Alexandra Danz
P-12 Learning Assessment
1. Examine student prior knowledge/ability: baseline assessment given at beginning of unit asks
students to answer questions about prior knowledge as it relates to plate tectonics and
consequential events. This assessment is given at the beginning of the class as a do-now and
collected but not graded. The questions are below:
2. Instructional sequence: (lesson plan and NYSED Standards- differentiation of instruction)
3. Assessments: informal: checkboard, homework. Formal: labs and tests
4. Reflection: exit tickets give me feedback by asking the students for changes in the lesson. Selfreflection- write in journal, things that went well, things that need to be changed in future
5. Overview of teaching inquiry
Overview: Starting a new unit on Plate Tectonics, I decided to plan both a lesson and a lab as a P-12.
Students were asked to do a pre-assessment before each of the two lessons and then were forced to
think critically, both independently and dependently to solve problems. The lesson, “zebra stripes”, was
the first of the new unit and focused on the theories and evidence for plate tectonics, i.e. sea floor
spreading, continental drift, Earth’s magnetism and the consequential striping on the ocean floor. This
lesson was presented through means of an interactive lecture, student collaboration and
demonstration. Lessons on Pangea, Earthquakes, convection, and volcanoes will be taught further into
the unit. The lab, “Shake, Rattle and Roll”, focused on the common occurrence of Earthquakes and the
skills needed to locate an epicenter. Students used computers, graphs and resources for this lab and
were asked to work on their own and with partners for different procedures.
Diagnostic Pre-Test:
On a clean sheet of paper write down what you know about
each underlined term and answer the questions.
This will not be graded but will be collected
DEFINE: Plate Tectonics:
DEFINE: Earthquakes:
DEFINE: Epicenter: (Hint: what layer of skin is your epidermis?)
Have you ever been in an Earthquake? Name a specific Earthquake, where did it take place?
DEFINE: Volcanoes:
What is the difference between lava and magma?
Are there any volcanoes in the United States (active or inactive)
DEFINE: Earth's Layers: (try to name some layers, too)
Lesson One: Zebra Stripes
Lesson Plan: Unit: Plate Tectonics
Name of Lesson: Zebra Stripes
Grade Level: 8th grade
Subject: Earth Science
Overview and Objective:
Goal: Students will figure out why there are
zebra stripes on the ocean floor.
Prepared By: A. Danz
Educational Standards Addressed:
Common Core:
Students will understand different theories
for plate tectonics and the reasons that
support each. They will learn this through
notes and an activity.
Essential Question
Why are there zebra stripes on the ocean
floor?
Physical Science/Earth Science core
curriculum:
Supporting Questions
Why do the plates move?
What is Pangea?
What are the different types of boundaries?
How fast do plates move?
Bar magnets, iron filings, ESRT’s
Materials Needed
Assessment:
Reflection:
Formal:
Informal:
Grade homework
Think-pair-share
Pre-assessment to be
collected
3 questions, personal write up in journal
Do Now
Pre-Assessment, written form, questions about earthquakes, volcanoes;
intent of assignment is to gage familiarity with concepts and vocabulary
Hook
Talk about monarch butterflies and their migratory pattern- how do they
know where North is?
Notes
Activity
-continental drift
-plate boundaries
-sea floor spreading
-Earth’s magnetism/stripes on ocean floor
Iron shavings and bar magnets
-students will trace bands on their paper to understand the consequential
magnetism of the earth’s oceanic crust
Homework
Read DBQ on Continental Drift or WWI findings on sea floor spreading
Reflection
Ask 3 questions
Name:___________________________________ Period: 8
Date:___________________
DBQ
Ocean floor mapping
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/developing.html
About two thirds of the Earth's surface lies beneath the oceans. Before the 19th century, the
depths of the open ocean were largely a matter of speculation, and most people thought that the
ocean floor was relatively flat and featureless. However, as early as the 16th century, a few
intrepid navigators, by taking soundings with hand lines, found that the open ocean can differ
considerably in depth, showing that the ocean floor was not as flat as generally believed. Oceanic
exploration during the next centuries dramatically improved our knowledge of the ocean floor.
We now know that most of the geologic processes occurring on land are linked, directly or
indirectly, to the dynamics of the ocean floor.
"Modern" measurements of ocean depths greatly increased in the 19th century, when deep-sea
line soundings (bathymetric surveys) were routinely made in the Atlantic and Caribbean. In
1855, a bathymetric chart published by U.S. Navy Lieutenant Matthew Maury revealed the first
evidence of underwater mountains in the central Atlantic (which he called "Middle Ground").
This was later confirmed by survey ships laying the trans-Atlantic telegraph cable. Our picture of
the ocean floor greatly sharpened after World War I (1914-18), when echo-sounding devices -primitive sonar systems -- began to measure ocean depth by recording the time it took for a
sound signal (commonly an electrically generated "ping") from the ship to bounce off the ocean
floor and return. Time graphs of the returned signals revealed that the ocean floor was much
more rugged than previously thought. Such echo-sounding measurements clearly demonstrated
the continuity and roughness of the submarine mountain chain in the central Atlantic (later called
the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) suggested by the earlier bathymetric measurements.
In 1947, seismologists on the U.S. research ship Atlantis found that the sediment layer on the
floor of the Atlantic was much thinner than originally thought. Scientists had previously believed
that the oceans have existed for at least 4 billion years, so therefore the sediment layer should
have been very thick. Why then was there so little accumulation of sedimentary rock and debris
on the ocean floor? The answer to this question, which came after further exploration, would
prove to be vital to advancing the concept of plate tectonics.
In the 1950s, oceanic exploration greatly expanded. Data gathered by oceanographic surveys
conducted by many nations led to the discovery that a great mountain range on the ocean floor
virtually encircled the Earth. Called the global mid-ocean ridge, this immense submarine
mountain chain -- more than 50,000 kilometers (km) long and, in places, more than 800 km
across -- zig-zags between the continents, winding its way around the globe like the seam on a
baseball. Rising an average of about 4,500 meters(m) above the sea floor, the mid-ocean ridge
overshadows all the mountains in the United States except for Mount McKinley (Denali) in
Alaska (6,194 m). Though hidden beneath the ocean surface, the global mid-ocean ridge system
is the most prominent topographic feature on the surface of our planet.
Questions: Answer the questions in complete sentences
1.) What did intrepid navigators discover about the ocean floor in the 16th century?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
2.) What do bathymetric surveys measure and how do they do it?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3.) Using the Earth’s History table on Page 8 of the ESRT, what era was the ocean floor thought
to have formed
4.) Using your knowledge of Earth Science and the Earth Science Reference Tables, what 2
continents suggest that they were pushed apart from the new crust at the mid-ocean
ridge?______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3.) Scientists previously believed that the ocean floor was 4 billion years old, why is there not
more sediment accumulation? (Hint: Is there enough room for all of the ocean crust, both old
and
new?)______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Sample of post-test:
Results and Reflection: