Name___________________________________ December 6, 2013
Period___________________
Continental Drift Project
Were the continents ever joined at one time?
In the late 1800s, a German scientist Alfred Wegener began studying this question. In
1912, he proposed a hypothesis known as Continental Drift. According to Wegener’s hypothesis,
Earth’s continents were once joined in a single landmass and gradually drifted apart. For many
years, people did not accept Wegener’s ideas. Not until the mid-1900s did scientists find new
evidence that made them consider continental drift more seriously.
Your Goal:
It is 1912 and you are Alfred Wegener.
You are invited to create a 4-5paragraph article (or more) for a popular science
magazine or newspaper to prove your hypothesis on Continental Drift.
Due Date:
December 19: B Day
December 20: A Day
Rules from the Publisher:
It must be free of spelling errors. It must have proper punctuation and use of
grammar.
You must also submit a rough draft. (There must be evidence on the rough draft
that you made correction or edited your work)
It must include 2 illustrations. You may print these up or hand draw.
It must be neat.
 Do NOT copy directly from a website or book. This publishing must be in your
own words.
Typed articles will receive extra credit.
 This is not a letter.
There must be well thought out paragraphs and sentences. It cannot be one long
page.
Suggestions for Writing:
Start with the overall idea (You think the continents were all connected)
Give an example of something that you know that could “drift”.
What is Continental Drifting?
*Prove with evidence: Fossils, Climate, Geology. (This is crucial to the article)
Draw /Sketch / Create / Color (Neatly) photos or pictures to support the proof.
Is the Earth the same as it was 6billion years ago? Why?
Do Volcanoes play a roll in the changing of the continents?
Discuss what you know about the Lithosphere and Asthenosphere or the Mantle and
Crust
Discuss your knowledge of tectonic plates
Conclude
Name___________________________________ December 6, 2013
Period___________________
Helpful Spots for Information:
The Changing Earth Class Text Book: (Pg. 11-17)
“Continental Drift”, Wikipedia
www.enchantedlearning.com (contdrift) (continental drift)
“Continental Drift”, Google or Yahoo Images
Encyclopedia.com “continental drift”
PlateTectonics.com
Library.thinkquest.org “plate tectonics”
*Ice Age: Continental Drift, 2012 ((THIS IS AWESOME!!))
YouTube:
“Alfred Wegener: Great Minds”
“Alfred Wegener’s Theory of Continental Drift”
“Alfred Wegener and the Continental Drift”
“Plate Tectonic Video1: Wegener’s Evidence”
“Continental Drift”
“Plate Tectonics”
“Lithosphere”
“Continental Drift and plate tectonic theory”
“Continental Drift: Alfred Wegener’s song by the Amoeba People”
dsc.discovery.com “Volcano” “Earth”
Name___________________________________ December 6, 2013
Period___________________