Lesson title This Restless Earth: Calculating
Rates of Plate Motions Intent of the
lesson Ed. standards National Science Education
Standards for Grades 9-12: The outward transfer of Earth's
internal heat drives convection circulation in the mantle
that propels the plates comprising Earth's surface across
the face of the globe. Lithospheric plates on the scales
of continents and oceans constantly move at rates of
centimeters per year in response to movements in the mantle.
Major geological events, such as earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, and mountain building, result from these plate
motions. Scientists in different disciplines
ask different questions, use different methods of
investigation, and accept different types of evidence to
support their explanations. California State
Standards: Scientific progress is made by
asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept
and addressing the content in the other three strands,
students should develop their own questions and perform
investigations. Students will: a. Plan and conduct a scientific
investigation to test a hypothesis. b. Evaluate the accuracy and
reproducibility of data. Plate tectonics operating over
geologic time has changed the patterns of land, sea, and
mountains on Earth's surface. As the basis for understanding
this concept: b. Students know the principal
structures that form at the three different kinds of
plate boundaries. c. Students know how to explain
the properties of rocks based on the physical and
chemical conditions in which they formed, including plate
tectonic processes. Technology (ISTE)
Standards: Basic Operations and
concepts: Students are proficient in the
use of technology. Technology Productivity
Tools: Technology Communications
Tools: Technology Research
Tools: Students evaluate and select new
information resources and technological innovations based
on the appropriateness to specific tasks. Students use technology tools to
process data and report results. Technology Problem-Solving and
Decision-Making Tools: Students employ technology in
the development of strategies for solving problems in the
real world. Orientation Introduce available tools and
concepts so that students feel safe taking intellectual
risks Intent Provide direction through general
instructions in order to review students' prior knowledge of
plate tectonics Procedure I will draw out student knowledge
and comprehension of plate tectonics. "Today, we will need to put on our
"geologist hats" and think like an Earth
Scientist." The concepts that I will discuss
include the following: Type of Evidence Questioning Teacher profile 3: I will ask questions such
as: Student profile 2: Students will demonstrate their
knowledge about plate tectonics by sharing their responses
to the questions listed above. Fieldwork Give students experience to
foster their interest and ownership; provoke students to
explore, observe, and generate their own questions about the
phenomenon. Intent Guide students in focusing
observations and allow for observation. Procedure 1. I will divide the students into
6 groups of (ideally) 3. There could be 2 or 4 students per
group. 2. I will instruct the students to
go to the lab stations at which there are on-line computers,
and have them go to the web site (listed below) to carry out
the activities that are on the web site. Students will be
given 2 days to complete the fieldwork activity. 3. Students will be asked to record
their responses to all of the questions in the activity as
well as their observations of the provocative phenomena.
4. Provocative Phenomena and
Fieldwork Activity: go to This
Restless Earth: An Internet Sampler on Plate
Tectonics 5. Anticipated
Observations: Type of Evidence Questioning that demonstrates a
shift in the ownership of the question from me to the
students. Teacher profile 2: provide focus for observation
and allow for adaptation. I will ask questions such as,
"What did you notice?", "What did you wonder about?", What
did you see?" Student profile 4: Generates independent
observations. Students should be asking questions like why
did the plates move?, Are they still moving? How fast are
they moving? Debriefing Teacher honors all student
observations, questions and hypotheses in order to identify
and discuss their viability as a research
topic. Intent Facilitates learners in generating
questions Procedure Ask each student to share their
observations and write them up on the whiteboard. Begin with observations about
Activity #1 and go around the room until noone has anything
new to contribute. Encourage questions that begin with
"I wonder about..." or "I wonder why.." Continue with the above procedure
until all of the activities have been covered. Ask the students to look at the
observations and observe common themes. Probable topics:
Magnetic reversals, plate motion, speed of plate
motion Identify researchable
questions: Type of Evidence Probing questions Teacher profile 1: Provides an opportunity to
generate questions: What else did you notice? How
are_____related? Student profile 4: Students are able to generate
