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Unit Plan |
Scientific Revolution: The Development of the Theory of Plate Tectonics
Samantha Genier
F.A. Day Middle School
Newtonville,, MA |
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AGI, TERC, and their employees do not warrant the completeness, accuracy, appropriateness,
and/or safety of the procedures, materials, and content contained herein.
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Stage 1: Identify Desired Results |
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Unit Description |
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Students will explore how the collection of scientific evidence over time led to a revolutionary change in the way scientists view the Earth system. Students will understand that the theory of plate tectonics, the most recent commonly accepted explanation of continental, drift replaced previous ideas about the movement of continents on earth only after years of scientific controversy. |
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Relationship to the Big Ideas in Earth Science: |
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As in all scientific disciplines, knowledge in Earth Science is subject to revision. The movement of the earths lithospheric plates causes both slow changes in the earths surface and rapid ones. |
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Unit Enduring Understandings: |
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- Year Long Over Arching Understandings:
1. Revolutions begin with a new idea.
2. Scientists transform their understandings of the earth when new evidence is found.
3. Scientists collect evidence through observation, modeling and experimentation to support their ideas.
Big changes in science are difficult. - Unit Enduring Understandings
The theory of plate tectonics was once a new idea; it is now widely accepted by most scientists because the evidence that has been collected which supports it. - The earth’s crust is made up of plates.
- Continents are part of the earth’s plates when the plates are moved the continents also move.
- Over millions of years the continuous movement of the Earth causes the continents (landmasses) to merge and divide repeatedly.
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Unit Essential Questions: |
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- How did the theory of plate tectonics evolve?
- What is the mechanism that drives the movement of the continents? What is its fuel?
- What allows the continents to move?
- What evidence supports the theory of plate tectonics?
- Why did competent scientists reject the idea of continental drift?
Why is this theory a revolution?
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What students will need to know and be able to do (knowledge and skills): |
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- a. Many scientists did not accept the theory of plate tectonics until more evidence that supported the theory was collected and evidence that supported previous theories was refuted.
b. Early Evidence used by scientists to support the theory of plate tectonics includes the jigsaw of continent shapes, similar fossils, mountain chains, and glacial deposits that are found on different continents that are separated by oceans.
c. The evidence needed to fully support the Theory of Plate Tectonics was not available when it was first hypothesized, only through continued investigation and technological advancement was the evidence needed to convince the majority of scientists finally found.
d. The final piece of evidence used to convince scientists was sea floor spreading. - e. Evidence for sea floor spreading is the Mid ocean ridge, ocean crust age, and the magnetic reversals found on the sea floor.
f. Scientists are still collecting evidence about the theory of plate tectonics
g. The lithosphere consists of several pieces of the world called lithospheric plates.
h. The place where these plates meet are called plate boundaries. - i. Plates move relative to one another at their boundaries.
j. Plates can be moving apart, towards, or sliding past each other.
k. The plates move due to the creation of new oceanic crust at the mid-ocean ridges and the subduction of older oceanic crust at convergent boundaries.
l. That the continents have in the past consisted of “super continents” one of these was called Pangea.
m. The continents were moved over the last 250 million years from the super continent to their present positions by the forces produced by the movement of plates. - 1. Use maps and other sources to collect evidence to support the theory of plate tectonics.
2. Use data on volcanic and earthquake activity to determine the major lithospheric plate boundaries.
3. Use sonar data to determine the topography of the ocean floor. - 4. Measure current plate movement using GPS research data.
5. Use magnetic and sediment data to show evidence of past sea floor spreading
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What do students typically misunderstand? |
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Science is static.
Scientific data has only one interpretation.
Scientific theories are based on evidence that can be observed or measured directly.
Continents do not move.
Continent movement can not be measured because it is so slow.
The continents are floating on the oceans and not attached to the crust.
The ocean floor is flat. Earthquakes happen randomly.
The continents are plates.
The plates can move independently.
The oceanic crust does not move.
Scientists have always believed that the plates move.
Scientists have always believed that sea floor spreading causes the plates to move.
Floating is a property that only occurs with liquids.
Plates can move independently of one another.
