a mid-ocean
ridge.
arrange, plan, assemble,
collect, compose, combine,
set up, construct, create,
design, develop, devise,
forecast, formulate,
hypothesize, imagine, invent,
manage, organize prepare,
propose,
Evaluate
appraise, argue, assess,
choose, compare, critique,
decide, debate, defend,
support, determine, select,
discuss, estimate, evaluate,
judge, justify, predict, verify,
prioritize, rate, weigh,
recommend, value
Analyze
analyze, appraise, calculate,
explain, question, identify,
Open Ended
Why can the ocean
floor be a dangerous
place to explore?
What conditions do
geoscientists needs
to take into
account when
studying the ocean
floor?
Trace the pattern
on the ocean floor
that proves the
earth’s polarity
changes over time.
Where would you dig
if you wanted to
collect the oldest
rock samples on the
ocean floor?
Does the earth’s
magnetic field
change over time or
stay the same?
How do we know that
basalt is rich in iron?
What tests could
you devise to prove
that a rock is
basalt?
Show me the
movement of a
transform fault.
Does a divergent
boundary move side
to side?
What is the
difference in
movement between
Where would you find
magma on the ocean
floor?
Predict the
potential impact on
humans of a
categorize, test, classify,
compare, contrast, criticize,
differentiate, infer,
discriminate, distinguish,
examine, experiment
Apply
apply, calculate,
categorize, extend, classify,
change choose, compare,
construct, show,
demonstrate, use, describe,
sketch, determine, solve,
distinguish, schedule, select,
employ, estimate, explain,
illustrate, interpret, judge the
effects, operate, practice,
dramatize
Understand
categorize, cite, clarify,
classify, describe, discuss,
explain, express, identify,
indicate, interpret, locate,
match, translate, paraphrase,
select, predict, recognize,
restate, review, summarize
Remember
arrange, choose, define,
describe, draw, find, give
example, identify, label,
locate, list, match, name,
recall, recite, recognize,
record, repeat, state,
reproduce, select, tell
a transform fault and
divergent boundary?
Demonstrate how
new crust is
formed.
Can the earth change
size?
Is a mid-ocean ridge
a destructive force?
divergent boundary
found on land.
Is a mid-ocean ridge
an example of a
constructive force or
a destructive force?
Describe the
Conservation of Mass.
How could you
construct a model
to illustrate the
conservation of
mass?
Trace the magnetic
striping.
Does the rock in the
oceanic crust have
magnetic properties?
Is the rock in the
ocean’s crust mostly
basalt or granite?
How do scientists
know parts of the
oceanic crust are
different ages?
Describe the
concept of
magnetic striping in
relation to the
magnetic north and
south poles.
Point to oceanic
crust.
Does magma bubble
up along the ridge?
Is the crust in the
middle older or
newer ocean floor?
What effects are
created by a midocean ridge?
Describe one of
those effects in
more detail.
51
52
53
Wegener Narrative
by Jody Bader
1. It was a brisk fall day in 1911 on the campus of Marburg University in Germany.
Meteorologist, Alfred Wegener was in the library doing research. But he wasn’t in the
meteorology section of the library. He was browsing the stacks in paleontology, reading
about ancient plants and animals. He came across a report that showed evidence of
fossils of the same plant and animal species being found on different continents on
either side of the Atlantic Ocean. “Extraordinary!” he thought as he sat down to read
further.
2. Intrigued by this information, Wegener began to look for, and found, more cases of
similar organisms separated by great oceans. For example, a fern-like tree called
Glossopteris existed in areas as widely separated as India, South Africa and Australia.
“How could that be?” he thought. “It just doesn’t make sense that the same identical fern
could develop independently in such widely separated regions.”
As he sat in the hard wooden chair of the Marburg University Library and gazed out the
window at the falling autumn leaves Wegener’s mind started to make connections. A
scientific hypothesis was forming in his mind. But, he would need more evidence and
the data would need to come from many different sources – different branches of
science.
3. He went next to the cartography department. He needed to look at a map. As he
unrolled the large world map out onto the table top his gaze was drawn, as it always
was, to the coastlines of Africa and South America. “They look as if they would fit
together like the pieces of a puzzle.” he mused. “But how…?” He then looked northward
on the map.
4. “There, Spitzbergen.” he said as he tapped his finger on the islands in the Arctic
Ocean. Wegner knew that there were large coal deposits in the islands that were 400
miles north of Norway. But he also knew that the appearance of coal suggested a
tropical climate. Was Spitzbergen, now well above the Arctic Circle, located at one time
in tropical regions? More connections were being made in his mind, but now he needed
climate evidence. He raced home to his meteorology books to confirm his growing
hypothesis.
5. Alfred Wegener worked on gathering evidence for the next few months. Finally, in
January of 1912 he was ready to put forth his idea for the first time. He traveled to
Frankfurt to address the German Geological Association and present his paper entitled,
“The Geophysical Basis for the Evolution of the Large-Scale Features of the Earth’s
