Plate Boundaries Lesson
Learning Objectives:
Standards:
National Science Education Standards Content Standard D: Major geologic events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building result from plate motions.
Lesson Description:
During this lesson, students will use a computer simulations and videos to investigate what happens when earth's plates collide and when they slide past each other. The simulation will show students how plate motion causes earthquakes, mountain ranges, volcanos, volcanic eruptions, and other geologic events. Using classroom discussions, videos, and online simulations, students will be asked to make connections between plate motion at the boundaries between plates and geologic activity. This lesson will take two class periods to complete.
At the end of the second day of the lesson, students will be asked to write a reflection in their journal about how continental drift theory and plate tectonic theory explain events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the formation of mountain ranges all over the world. Students will be encouraged to use previous days' activities and vocabulary words from the word wall in their explanations. Additionally, at the end of the second day of the lesson, the following vocabulary words will be added to the word wall: convergent plate boundary, divergent plate boundary, fault, and volcanic arc
- Students will be able to explain where earthquakes happen and where volcanos and mountains form
- Students will be able to identify why earthquakes happen, why volcanos erupt, and why mountain building occurs
- how earthquakes, volcanos, and mountain building occur.
Standards:
National Science Education Standards Content Standard D: Major geologic events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building result from plate motions.
Lesson Description:
During this lesson, students will use a computer simulations and videos to investigate what happens when earth's plates collide and when they slide past each other. The simulation will show students how plate motion causes earthquakes, mountain ranges, volcanos, volcanic eruptions, and other geologic events. Using classroom discussions, videos, and online simulations, students will be asked to make connections between plate motion at the boundaries between plates and geologic activity. This lesson will take two class periods to complete.
At the end of the second day of the lesson, students will be asked to write a reflection in their journal about how continental drift theory and plate tectonic theory explain events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the formation of mountain ranges all over the world. Students will be encouraged to use previous days' activities and vocabulary words from the word wall in their explanations. Additionally, at the end of the second day of the lesson, the following vocabulary words will be added to the word wall: convergent plate boundary, divergent plate boundary, fault, and volcanic arc