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Continental Drift
Be sure to come prepared to discuss the theory of Pangaea and the two super-continents, Laurasia and Gondwanaland. Collaborative learners look for fossil evidence that supports the theory that one super-continent divided into two. They...
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Plate Tectonics Day 3 Sea Floor Spreading: Evidence for Continental Drift
Students are introduced to Sea Floor Spreading and how it provides evidence for Hess's and Deitz's theory of Continental Drift. They use paleomagnetic data to calculate the rate of Sea Floor Spreading.
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Continental Drift Lab-Wegener's Evidence
In this continental drift activity, 7th graders answer 7 questions about Wegener's theory of continental drift. They use a diagram of the Earth's continents that show plate tectonics.
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Get the Drift?
The anticipatory set is clever: give groups five minutes to work on the puzzle and then discuss what strategies they used to match the few that connected. This introduces middle schoolers to the concept of continental drift. A portion of...
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Bellwork for Week 8-Continental Drift and Fossils
In this continental drift and fossils worksheet, students complete a puzzle of the continents and they answer questions about fossils, the layers of the earth's crust, Wegener's continental drift theory and the major plates.
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Bellwork for Week 9-Earthquakes and Continental Drift
In this earthquake and continental drift worksheet, students answer five questions about continental drift, seismic waves and earthquake safety.
Channel Islands Film
Island Rotation: Lesson Plan 3
How far have California's Channel islands moved? What was the rate of this movement? Class members first examine data that shows the age of the Hawaiian island chain and the average speed of the Pacific Plate. They then watch West of the...
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Plate Tectonics Study Guide
In this plate tectonics instructional activity, students answer questions about plate tectonics including topics such as the lithosphere, the asthenosphere, rising and sinking convection currents, continental drift and the types of...
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Plate Tectonics
Students watch a video about plate tectonics. in this Earth Science lesson, students watch a video clip from Bill Nye about Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics. They make a slight crack in a hard boiled egg and manipulate the egg to...
Channel Islands Film
Island Rotation: Lesson Plan 1
How do scientists provide evidence to support the theories they put forth? What clues do they put together to create these theories? After watching West of the West's documentary Island Rotation class members engage in a series of...
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Plate Tectonics: First Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
A set of first grade geology lessons focuses on plate tectonics and movement of plate boundaries. During the pre-lab, learners experience three types of plate movement through a kinesthetic demonstration. The lab demonstrates stresses...
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Earth Movers
Students read an online article about an earthquake and follow up with a series of discussion questions about earthquakes. They answer questions in their science journals about continental drift, plate tetonics, and their influence on...
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Pangaea Puzzle Pieces
Young scholars i examine 10 pieces of evidence for the Pangaea theory and use them to reconstruct the super continent. They determine that land masses on Earth are slowly changing shape as a result of moving for millions of years.
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Plate Tectonics
Students complete a data sheet. In this Earth composition lesson, students learn what happens when the Earth's plates push against each other. They watch a teacher demonstration and complete a data sheet.
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Plate Tectonics
Students simulate the three types of plate boundaries using robots. In this earth science lesson, students explain how earthquakes and volcanoes are formed. They collect real-world earthquake data and plot them on the map.