Crust (Continents and Oceans).” Wegener waited anxiously in a squeaky brown
cushioned chair to be introduced. He was nervous about his presentation, his
hypothesis was revolutionary. But also excited to share his ideas, he was confident that
he was correct. He walked to the podium and addressed the audience of international
scientists. Then he turned to the large blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and
started to draw.
54
6. “This is Pangaea,” he explained. “It is an ancient supercontinent made up of all the
land mass on the Earth. Over millions of years the land has broken into pieces and
drifted apart. The pieces, our modern day continents, are still drifting, though very
slowly.” The audience started to laugh.
7. Wegener systematically laid out all his evidence for the Hypothesis of Continental
Drift. He began by discussing the coastline of several continents, like Africa and South
America, and how they fit together like a puzzle. The audience of scientists continued to
laugh. “How do they move?” they jeered. “Do they plow through the ocean floor like a
piece of farm machinery being pulled by a horse? What pulls the continents?” they
laughed.
8. He then discussed the fossil evidence. Plants and animals like the Mesosaurus,
Lystosaurus, and Glossopteris that were found on different continent separated by
oceans. These organisms could not have crossed the current oceans. The land must
have been connected at one time. “Of course it was connected,” the scientists
reasoned. “There must have been some sort of land bridge that the animals could have
used to cross over the ocean.” “But a land bridge would have had to be hundreds of
miles long.” Wegener said. “That’s not possible.”
9. He also discussed geological evidence. He showed rock samples of the same age
and structure, and made up of the same material. But the rocks were from different
mountain ranges. Wegener showed the scientists how the Appalachian Mountains in
North America fit together with the mountains of the British Isles and Scandinavia. A few
of the scientists were intrigued by this evidence, but most of them continued to laugh
and shout out.
10. The last form of evidence that Wegener used to support his continental drift
hypothesis was ancient climates. When the continents are put together to form Pangaea
the remains of glacial materials found throughout the world, neatly fit together to form a
pattern like the large ice sheets that cover our poles today.
11. Alfred Wegener was laughed and jeered out of the room. “This is utter rot!” said the
president of the prestigious American Philosophical Society. “If we are to believe [this]
hypothesis, we must forget everything we have learned in the last 70 years and start all
over again,” said another American scientist. Anyone who “valued his reputation for
scientific sanity” would never dare support such a theory, said a British geologist. Most
in the scientific community continued to ridicule the concept that would revolutionize the
earth sciences and reviled the man who dared to propose it, German meteorological
pioneer and polar explorer Alfred Wegener.
12. His hypothesis was all but forgotten, until 30 years after his death, in the 1950’s and
60’s scientists started mapping the ocean floor. By the 1960’s there had been many
technological discoveries that would aid in the revision of the continental drift hypothesis
that would turn into the plate tectonic theory.
55
13. In this theory the earth is made up of many sections of lithosphere, solid pieces of
the earth’s crust and upper mantle that float on top of the asthenosphere. The
asthenosphere is the plastic like layer under the lithosphere that has fluid-like
properties. This was what Wegener’s hypothesis was missing. A way for the continents
to move. However, Wegener's basic insights remain sound, and the lines of evidence
that he used to support his theory are still actively being researched today.
56
ELD Review Questions: Wegener Narrative
Stages of Language
Acquisition
WIDA Levels
Preproduction/ Early Production
Speech Emergence
Intermediate Fluency
Advanced Fluency
Level 1 Entering
Level 2 Emerging
Level 3 Developing
Level 4 Expanding
Level 5 Bridging
point, match, express
basic needs, recite
words, identify
cognates, label,
communicate by
drawing, copy,
categorize pictures,
arrange, draw, ask
simple questions,
restate, share basic
social information,
identify story elements,
follow visual directions,
list, fill-in
Multi-step directions,
identify main ideas,
match literal meanings,
sequence, retell,
predict, offer solutions,
problem-solve,
interpret, use context
clues, produce simple
text, compare/contrast,
describe
interpret, identify
supporting details, infer,
role play, opinions with
detail, discuss, give oral
reports, problem-solve,
compare/contrast,
classify genres, find
details, differentiate,
take notes, summarize,
author
Construct models,
distinguish literal and
figurative, opinion,
justify/defend, give
presentations,
sequence,
summarize, give
examples, draw
conclusions, extended
responses,
Levels of Questions
Point To
Yes/No/ 1 word
Create
Identify how
scientists map the
seafloor.
What did they find
on the seafloor?
Either/Or/Short
phrase
What happened in
the 1960’s?
arrange, plan, assemble,
collect, compose, combine,
set up, construct, create,
design, develop, devise,
forecast, formulate,
hypothesize, imagine, invent,
