Alex Michels amichels@mtu.edu
Title: Plate Tectonics
Objective
Explain plate tectonics in basic terms. Giving cause and effects of these processes
Materials needed
Maps
Scissors
Pencil
White board
Time duration
50-60 minutes
Vocabulary
Sea-floor spreading
Continental drift
Plate tectonics
Ocean plates
Continental plates
Plate convergence
Plate divergence
Subduction
Transform Fault
aging ocean plates
continental collision
convection
core
crust
density
driving force
geologic features
mantle convection
mountain belts
mountain ranges
plate boundaries
tectonic plates
Introduction/Description
Talk about history (theory and about Alfred Wegener) and simple idea, using hand demo. Discuss
cause (convection, density).
Activity
Give map of the world and have students (in groups) recreate Pangaea from continents, using the
map of plate boundaries (would help if they have some knowledge of what is where, divergent and
convergent boundaries) Then give map of Pangaea to compare. Using this new map they can mark on
the plate map what boundaries based on the before and after if they didn’t know already.
Conclusion
If one wanted, the students could vote one which map looks the best (correct and most presentable)
and the group that wins gets something extra.
Assessment/Evaluation
Hold a question session, where the students can come up with questions that can be asked the whole
class, competing for points or the teacher comes up with questions in the same manner as shown below
1. Do plates move horizontally, vertically, or both?_________________
2. What do plates float on?_______________________
3. What type of rock are oceanic plates made of?_______________________
4. What type of rock are continental plates made of?_______________________
5. What is the name of the are where the crust goes back down into the Earth?
_____________________
6. What is the process of new crust formation called? _______________________
7. When two continental plates collide, what types of mountains are
formed?_______________________
8. What is the name of the supercontinent that existed about 200 million through 100 million years ago?
_______________________
9. Who first stated the theory of continental drift? ______________________
10. Name a fossil that was found on different continents and was used to support the theory of
continental drift. ______________________
Resources
http://teachingtoday.glencoe.com/lessonplans/wegener-and-plate-tectonics-a-hands-on-lesson
for question
http://www.iun.edu/~geos/Zoran%20IUN/G%20101/Sample%20Tests/QuizPlateTectonics.htm
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/activities/findit/qtectonics.shtml