questions and connect their observations and questions to
the major themes by answering and elaborating on my probing
questions. Experimental
design 1) Divide students into 6 groups of
3 to 4 students. 2) Next, students will gather the
information that they will need to calculate the rate of
seafloor spreading at assigned points on the Earth by using
the Jules
Verne Voyager Jr. website
or the images from the resource matrices in the
CEO
or Earthref.org
to address their questions. Each of the six lab groups will
be assigned different points but will ask the same questions
and have the same hypothesis. Students will record their
data, methodology, data analysis, results, conclusion, and
applications in a student log. 3) Next, students will be provided
with a hard copy of a map of the seafloor that shows age and
magnetic reversals. Using the "Surface
Distance Between Two Points of Latitude and
Longitude" web site,
students will calculate the distance between magnetic
reversals at their assigned point by noting the difference
between latitude and longitude and converting it to
distance. Once they find the distance between the magnetic
reversals, they will go back to the map and find out how
much time passed between the reversals. Now they will be
able to calculate the rate of plate movement. 4) Once the students have finished
these calculations, they should go back to their Internet
based finding and compare/confirm the rates. The student log
should include a discussion of this. 5) Students should then present a
web page, poster, or power point slide show to share their
findings. 6) Following all of the
presentations, the teacher should ask the students what they
noticed about the spreading rates at the different
locations. They will probably notice that they differ. This
could begin another brainstorming session about why and how
this could be and could lead to another inquiry
lesson! Data collection Define approach for
collecting data Intent Assist each group in identifying
the main concepts necessary to answer their questions as
well as the procedure to be followed, Procedure The questions and hypothesis that
the students will address are: Researchable
questions: At what rate do lithospheric plates
move? How can this rate be measured?
Is this rate constant or does it
vary? Researchable
hypothesis: The plates move at a rate that can
be measured by examining the magnetic anomolies and age of
the rocks in the seafloor. All of the materials needed for
this experiment can be found at http://fc.ljcds.org/~sschissel/oceanmain.html Possible Content
Lessons: Type of Evidence Questionning Teacher profile 2: Guides students to the evidence
to collect and how to collect it. What are you going after?
What kinds of data will you need? Where will you get
it? Student profile 3: Guided to collect specific data.
They will be guided to several Internet resources, but will
be allowed to choose which objects will help them to answer
their questions. They should be saying things like "What do
we need?", "What facts address our topic? Data analysis From their hard copy map, students
will convert change in latitude and longitude into
distance. This distance should be divided by
the age difference between the magnetic anomolies to
determine the rate of seafloor spreading. Students should then compare these
rates to the rates that they calculated or found explained
from the web resources. Intent To guide the students to organize
their findings in an experimental laboratory format and in
data tables and to formulate explanations for their
data. Procedure Students should organize their
findings in an experimental
laboratory format and in
data
tables Type of Evidence Questionning Teacher profile 2: Guides student to analyze and
interpret data Student profile 3: Guided in process of formulating
questions Presentation Teacher provides students an
opportunity to prepare and communicate what they have
learned. Intent The intent of the student
powerpoint presentation is to provide the students the
opportunity to present their work to each other and to the
teacher. Procedure Each small group of students should
create a powerpont presentation to communicate their
findings to the rest of the class. They should refer to the
rubric
for guidance. Possible Content
Lesson Type of Evidence Student generated
presentations Teacher profile 2: Guides the students how to
present their work "Please refer to the rubric" Student profile 3:Guided throughout development of
arguement and presentation
a. Students know features
of the ocean floor (magnetic patterns, age, and sea-floor
topography) provide evidence of plate tectonics.
Students demonstrate a
sound understanding of the nature and operations of
technology systems.
Students use technology
tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and
promote creativity.
Students use
telecommunications to collaborate, publish, interact with
peers, experts, and other audiences.
Students use technology to
locate, evaluate, and collect information form a variety
of sources.
Students use technology
resources for solving problems and making informed
decisions.