manage, organize prepare,
propose,
Evaluate
appraise, argue, assess,
choose, compare, critique,
decide, debate, defend,
support, determine, select,
discuss, estimate, evaluate,
judge, justify, predict, verify,
prioritize, rate, weigh,
recommend, value
Analyze
analyze, appraise, calculate,
The purpose of using
sonar is ____?
Open Ended
Explain the why the
creation of plate
tectonic theory was
an accident?
What would have
happened if
geoscientists never
figured out how the
plates move?
S: seafloor mapping
was to find Soviet
subs.
Point to one piece
of evidence that
demonstrates the
existence of
continental drift.
Did the continental
drift hypothesis turn
into plate tectonic
theory?
Name two other
pieces of evidence
that supported
Wegener’s
hypothesis.
Where is the
glossopteris?
Are the same plants
Was similar fossil
and animals found on evidence found only
Summarize which
piece of evidence was
missing?
Explain the
difference between
a hypothesis and a
theory?
How does the fossil
evidence support
Explain why the
land bridge theory
57
explain, question, identify,
categorize, test, classify,
compare, contrast, criticize,
differentiate, infer,
discriminate, distinguish,
examine, experiment
Apply
apply, calculate,
categorize, extend, classify,
change choose, compare,
construct, show,
demonstrate, use, describe,
sketch, determine, solve,
distinguish, schedule, select,
employ, estimate, explain,
illustrate, interpret, judge the
effects, operate, practice,
dramatize
Understand
categorize, cite, clarify,
classify, describe, discuss,
explain, express, identify,
indicate, interpret, locate,
match, translate, paraphrase,
select, predict, recognize,
restate, review, summarize
Remember
arrange, choose, define,
describe, draw, find, give
example, identify, label,
locate, list, match, name,
recall, recite, recognize,
record, repeat, state,
reproduce, select, tell
Show me what part
of the story would
we find Alfred
Wegener in the
cartography
department?
all the continents?
on the same
Wegener’s
continent or different hypothesis?
continents?
is incorrect.
What do
cartographers do?
List which differing
branches of science
did Wegener use to
support his
hypothesis.
The scientists
didn’t believe him,
but other than that
what were they
afraid of?
Show me a plate
boundary.
Which two
continents looked
like puzzle pieces to
Wegener?
When Wegener
looked on the map at
Spitzbergen what
natural resource is
found there?
S: coal
Point to a
continental crust.
Where mountains in
North America once
connected to
mountains in Africa?
S: No, mountains in
the British Isles and
Scandinavia.
Are the two
mountain ranges
fitting together an
example of geologic
evidence or climate
evidence?
Point to the type of
crust that is on the
ocean bottom.
Why do you think the
scientists laughed at
Wegener?
Do you know how coal
is made? (T explains)
Why would coal
deposits only be
found in regions that
were tropical?
S: reptiles can’t live in
the arctic.
What does geologic
evidence mean?
S: information about
rocks and rock types.
S: That current
thinking would
have to be revised.
That their beliefs
were wrong.
Restate what
Wegener explained
about
supercontinents.
Give examples of
the geologic and
climate evidence
that Wegener
proposed.
58
SCIENTIFIC METHOD GRAPHIC ORGANIZER/STORY MAP
Scientific Method
Wegener
Ask Question
Do background
research
Construct Hypothesis
Test with an
experiment
Analyze Results
Draw Conclusions
Report Results
Why do the continents
seem to fit together
like puzzle pieces?
Fossils on both sides of
ocean, geologic
evidence, ancient
climates
Continental Drift
Pangea
Other Scientists
mapped ocean floor
(50’s – 60’s), GPS,
magnetic striping
Lithospheric plates move
on the asthenosphere by
convection
Plate Tectonic Theory
New research continues
to justify
59
EXPERT GROUP - Rift Valley
Plate Boundary
Plate boundaries are geologically interesting areas because they are where the action is! Geologists use
three descriptive terms to classify the boundaries between plates: 1) divergent boundaries are where two
plates move away from each other; 2) convergent boundaries are where two plates move toward each
other; and 3) transform boundaries are where two plates slide parallel to each other. A rift valley is a kind
of divergent boundary.
Location
A divergent plate boundary can appear either on the ocean floor or on land. As the plates pull apart the
long, narrow, deep valley that is produced is called a rift valley. Rift Valleys can also be formed where
transform faults slide past each other. The trough at the top of the fault between the two plates is the rift
valley. Active continental rift valleys on earth include the Baikal Rift Valley in Siberia, the West Antarctic
Rift Valley in Antarctica, the Rio Grande Rift Valley in the American Southwest, and the most well known
East African Rift Valley that stretches from the Middle East through East Africa to Madagascar.
Movement
A divergent plate boundary is a place where a dome of mantle asthenosphere rises slowly upward. As it
rises, it pushes up the lithosphere causing it to heat up and expand. Some of the lithospheric rock
covering the dome begins to melt because the pressure of the overlying rock is less than when the mantle
material was at a greater depth. Because the pressure on the mantle dome is less the temperature
needed to melt the rock into magma is also less. At the surface, cracks form as the lithosphere stretches.
