Evidence of Plate Tectonics and Earth's History

Plate Tectonics was always my favorite topic within Earth Science and my Geology studies. 

For this topic, I want to create a differentiated lesson plan that allows me to target all types of learners in my classroom (kinesthetic, auditory, visual, etc). 

MS.ESS2.3: Evidence of Plate Tectonics

Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions. (Patterns)

Resources: thewonderofscience.com 

What causes the surface of the Earth to change?
How does what we see today tell us about the Earth's past?
How can we predict and understand changes to the surface of the Earth?

Students will be discussing these essential questions with small groups during the beginning of the class period.

After some time, as a class, we will come together with our discussions, share our ideas, and eventually come to a consensus that Earth's crust is made of plates that have shifted over millions of years. 

As scientists, we need evidence to prove this theory.

Around the classroom, there will be 4 different stations containing different pieces of evidence to support the Plate Tectonics theory. Groups of students will visit each station, be asked to describe the piece of evidence, and give a reason as to why it supports our theory.

The evidence presented at each station will be:

#1: a puzzle of Pangea, students will be asked to assemble the puzzle in a way that allows all of the continents to fit together. 

#2: a map of the locations where the plant Glossopteris plant is present as well as a description ( a plant that is located in Australia, Antarctica, India, South Africa, and South America, but the seed of the plant is large and bulky which would prevent it from being swept up with the wind and spread to all of these countries) 

#3: A map of the major volcanoes around the world (ring of fire)

#4: A map of a freshwater fossil found within different continents

This lesson may end up taking a day or two, depending on the pace of the students themselves. I would not want to rush each station because I want them to have time to make their own hypotheses and work together to determine what they think is the link this evidence has to the Theory of Plate Tectonics.

Human Impact on the Environment

While studying ecology, students will become familiar with different types of ecosystems such as tundra, grassland, desert, savannah, etc. Students will be asked to create a food web of 5 organisms within one ecosystem of their choosing.

Within each food web, students must have a consumer, producer, and decomposer. 

Revisit the terms abiotic, biotic, and limiting factor 

These terms describe the kinds of things that influence change within ecosystems. These changes may be for the better or for the worse. 

Once the food webs are created, a question is posed:

How would the addition of humans to these areas affect how the energy flows through the ecosystem?

Students will create a T-chart of positive and negative ways that the addition of humans will affect their chosen ecosystem. 

Results will be shared and discussed as a class

Try to create parallels between the factors affecting their chosen ecosystems with our ecosystem

For homework, students will be asked to think about our ecosystem and the effect humans have on it. What are the ways we can ease these impacts? 

MS.LS2.4: Ecosystem Interactions and Dynamics

Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations. (Stability and Change)

MS.LS2.2: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems

Construct an explanation that predicts patterns of interactions among organisms across multiple ecosystems.

I really like this activity because it gives the students some time to revisit what kinds of animals are in what ecosystems, allows them to have a choice of what kind of environment they want to focus on, allows them to gather pertinent information on their own and leaves time for us to reconnect as a group and make connections to our own ecosystem. Students nowadays are highly aware of human impact on the environment resulting in high engagement throughout the period, allowing us to get a lot of work done.