For this Mesosaurus worksheet, students read 2 short paragraphs about the distribution of the fossils found of this ancient reptile. Students answer 5 questions about Wegener's Theory of continental drift and how it possibly relates to...

Learners are introduced to and experiment with the basic concepts of plate tectonic theory as well as assess the history of the theory of plate tectonics. They explain and illustrate the basic concepts through diagrams and models of...

Students explore the theory of Plate Tectonics. They participate in a simulation in which they re-enact the debate over Plate Tectonics vs. traditional beliefs of stationary continents that were widely accepted during the 1800's and...

Students study Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift and how the continents were connected in one large land mass called Pangaea. They examine plate tectonics and the theory that the earth's surface is composed of large moving...

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...

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...

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...

Young scholars stud the concept of Pangaea by using Wegener's clues to construct a map of the continents joined together. They determine how fossil distribution can be used to enhance the study of continental drift. They locate the...

Eighth graders examine the forces that are constantly acting on the Earth. They describe the theory of tectonic plates and demonstrate the two kinds of earthquake waves. They also examine the role of volcanoes in the structure of the...

Students define constructive forces. They describe how landforms are created as a result of constructive forces. Students recognize active volcano areas in the United States. They demonstrate an understanding of Panagea.

Sixth graders follow in the footsteps of early scientists as they put the pieces of Pangaea back together and discovered the forces that create the variety of landforms and sea-floor features of our Earth.

Students draw conclusions why Mesosaurus has only been found in Africa and Brazil and how its fossil remains serve as important evidence that shows where two continents were once joined together.

Students discuss major causes of earthquakes and identify famous fault lines, access and map information about ten largest earthquakes in world from 1989 to 1998, and theorize about location of these earthquakes as they relate to Earth's...

Young scholars examine how tectonic plates change the Earth's land. In this geology lesson, students are divided into small groups to construct a continent puzzle. Young scholars use transparency pieces to demonstrate how Africa and...

Students classify earth's layers and plates using Ocean Seismicity data. In this plate tectonics lesson, students outline where the plate boundaries are on the world map. They then compare these predicted boundaries with USGS map of the...