As the rift gets wider the lithosphere collapses in on itself forming a long valley with steep sides and a flat
bottom.
60
Landforms Created/ Effects
Rift Valleys on the ocean floor at a mid-ocean ridge are lined with volcanoes that continuously fill the
trough with magma that cools into rock and forms new crust. Volcanoes in a rift valley can also be seen
on continents. Over millions of years as a rift valley becomes wider, eventually ocean water will invade
and form a straight, a sea, and eventually a new ocean. Examples of this can be found in the Great Rift
Valley. The Red Sea was created when water from the Indian Ocean flooded the rift valley between Africa
and Saudi Arabia. As it widens, eventually the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea will connect over the
Sinai Peninsula. The East African Rift Valley will someday widen enough for the horn of Africa to be a
continental island, similar to Madagascar.
A rift valley is a type of divergent boundary. A divergent boundary is considered a constructive force
because they construct, or add, new landmass to earth’s crust.
Sources: http://education.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/rift-valley/
http://www.britannica.com/science/tectonic-basin
Smith, Michael J., Southard, John B., Demery, Ruta. Earth’s Dynamic Geosphere: Earth Comm: Earth
System Science in the Community. It’s About Time Inc. Armonk, NY. 2001
61
EXPERT GROUP - Subduction Zone
Plate Boundary
Plate boundaries are geologically interesting areas because they are where the action is! Geologists use three
descriptive terms to classify the boundaries between plates: 1) divergent boundaries are where two plates move
away from each other; 2) convergent boundaries are where two plates move toward each other; and 3) transform
boundaries are where two plates slide parallel to each other. A subduction zone is an example of a convergent
boundary.
Location
Subduction zones happen on the ocean floor where two oceanic lithospheric plates converge, such as where the
Pacific and North American Plates form the Aleutian Islands, or at the edges of continents where an oceanic plate
converges with a continental plate, as where the Juan de Fuca Plate subducts underneath the North American
Plate. They can also happen on land where two continental plates move toward each other. This is how the
Himalayan Mountains are formed.
Movement
As the two plates slide toward each other one plate stays at the surface, and the other plate dives down beneath
it at some angle. The plate that subducts into the asthenosphere melts and forms magma.
When the subduction zone happens at the edge of a continent, an oceanic plate converges with a continental
plate. The down going plate is always the oceanic lithosphere and the plate that remains at the surface is always
continental lithosphere. That’s because the continental lithosphere is less dense than the oceanic lithosphere so it
can ride at the surface. The denser rock of the oceanic plate is pushed below. This same movement happens
when both plates are oceanic lithosphere. When two continental plates collide there is no subduction zone
because the plates are the same density.
62
Landforms Created/ Effects
Where the down going plate first bends downward, a deep trench is formed on the ocean floor. These trenches
are where the very deepest ocean depths are found. As the plate goes down into the mantle asthenosphere,
magma is produced at a certain depth. The magma rises up to the ocean floor to form a chain of volcanic islands,
called a volcanic island arc.
Ocean-continent subduction is similar in many ways to ocean-ocean subduction, except that the volcanic arc is
built at the edge of the continent, rather than in the ocean. The Andes mountain range in western South America
is an example of a continental volcanic arc.
Much of the magma remains below the surface and cools to form large underground masses of igneous rock
called batholiths. The combination of volcanoes at the surface and batholiths deep in the Earth adds a lot of new
rock to the area above the subduction zone, and makes the elevation of the land much higher. Also, many
subduction zones experience compression, when the two plates are pushed together by plate movements
elsewhere. In places like that, great masses of rock are pushed together and stacked on top of one another in
complicated structures, to form high mountains. This happens also where two continents collide with each other,
as in the Himalayas.
A suture zone is a type of movement at a convergent boundary. Convergent boundaries are considered a
destructive force because they destroy, or take away, landmass from the earth’s crust.
Sources: http://www.ck12.org/earth-science/Ocean-Ocean-Convergent-Plate-Boundaries/lesson/Ocean-OceanConvergent-Plate-Boundaries/
http://www.ck12.org/earth-science/Ocean-Continent-Convergent-Plate-Boundaries/lesson/Ocean-ContinentConvergent-Plate-Boundaries/?referrer=featured_content
Smith, Michael J., Southard, John B., Demery, Ruta. Earth’s Dynamic Geosphere: Earth Comm: Earth System
Science in the Community. It’s About Time Inc. Armonk, NY. 2001
63
EXPERT GROUP - Suture Zone
Plate Boundary
Plate boundaries are geologically interesting areas because they are where the action is! Geologists use three
descriptive terms to classify the boundaries between plates: 1) divergent boundaries are where two plates move
