Power Up Plus! Unit Template
for 21st Century Teaching and Learning
Unit Plan Title: Folding, Faulting, Earthquakes, and Mountain Building
Developed By: Rose Emanuel
Grade Level: 10-12
Length of Unit: 11 class periods
Standard: What standards will provide the focus for this unit? Choose one core content and one educational technology.
CORE CONTENT:
9-12.N.1.2. Students are able to describe the role of observation and evidence in the development and modification of
hypotheses, theories, and laws. (in particular the Theory of Plate Tectonics and its applications.)
*Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge.
*Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society.
EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY (ISTE Standard):
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes
using technology. Students:
a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues.
d. identify trends and forecast possibilities.
Essential Questions: What essential questions will focus this unit?
What causes earthquakes? What do they tell us about plate interactions? How do mountains form? How do we locate earthquakes?
Where are earthquakes occurring today? What can humans do to reduce the amount of damage that occurs during an earthquake?
Academic Vocabulary: Stress, strain, compression, tension, shear, faulting, normal, reverse, folding, anticline, syncline, P waves,
S waves, seismograph, epicenter, plate tectonics, convergent plate boundary, divergent plate boundary, transform plate boundary,
orogeny.
Learning Targets: What are the knowledge, reasoning, skill, and product targets unpacked from the standard or benchmark?
Create
Evaluate
Content (nouns)
Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy
Analyze
Apply
Skill
(verbs)
Page 1
Understand
Remember
Assessments
What topics do students need to know?
Seismology – the study of earthquakes
Plate Tectonics and plate boundaries
Folds – anticlines, synclines
Faults – normal, reverse, strike slip
Stress – tension, compression, shear
Mountain Building and Orogeny
What should students be able to do to
process and retain the knowledge?
What could students do or create to
demonstrate their understanding?
Identify fault types (normal vs reverse,
strike-slip) and the stresses that cause
them based on motion of hanging and
footwall.
Complete online “Virtual Earthquake”
assessment
Be able to identify mountain ranges by
type (volcanic vs. tectonic/folded.) and
plate tectonic environment
Be able to pinpoint the location and size of
an earthquake, given data from at least 3
seismic stations.
Demonstrate knowledge of folds and
faults by interpreting geologic maps.
Create a map of the world showing
locations where mountain building is
occurring today or has occurred in the
past, including stress direction/plate
movements. Compile mountain formation
information in a google doc.
Complete summative assessment (written
exam) at end of unit.
Planning the Learning Experiences: What learning experiences will equip students to demonstrate the targeted learnings?
In other words, what instructional strategies can be used to facilitate students’ ability to successfully complete the assessments?
Learning Cycle
Tech Integration
Where: How will you let participants know
the expected outcomes/purpose of the
work?
Unit Summary/Review Worksheet – Big
Picture: How does it all fit into the Plate
Tectonic Model?
Virtual Tour of the Hayward Fault –
Google Earth
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/region
al/nca/haywardfault/
Hook: How will you engage participants?
GoogleEarth – Virtual Tour of Hayward
Fault, Hands-on models of folds and faults.
Explore: What activities will provide
experiences and explorations to equip
participants for completing the final
performances?
Reading Geologic Maps, Creating own
geologic map, Virtual Earthquake online
activities
Explorelearning.com gizmos
*Earthquake Recording Station
*Determination of Epicenter
Virtual Earthquake
http://www.sciencecourseware.co
m/eec/Earthquake/
http://Bubbl.us Graphic Organizer
website
Reflect: In what ways will participants be
encouraged to dig deeper through feedback
and self-assessment?
Compiling information in google doc to see
what others are doing.
Reading Strategies
Before
Discussion Starter Web/use visuwords
website: http://www.visuwords.com/
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________
During
Pair Reading: Mountain Building
_____________________________
_____________________________
_____________________________
After
Create Graphic Organizer on Unit content
using Bubbl.us
_____________________________
_____________________________
21st Century Skills:
Digital Age Literacy
Inventive Thinking
Effective Communication
High Productivity
Exhibit: How will participants show their
level of understanding? Evaluate their
strengths and challenges?
Summative assessment – Practicum: Apply
knowledge of folds and faults.
Page 2
Lessons/Activities: Use this space to describe sequence of learning activities, materials/resources needed, time frames, etc.
Day
1) Review Plate Tectonics model (plate interactions) to introduce stresses (compression, tension, shear) and their result (folding,
faulting): Worksheet-It’s not my fault (identifying fault types)
2) Worksheet: Online Tour of the San Andreas Fault http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/earthq3/contents.html
Virtual Tour of the Hayward Fault (using google earth): http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/haywardfault/
3) Handouts: Folds – anticline, syncline, plunging folds followed by Activity: Reading Geologic Maps – folds and faults
4) Create own geologic map/trade with other students
Homework: Reading handout and questions worksheet: Mountain Building and Plate Tectonics
5) google doc: Students research/compile information on mountain ranges on Earth – type, tectonic environment
6) Demonstration: Types of earthquake energy waves – P vs. S (compression vs. shear) and how they are recorded on seismographs
NOVA video: “Earthquake!”
7) explorelearning.com gizmos: “Earthquake Recording Station” and “Determination of Epicenter”
8) Virtual Earthquake website: Create your own earthquake. Includes assessment certificate.
9) Effect of Earthquakes: Small group research - Shaking, Landslides, Liquefaction, and Tsunamis: present information to class using
a presentation computer program (i.e. PowerPoint)
http://eqseis.geosc.psu.edu/~cammon/HTML/Classes/IntroQuakes/Notes/earthquake_effects.html
10) Create Graphic Organizer for Unit content using Bubbl.us plus Unit Review Worksheet
11) Formative Assessment: Written Exam
Modifications: In what ways will the learning experiences be differentiated to meet student needs?
Far Below Standard
One on one meetings
during SRB (study hall)
Allow testing in Sp. Ed.
Room with class materials
Approaching Standard
Work in small groups, AB
teaching
Meeting Standard
None
Page 3
Exceeding Standard
None