7-11
PLATE TECTONICS LESSON PLAN
Introduce students to the theory of plate tectonics.
Resources required: World map, internet connection, and paper.
1. FIRE STARTER
Students look at a World map or at a duplicated map and
look for visual evidence that the world continents were
once joined up. Clues could be:
 Shapes of land
 Continued mountain chains across different
continents
Other clues could be fossils, change of climate causing
desert rocks in Britain and coal formed in equatorial
conditions found in Antarctica, these would not be
obvious from the maps but the teacher could introduce
these.
2. GAINING GROUND
Using the Plate Tectonics chapter on the Discovering
Galapagos website, students look at a diagram of the
structure of the earth to understand the fragility of the
earth’s crust and have the convection currents of the
upper mantle explained. They can then look at the types
of plate boundary associated with that convection.
3. MAKING WAVES
Show students different types of plate boundary using the
Plate Tectonics chapter on the Discovering Galapagos
website. In groups or on their own, they can make a simple
table of the features associated with different types of plate
boundary. Watch the following video clip that give more
information on plate tectonics and boundaries (from 2:00
mins onwards specifically about plate boundary features.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYE6EYa0cPA
4. FUTURE FOCUS
Students look at a map of where volcanoes and earthquakes
occur and make notes. They should also look at the hotspots,
such as Galapagos which are not necessarily on plate
boundaries. These hotspots can be plotted on a world map.
For a map of volcanoes, earthquakes and hotspots see:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/world_map.html
A RESOURCE BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE GALAPAGOS CONSERVATION TRUST (REGISTERED CHARITY NO. 1043470) AND THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY (WITH IBG)
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
 To understand that the earth's crust is
not stable and that it is broken up into
plates.
 To understand that these plates are
constantly moving in different ways.
STUDENTS’ OUTCOMES
 To identify different types of plate
boundaries.
 To locate plate boundaries and
hotspots.