away from each other; 2) convergent boundaries are where two plates move toward each other; and 3) transform
boundaries are where two plates slide parallel to each other. A suture zone is an example of movement at a
convergent boundary where two continental plates collide.
Location
Suture zones happen where two continental plates collide and have been welded together to form a single
continent. The best active example on today’s Earth is where the Indian Plate has collided with the Eurasian Plate
and is still working its way under it forming the Himalayan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau.
Movement
Two continents can come together at a suture zone because the denser oceanic plate that was between them
was pushed below the surface into the asthenosphere. When two continents meet the density of these
lithospheric plates is the same. One cannot be pushed below the other at an angle. They both slide at the surface.
One plate will slide horizontally below the other for hundreds of kilometers, until finally the friction between the two
continents is so great that plate movement stops. The two continents have met and become welded into a single
continent at the suture zone.
64
Landforms Created/ Effects
Suture zones are areas where two continental plates have joined together through continental collision. They are
marked by extremely high mountain ranges, such as the Himalayas and the Alps. Large flat-topped areas of land
called plateaus can also be formed.
Convergent zones experience compression, when the two plates are pushed together by plate movements
elsewhere. In places like that, great masses of rock are pushed together and stacked on top of one another in
complicated structures, to form high mountains. This happens also where two continents collide with each other,
as in the Himalayas. A suture zone is a type of movement at a convergent boundary. Convergent boundaries are
considered a destructive force because they destroy, or take away, landmass from the earth’s crust.
Earthquakes at subduction zones and continent-continent collision zones are a big problem for human society,
because these areas are so common on the Earth. Earthquakes in continent-continent collision zones happen
over wide areas as one continent is pushed under the other.
Sources: http://geology.com/nsta/convergent-plate-boundaries.shtml
Smith, Michael J., Southard, John B., Demery, Ruta. Earth’s Dynamic Geosphere: Earth Comm: Earth System
Science in the Community. It’s About Time Inc. Armonk, NY. 2001
65
EXPERT GROUP - Transform Fault
Plate Boundary
Plate boundaries are geologically interesting areas because they are where the action is! Geologists use three
descriptive terms to classify the boundaries between plates: 1) divergent boundaries are where two plates move
away from each other; 2) convergent boundaries are where two plates move toward each other; and 3) transform
boundaries are where two plates slide parallel to each other.
At transform boundaries, plates slide past one another. The surface along which the plates slide is called a
transform fault.
Location
Transform faults connect the offsets along mid-ocean spreading ridges. Most are short but a few are very long.
The most famous transform fault, the San Andreas fault, forms the boundary between the North American Plate
and the Pacific Plate in California. It is several hundred kilometers long. The San Andreas Fault connects short
segments of spreading ridges at its northern and southern ends.
Movement
The movement along a transform fault is limited to the distance between the two segments of ridge crest.
Transform faults run perpendicular to the ridge crest of a mid-ocean ridge. Geologic data is used to find the
direction of movement of plates. Surveys of the depth of the ocean floor revealed a great mountain range on the
ocean floor that encircles the Earth. This mid-ocean ridge zig-zags between the continents, winding its way
around the globe like the seams on a baseball. The mid-ocean ridge is not straight; it is offset in many places.
These fracture zones are perpendicular to the axis of the ridge and indicate which direction the plate is moving.
The portion of the fracture zone between the two ends of the ridge crest is the transform fault. The plates slide
past one another.
66
Landforms Created/ Effects
The landform that is created when two plates slide past each other is the fault. It is a crease or small valley in the
Earth. As plates move past each other at plate boundaries, they don’t always slide smoothly. In many places the
rocks hold together for a long time and then slip suddenly. Earthquakes along mid-ocean ridges are common
because of movement along the transform faults that connect segments of the ridge crest. Only where transform
faults are on land or close to land, as in California, are these earthquakes likely to be hazardous. Since new crust
is neither formed nor destroyed at a transform fault it is considered a neutral force.
Sources: http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/plates4.html
Smith, Michael J., Southard, John B., Demery, Ruta. Earth’s Dynamic Geosphere: Earth Comm: Earth System
Science in the Community. It’s About Time Inc. Armonk, NY. 2001
67
Plate Tectonics Mind Map
Name _________________________
68
Feature
Plate Boundary
Location
Movement
Landforms Created/Effects
69
Feature
Plate Boundary


