Geology Unit Part 1 Dynamic Earth. Plate Tectonics, Continental Drift, More

This bundle includes 12 lessons of about 50 minutes, and 18 page work bundle that has students fill-in critical notes, conduct exciting hands-on activities, answer questions, interpret graphs, includes games, built-in quizzes and much more. The work bundle chronologically follows the detailed slideshow (hundreds and hundreds of slides) for an amazing learning experience. A 20 question quiz game concludes the learning for a great review and additional assessment. A writable .pdf of the work bundle and answer keys are provided. All documents are editable so feel free to make your own additions.

This PowerPoint begins with students cutting up an image page (usually an ad) from a magazine into about 15-20 pieces. Students then pass their puzzle to their neighbors and they try to complete the puzzle. Directions are included within the PowerPoint. All font appears at the top of the slide so all can see and appears in large 32 font. Students are then asked about the strategies the used to complete this puzzle. These strategies will be addressed later when continental drift is discussed. A picture of the Earth is then shown and students use their puzzle skills to make connections. A series of slides show arrows pointing toward each other where the pieces fit (Ex-S.America and Africa). An animation of Plate Tectonics is shown and plate tectonics is described (red slide). Continental Drift is shown and described (red slide) Alfred Wegener is mentioned and his proposals in 1915. Many evidences for continental drift are then shown in a series of slides. Each evidence is followed by many visuals. References to the shapes during the puzzle activity, matching the pictures of the puzzle, are described here when the evidences are explained. Students then countdown to behold "The Supercontinent Pangea" slide cues students to applaud. Pangea is described with visuals. Laurasia and Gondwanaland are also described. An activity is provided that has students cut out the continents and then recreate Pangea on their tables. An animation is built into the slideshow that allows the students to see it and practice it. They form Pangea and then move the continents to their current day locations. Eventually teacher will no longer show the animation movements of the continents and the students will do it on their own based on motor memory. A link is provided so then teacher can print continents. A questions is posed to the class what causes the plates to move. A neat slide shows convection currents. Students examine the convention currents in this animated slide and need to answer a series of questions. One set of colored arrows is pointing in the opposite direction that the plate should be going. Students need to find the incorrect color. A series of these challenge questions get the students understanding the causes of plate movement. A hidden box game has Pangea hiding under shapes. Each slide removes more pieces to the picture beneath. Students try and guess the picture beneath. Heat transfer and waves are also included with many exciting activities and animation slides. Feel free to delete this portion in not interested in using. Plate Boundaries are then addressed. Ocean and Continental Crust are described with visuals. References to Basalts and Granites / densities made. After a neat challenge question and answer. A moving Earth with the plates highlighted rotates around. A student is chosen to tag the Ocean Plate as it goes by. (Can also play tag the Continental Plate but that is too easy). Students are then told to sketch a baseball (one is provided on the slideshow). They then see a picture of Mid-Atlantic Ridge and connections are made to the seam of the baseball. A step by step slide sequence shows the how the area along the ridge is newer Earth and moving away. Convection currents addressed again. A reference is also made to Iceland and some neat pictures show places where you can walk between the two plates. Convergent Boundaries are described. An activity has students recreate these boundaries with foam pads (Textbooks will work) A step by step image of a subduction zone unfolds. Text is blocked out. The boxes turn yellow and students will say the term beneath. Over many slides and repetition, they learn the important parts of a subduction zone including trench, ocean plate, continental plate, lithosphere, volcanoes / Mtns. Thickness of the Ocean Plates and Continental plates are addressed here. A Google Earth opportunity to explore some mtn ranges along subduction zones such as the Andes is described. The "Ring of Fire" is addressed and link to a neat video is provided. Ocean / Ocean converging boundaries are addressed in a step by step sequence. Special reference is made to Archipelagos / Island Arcs. Converging Continental boundaries are described and special attention is paid to the Himalayas with some great images. An activity with directions and visuals for set-up built into the slideshow show the students how to set up an activity that deals with converging and diverging continental boundaries. Students overlap two pieces of paper. A small pile of sand is placed on top of the paper and smoothed out. Students measure the height of the pile. They then move the paper toward each other one centimeter at a time. The converging plates create mountains. Students measure the height of the mountain. A time reference can be made to the 1 centimeter. Students don't dismantle mountain. They then learn about diverging continental boundaries. They then slowly move the plates apart and create a rift valley. Diverging boundaries and the African Rift Valley are shown. Transform Fault Boundaries are then addressed and students use the foam pads to simulate this plate boundary. A hidden box game concludes this PowerPoint. This is a fantastic Introduction to Earth Science and start to the much larger Geology Unit.

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