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Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence |
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What is the Goal of the performance? |
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Mystery Planet-An application of the geological evidence of plate tectonics. Students will reconstruct a super continent from individual continents located on an imaginary planet, which has the same tectonic activity as earth, using fossil, mineral, mountain evidence. |
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What Role does the student assume in the performance? |
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Students will be given geologic data on maps of the mystery continents. Using the evidence on the maps students will arrange the continents into a super continent. Students will also be expected to explain how the evidence supports their arrangement of the continents and how the evidence showing the previous arrangement of the continents supports the theory of plate tectonics. |
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What Audience does the student address? |
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What is the Situation for the performance? |
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What Product should be produced? |
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A completed map with the continents arranged according to the evidence given and an essay explaining how they used the evidence to solve the puzzle and how it relates to the theory of plate tectonics. |
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What are the Standards for the product? |
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Rubric on
1. Accuracy in transferring evidence to final map.
2. Appropriate use of evidence to reconstruct the super continent
3. Explanation of use of evidence to reconstruct super continent
4. Explanation of use of activity to explain the theory of plate tectonics |
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Preconception Survey: |
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1. If you were looking down on the earth from space 200 million years ago what would it look like?
2. What does the ocean floor between North America and Europe look like?
3. Describe what is under the continents.
4. How do scientists develop theories about scientific phenomenon that they can not directly observed?
5. Describe what happens under the ocean when the continents move during continental drift.
6. What allows the continents to move?
7. Where does the energy needed to move the continents come from? |
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Quizzes, Tests, and Academic Prompts: |
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Other Evidence: |
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I Told You So…Support for Plate Tectonics in a Letter to Dr. Bailey Willis
Alfred Wegener once said, “The Newton of drift theory has not yet appeared”.
Because his theory (the theory of continental drift) lacked the mechanism or “the Newton”, as Wegener put it, which drove the continents around the earth, his theory was never fully accepted by most other scientists until after his death. Since his death new evidence that supported his original hypothesis was found. Write a letter to Dr. Willis a scientist that described Wegener’s theory as a “fairy tale”, convincing Dr. Willis that Wegener’s hypothesis is correct by supporting the theory with all the evidence that has been collected by scientists so far.
Goal: Students will use evidence collected by scientists post Wegener, that provided the pieces needed to explain the mechanism that drives Plate tectonics and move the controversial theory into the mainstream.
Role: Wegner’s Lab Assistant
Audience: Dr Bailey Willis (one of Wegener’s strongest opponents)
Situation: Students will write a letter to persuade Dr. Willis that the theory of plate tectonics/continental drift is true, by explaining both the mechanism that drives the movement of the plates and the evidence that supports continental drift.
Product: Letter to Dr. Willis
Standards: Rubric on
1. Use of all relevant evidence
2. Explanation of evidence’s role in the support of the theory of plate tectonics
3. Clarity of writing |
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Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences, Instruction, and Resources |
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Use WHERETO as a guide to describe the learning experiences, instructional strategies, and resources you will use to help students
address the essential questions of the unit and achieve deep understanding of the big ideas. |
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W.H.E.R.E:
Where are we going/ where are you?:
Preconceptions: Survey-Students will take an objective test to determine the factual knowledge as well as conceptual knowledge regarding The theory of Plate tectonics that they have prior to any learning experiences.
Essential Questions posted in room
Discussion of Performance assessments and rubrics
Hook:
Jigsaw of Continents activity- Students will try to assemble a jigsaw puzzle and look at the cut out of the continents from the diagram below and respond to the prompt.
Prompt: Look at the shapes of Africa and South America. What do the similarities of their contour tell you about the history of the earth?
Experiences:
Fossil Evidence-
The Great Fossil Find II-Students will perform a fossil Dig at several sites around the world and compare the fossils found by other students to collect evidence of continental drift.
The Curious Case of the Mesosaurus- Students will read a short excerpt on Evidence using the Mesosaurus and answer questions.
Reconstructing Gondwanaland- Students will reconstruct the super-continent of Gondwanaland using fossil evidence and write about how each of the 4 different fossils aided in the reconstruction.
Drifting Continents- Students will read a short excerpt on Wegener’s Theory and answer questions.
Rock Layers, Mountain Range, and Glacial Deposit Paleoclimate Evidence
Evidence stations- Students will use maps to analyze evidence on the different continents that support the theory of continental drift,
Essay on Economist Article-Students will read the article A great leap backwards from the Economist April 11th 2002 and write a review of the article
What is on the bottom of the ocean anyway?-Students will read an excerpt from Rachel Carson’s essay The long snow fall from The Sea Around Us (Excerpt from Galileo’s Commandment-2,500 years of great science writing edited by Bolles) and to determine what scientists hypothesized about the formation of new ocean crust before sonar exploration and discuss the three models of the ocean floor students represented in their preconceptions quiz.