Mid-Ocean Ridge
Divergent
Divergent




Oceanic Plates
Ocean floor
Edges of continents


Continental plates


Convergent
Convergent






Transform

Continent - Continent
Ocean-Ocean
Continent-Ocean
At the trough of a
divergent boundary
Suture Zone
Transform Fault





Rift Valley
Subduction Zone
Location
Oceanic Plates
Ocean floor
Between two segments
of ridge crest

Movement
Plates spread away from
each other
Magma fills the central
valley
Landforms Created/Effects
 New Crust
 Volcanoes
 Magnetic striping
 Constructive
Mantle rises beneath a
continent
Cracks appear
Rift opens




Large, long valley on a
continent.
New ocean bed
Volcanoes
Constructive
Plates move toward each
other
Oceanic plate subducts
Continental plate stays at
the surface





Trenches
Volcanic Island Arc
Continental volcanic arc
Earthquakes
Destructive
Two continents collide
One move horizontally
under the other
Welded together to form
single continent




Mountains
Plateaus
Earthquakes
Destructive
Plates slide past one
another


Fault
Neutral
70
Home/School Connection #1
Ask someone at home what they know about the Earth’s Lithosphere. Tell them what you
know. Write and sketch on this paper.
Student Signature________________ Parent Signature______________
71
Home/School Connection #2
Show someone at home how the layers of the Earth and convection currents enable the plates
to move. Write and sketch.
Student Signature________________ Parent Signature____________
72
Home / School Connection #3
Who was Alfred Wegener? Tell someone at home about his work and his contribution to the
Theory of Plate Tectonics. Document your conversation by writing or sketching a summary.
Student Signature_______________ Parent Signature _______________
73
Главная Школа связи #1
Попросите кого-нибудь дома, то, что они знают о земной литосфере. Скажите им, что вы
знаете. Напиши и рисунок на этой бумаге.
Студенческие Подписание__________________
Родитель Подписание______________________
Главная Школа связи #2
Показать кто-то дома, как слои Земли и конвективных течений, чтобы перейти плит.
Напиши и рис.
Студенческие Подписание________________
Родитель Подписание___________________
74
75
Главная Школа связи #3
Кто был Альфред Вегенер? Расскажите кто-то дома, о его работе и его вклад в теории
тектоники плит. Документ цепочку в письменной форме или зарисовок резюме.
Студенческие Подписание_________________
Родитель Подписание____________________
76
Conexión entre hogar y escuela #1
Preguntale a alguien en tu casa que saben acerca de la Litósfera de la Tierra. Diles lo que tú
sabes. Escribir y dibujar en esta hoja.
Estudiante:_______________________
Padres:_______________________
77
Conexión entre hogar y escuela #2
Muestra a alguien en tu casa cómo las capas de la Tierra y las corrientes de convección
permiten que las placas se muevan. Escribir y dibujar.
Estudiante:_____________________
Padres:______________________
78
Conexión entre hogar y escuela #3
¿Quién fue Alfred Wegener? Dile a alguien en el hogar sobre su trabajo y su contribución a la
Teoría de las Placas Tectónicas. Documenta tu conversación por escrito o haz un dibujo.
Estudiante:_______________________
Padres:_________________________
79
TEAM SHEET
Action Plan
Earthquake Hazards Resources
Assessing Unit Theme: Plate tectonics account for the features and processes that
geoscientists observe in the Earth.
Assessing Unit Cross-cultural theme: Geologic change and plate movement affect people
around the world.
Prompt: Create an action plan with your team identifying how the beneficial resources
available from the United States Geologic Service’s Earthquake Hazards Program can be used
to mitigate the effects of future catastrophic events.
Input: multimedia from earthquake.usgs.gov and graphic organizers: Geologic Process,
Earthquake Early Warning Systems and Earthquake Hazards Program Resources
Access the credible source, earthquake.usgs.gov, and their
available resources for the Earthquake Hazards Program:




USGS Data (Real Time Data Feed, Catalog)
USGS Products (Shake Map, Earthquake Summary Posters)
Planning Tools (Earthquake Scenarios, Hazard Maps)
Publications (Fact Sheets, Maps, Videos)
Choose one resource. Explain its features.
What are some ways we can use that resource to prepare for
future catastrophic events?
Brainstorm how/where the resource could be used.
Choose one feasible option and write a plan of action for you
and your team.
80
Graphic Organizer for Action Plan
Source:
nationalatlas.gov/articles/geology/a_geohazards.html
Geologic Process:
Cause
Plate Movement
Earthquakes
Hazard: Effect
Tsunamis
Impact on Humans
Volcanoes
Landslides
Mudslides,
Lahars
Lava flows
Damage to Property:
Homes, buildings, roads, bridges destroyed
Danger to human and animal life
Lost, injured or killed family members
Widespread Flooding
Changes to the landscape: Can’t rebuild, families displaced
81
Graphic Organizer for Action Plan
Source: earthquake.usgs.gov
Earthquake
Early
Warning
Systems
help to save
lives.
Alert
devices/people
when shaking waves
of earthquake are
expected to arrive
at their location.
Protective actions to
protect people: schools
(“Drop, Cover, Hold On”),
businesses (elevators),
medical services
(surgeons), emergency
responders
(prepare/prioritize)
Earthquake Hazards Program (available resources online)
1. USGS Data
a. Real Time Data Feed
b. Catalog (History of earthquakes)
2. USGS Products
a. Shake Map
b. Earthquake Summary Posters (available to download as PDF)
3. Planning Tools
a. Earthquake Scenarios
b. Hazard Maps
4. Publications
a. Fact Sheets
b. Maps
c. Videos
82
Rubric for Team Action Plan
Earthquake Hazards Resources
1 – minimum requirement

2-
Team collectively fills out an action plan graphic organizer related to the prompt.
In addition, the team also completes this component

Team chooses one of the USGS resources and creates a feasible plan for use
3- In addition, the team completes this component

The chosen resource is presented to the class in a project. The format of the
project can be of the team’s choosing.
4 – In addition to the points above, the team also adds these components



The project clearly demonstrates the features of the USGS resource
The project describes the impact of the chosen resource on people
The team informs the audience how they can use the chosen resource
83
Rubric for Team Tasks
1
2
Participation
More than
one color is
missing.
One color is
missing.
Quality of
Work
We did not
do our best
work.
Content
Accuracy
Our work is
not
complete.
We didn’t
check our
facts.
On Task
We were not
on task.
Teamwork
We didn’t
support each
other or
make
decisions
together.
3
4
All colors are
represented
but not
equally.
Some of the We took our
time we did
time and did
our best
our best work
work. Some most of the
of our work is time. Most of
illegible.
our work is
legible.
Our work is
Our work is
mostly
mostly
complete but complete and
we didn’t
correct. We
check our
checked our
facts.
facts and cited
some sources.
We were on
We were on
task some of task most of
the time.
the time.
All colors are
represented
equally.
We
supported
each other
and made
decisions
together
some of the
time.
We supported
each other and
made
decisions
together
consistently.
We supported
each other
and made
decisions
together most
of the time.
I agree with the above: _____________________
______________________
We took our
time and did
our best work.
All of our work
is clear and
legible to
others.
Our work is
complete and
correct. We
checked our
facts and cited
credible
sources.
We were on
task
consistently.
____________________
____________________
84
Guess My Category
Earth’s Systems
Mid Ocean Ridge
Suture Zone
Volcanologist
Geologist
Rift Valley
Subduction Zone
Transform Fault
Seismologist
Geoscientist
Mineralogist
85
Jeopardy
Plate Tectonics
50
100
What’s in a name
Feature Formation
Boundaries Abound
This meteorologist
proposed the continental
drift hypothesis.
It happens when plates
grind past one another.
A mid-ocean ridge is an
example of this
boundary.
Who was Alfred
Wegener?
What is an earthquake?
What is a divergent
boundary?
This micro plate is
located off the Pacific NW
coastline.
This divergent boundary
feature is a result of 2
continental plates
separating.
Colliding plates is a
characteristic of this
boundary.
What is the Juan de Fuca
plate?
250
500
What is a Rift Valley?
What is a convergent
boundary?
This transform boundary
is located in So. CA
Cooled magma at a midocean ridge crest creates
this.
The energy created by
this boundary is a
neutral force.
What is the San Andreas
Fault?
What is new crust?
What is a transform
fault?
This world- wide system
of measuring plate
movement has only been
in existence for a decade.
This feature was the
evidence to prove sea
floor spreading.
This feature is created
by magma coming
through the crust from a
stationary hole.
What is GPS?
What is magnetic
striping?
What is a hot spot?
86
Graffiti Wall
Sample Questions
1) Give 2 examples of a divergent boundary on the earth.
2) T/F: Continental Plates subduct underneath oceanic plates. Explain.
3) A convergent boundary produces this landform.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Trench
Earthquake
Volcano
Mountain
All of the above
4) Describe magnetic striping with words and sketches.
5) T/F: A mid-ocean ridge is a destructive force. Explain.
6) What is an effect of plate movement? Give a historical example.
7) What monitoring techniques do scientists use to measure the movement
of the plates?
8) Sketch and label the layers of the earth. Include 2 properties of each layer.
9) Density is..
a. Volume divided by weight
b. Weight divided by volume
c. Height times volume
10) Describe a hot spot. Give an example of one.
87
Teacher Generated Test
Plate Tectonics Vocab Quiz
Fill in the blank with the correct term.
asthenosphere
lithosphere
transform boundary
convergence zone
continental plates
crust
divergent boundary
magma
mantle
subduction zone
earthquake
ocean rift
tectonics
fault
hot spot volcano
plate
volcano
landform
Ring of Fire
lava
mid-ocean ridge
oceanic crust
Pangaea
rift valley
super continent
thermal convection
volcanic arc
_landform_________ Mountains, hills, plateaus, plains, or river valleys.
_plate____________ A large chunk of the earth’s crust.
_lithosphere_______ The solid portion of the earth. The crust and upper mantle.
_asthenosphere___The layer of the earth that is made of magma.
_tectonics_________ Plate movement.
_subduction_______ The area where a continental plate slides on top of
an oceanic plate.
_convergence_____ The area where two continental plates collide and
make mountains.
_transform________ The area where two continental plates slide past
each other causing a violent earthquake.
_Ring of Fire______ The edge of the Pacific Ocean where most of the
world’s volcanoes are located.
_fault____________ An area where an earthquake is most likely to occur.
_magma_________ Melted rock under the earth’s surface.
_lava____________ Melted rock above the earth’s surface.
_earthquake______ Plate tectonics cause these.
_volcano_________ A mountain that erupts lava.
_ocean rift________ The area where two oceanic plates spread apart.
continental plates __A section of Earth’s crust that is above the ocean
crust ____________The top layer of Earth.
divergent boundary _Tectonic plates that are moving away from each other.
hot spot volcano ___Hawaiian Islands
mantle __________The portion of the earth about 1800 miles thick between the