Sounding Out the Ocean’s Secrets- Students will read an article that explains how sonar was used to map the ocean floor.
Mapping the Ocean –Students will determine the topography of the oceanic crust in the Atlantic Ocean creating a profile graph from sonar soundings.
Shoe Box Ocean Students will create a model of the ocean floor with at least 5 of topographic formations. After the creation of the model students will simulate sonar and make a profile of their ocean floor and the ocean floor of another students.
Finding The Plates Activity Online-Students will use the Atlas online program to create a map of the plates using volcanic and seismic data.
Evidence Showing Sea Floor Spreading-Students will use the atlas online program to create maps, which model the creation of new ocean crust.
Finding the relationship between earthquake depth and type of plate boundary-Students will use the atlas online program to create maps that correlate the types of plate boundary with earthquake depth.
Earth’ Interior- Students will read a short excerpt on The composition of the Earth’s Interior and answer questions.
Convection Currents In the Mantle- Students will read a short excerpt on Convection currents in the mantle and answer questions.
What’s Happening During Convection?- Students will us a diagram to answer questions about convection currents
Sea Floor Spreading- Students will read a short excerpt on The composition of Sea Floor spreading and answer questions
Wandering Poles and a Warming Debate- Students will complete an activity which explains paleo-magnetism.
The Invisible Pattern-Students will read about the magnetic reversals on the ocean floor.
Magnetic Reversals Through the Ages- Students will use a diagram to answer questions about magnetic reversals on the ocean floor.
Model of Sea Floor Spreading- Students will create a paper model of sea floor spreading and answer questions about how the model works.
Determining the Rate of Ocean Floor Spreading- Students will complete an activity where they calculate the rate of sea floor spreading from the mid Atlantic ridge
Magnetic Reversals- Students will complete a reading and worksheet explaining magnetic reversals and the how they support sea floor spreading.
The Theory of Plate Tectonics- Students will read a short excerpt on The theory of plate tectonics and answer questions.
The Birth of the Himalayas- Students will read a short excerpt on the formation of the Himalayan Mountains and answer questions.
Reflect/Rethink:
Evidence concept map- Students will complete a concept map to evaluate their understanding of the body of evidence that has been collected to support the theory of continental drift. Students will then evaluate a peer’s concepts map and revise their own map adding missing pieces, removing inaccuracies, and adding connections.
Evidence Poster/Presentation-Groups of students will create posters that summarize evidence collected to support the theory of continental drift. Students will present their poster to the class and the information will be used to add detail to concept maps.
Putting It All Together: Reconstructing Pangea- Students will reconstruct Pangea by compiling all of the geological evidence to support continental drift on the continents and arranging them to fit together into the super continent.
Mystery Continents- Students will create an imaginary planet with 5 continents that fit together into a super continent. Students will map the geological evidence showing their previous arrangement on each continent.
Preconceptions Quiz #2-
1.Describe what happens under the ocean when the continents move during continental drift.
2.What allows the continents to move?
3.Where does the energy needed to move the continents come from?
When the Earth Moves reading- Students read “When the Earth Moves” that summarizes the evolution of the theory of plate tectonics from the National Academy of the Sciences web site Beyond Discovery and answer reading questions.
Reflections on a Revolution- Students will complete an activity that discuses how Plate Tectonics is an example of a scientific revolution.
Evidence
Exhibit:
Mystery Planet Jigsaw- Students will reconstruct a mystery planet’s super continent by compiling geological evidence provided to them and arranging the continents together into a super continent. Students will then write an essay explaining the evidence they used to support their arrangement of the continents and the theory of continental drift.
I Told You So…Support for Plate Tectonics in a Letter to Dr. Bailey Willis-Students will write a letter to a prominent anti drift scientist explaining the most recent evidence collected that supports the theory that the continents as the plates they are apart of move over the surface of the earth.
Post Conceptions Quiz- Students will take a post conceptions quiz to determine if their ideas about the movement of the continents and their understanding of the structure of the earth has changed.
Post Test- Students will take an objective test to determine if they have gained factual knowledge as well as conceptual knowledge of the two theories. |
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