crust and the core.
mid-ocean ridge ___Any of several seismically active submarine mountain
ranges that extend through the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and
South Pacific oceans; each is the locus of seafloor
spreading.
88
oceanic crust ____The section of Earth’s crust that is below the ocean on the
seafloor.
Pangaea _______The landmass that existed when all continent were joined,
from about 300 to 200 million years ago.
rift valley _______A chasm extending along the crest of a mid-ocean ridge, locus
of the magma upwelling that accompany seafloor spreading.
super continent __A large continent that consists of all the landmass today.
thermal convection __The transfer of heat by the circulation or movement of the
heated parts of a liquid or gas.
volcanic arc _____A curving chain of active volcanoes formed above a
subduction zone and adjacent to a convergent plat
boundary.
89
Teacher Generated Test
Sketch and Label
World Map
NGSS Performance Expectation: Earth’s Place in the Universe MS-ESS1-4
Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the
geologic time scale is used to organize Earth’s 4.6-billion-year-old history.
NGSS Performance Expectation: Earth’s Systems MS-ESS2-3
Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental
shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions.
1. Based on Pangaea, sketch and label arrows to identify where continental
shapes fit together like puzzle pieces. Explain.
2. Using two different colors and a key, shade areas of old and new rock.
3. Sketch and label the Appalachian Mountains in North America and the
mountains of the British Isles and Scandinavia. Interpret this geological
evidence.
4. Sketch and label an example of fossil evidence that supports Wegener’s
Continental Drift Hypothesis.
*May use internet resources like google images and google maps.
90
Teacher Generated Test
Pre/Post Test
Earth’s Systems
Name___________________
Date__________
Speaking (ELL)/Writing (EO)
Look at this picture and tell me everything you can about it.
91
Teacher Generated Test
Develop a Model & Informative Writing
NGSS Performance Expectation: Earth’s Systems MS-ESS2-1
Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth’s materials and the flow of
energy that drives that process.
Choose a geologic feature we studied: mid-ocean ridge, rift valley, subduction
zone, suture zone or transform fault.
1. Develop a model by sketching and labeling the geologic
feature.
2. Complete the sentences in the framed paragraph with a
clear explanation.
3. Rewrite your paragraph on a separate sheet of paper.
Framed Paragraph
Geologic processes continually change the surface of the earth. The
geologic feature, _________________, is a type of _________________ plate
boundary. It is located _________________________________. It is formed
when ________________________________________________. Landforms
created are _____________________________________________________.
It is similar to other geologic features because the energy is derived from earth’s
hot interior, but it is unique because __________________________________.
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Teacher Generated Test
Vocabulary
Circle the picture(s) that best matches the sentence.
Which picture shows a suture zone?
Which picture shows an example of geologic evidence?
Which picture shows technology not used to forecast earthquakes?
Which picture shows an example of a divergent plate boundary?
93
Individual Task
Writing Prompt
Prompt: Construct a scientific explanation based on fossil and rock
data, continental shapes and seafloor structures to explain Plate
Tectonic Theory.
Rubric
4
Exceeds
expectation
Organization
Structure
Language
Skillfully orients reader to
topic in introduction and
previews what is to follow
Purposefully and
logically uses a
variety of techniques
(e.g. headings,
charts, maps...) to
organize ideas,
concepts, and
information to aid
comprehension
Uses a variety of
techniques (e.g.
headings, charts,
maps...) to organize
ideas, concepts, and
information to aid
comprehension
Strategically uses tier
2 and 3 academic
vocabulary
Includes some
variety of techniques
(e.g. headings,
charts, maps...) to
organize ideas,
concepts, and
information to aid
comprehension
Some use of tier 2
and 3 academic
vocabulary
Includes little or no
techniques to
structure ideas
Little use of tier 2 and
3 academic
vocabulary
Thoroughly develops topic
with relevant body
paragraphs on each type
of evidence
Orients reader to topic in
3
introduction and previews
Meets
what is to follow
expectation
Develops topic with
relevant body paragraphs
on each type of evidence
Partially orients reader to
2
topic in introduction and
Below
previews some of what is
expectation to follow
Limited explanation of
topic with some relevant
body paragraphs on some
of the evidence
Does not clearly orient
1
reader to topic in
Far Below introduction and may not
expectation preview what is to follow
Limited to no explanation
of topic with few to no
relevant body paragraphs
Minimal errors in
capitals, punctuation,
grammar and spelling
Adequately uses tier
2 and 3 academic
vocabulary
Some errors in
capitals, punctuation,
grammar and spelling
Several errors in
capitals, punctuation,
grammar and spelling
Errors in capitals,
punctuation,
grammar and spelling
interfere with
meaning
Standards Assessed: MSESS1-4, MS-ESS2-3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6-8.2,
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.1