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Earth - geophysical features

Constructive forces - landslides, tectonic plates, volcanoes

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Overview

Contents Overview

A sequence of plans to facilitate a review and develop a deeper understanding of destructive and constructive geophysical forces. With an emphasis on constructive forces that tend to build up new landforms. Examples include deposition of sediment, volcanic eruptions, and tectonic plate (crustal deformation) movement.

Background resources:

This plan is designed for learners who have very little prior knowledge of geophysical forces.

Related study topics:

Planning information

Learner background information

A plan designed for learners who have prior knowledge in cause and effect, use of observations to make inferences, models as explanations for observble and non observable events, and working in groups.

General information on planning

Intended learnings & learners thinkings

See for more information on what to include in general planning

Content Big ideas, concept & facts, & outcomes
(Source concepts & misconceptions)

Big ideas and specific outcomes:

Earth change is a natural process that is constructive and destructive. It creates, moves, and changes earth materials. Changes that are beneficial and not beneficial. It is important to know what these changes are and how they can effect our lives, food production, pollution, changes of habitat, other structures.

Concepts and facts

Know the constructive and destruct forces of the Earth can help us maintain healthy environments to sustain life, agriculture, habitats, and human made structures.

Outcome

Describe how geophysical chagnes affects healthy environments and what can be done to limit its negative effects to better sustain life, agriculture, habitats, and human made structures.

Science concepts: physical, earth, life

Big ideas:

Landforms are a result of a combination of constructive and destructive forces. Which can be slow processes, such as erosion and weathering, and rapid processes, such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.

Geophysical forces can be constructive and destructive. constructive. Constructive geophysical forces, forces that tend to build up new landforms. Examples include crust deformation, volcanic eruption deposition of sediments, and tectonic plate movement. Destructive forces include landslides, weathering and erosion.

Related concepts

Forces that Change the Earth

  1. Lithospheric plates (tectonic plates) the size of continents and oceans constantly move at the rate of centimeters per year as a result of movements in the mantle.
  2. Tectonic plates are made of rocks such as those we see exposed at the surface.
  3. The interior of the Earth is hot Heat flow and movement material within the Earth cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that create mountains and ocean basins.
  4. Gases and dust from volcanoes can change the atmosphere.
  5. These forces can act fast and slow.
  6. The can also be constructive and destructive geological events create landforms.
  7. Constructive forces include crustal changes, mountain building, volcanic eruptions, and deposition of sediment.
  8. Destructive forces include weathering and erosion.

Outcome

  1. Describe constructive and destructive forces. Provide examples of constructive forces.

Anticipated learner thinkings & misconceptions

Inquiry, process, & cross cutting concepts & skills

Inquiry

  • When I experiment I collect observations that describe how different properties change (become variables) when objects and systems interact. This helps me make claims, explain what is happening, and to predict what might happen in the future.
  • Inquiry concepts
  • Process concepts
  • Perspective concepts

Cross cutting

Big ideas: See also Concepts & misconceptions

Related concepts and facts

  • Observational data and reasoning is used to explain interactions. Evidence is something that is observed and can be used to understand what is happening and make predictions about future changes.
  • Models are structures that correspond to real objects, events, or classes of events.
  • Explanations are based on observation derived from experience or experimentation and are understandable.
  • Pictures or symbols represent objects.
  • A symbol represents an energy source and receiver.

Outcome -

  • Use observable data as explanations to describe construtcive and destructive geophysical forces.

Specific outcomes -

  • Use models to describe how continents broke apart from one, Panganea, suber continent.
  • Use models to describe how three types of volcanoes are shaped.
  • Use models to describe how volcanoes are formed.

Other possible concepts

Social concepts

  • Geophysical forces can harm people and their habits.

History of science and development of technology - perspective of science

See also Concepts & misconceptions also science, math, technology timeline

  • People have practiced science and technology for a long time.
  • Science develops over time.
  • Science investigators such as

Scoring guides suggestions (rubric)

(scoring guide)

Top level

  • Explain how a geophysical event is both destructive and constructive with appropriate examples.
  • Identify specifc geophysical events as singularly destructive or constructive.
  • Say volcanoes blow up mountains or destroy things with lava.
  • Say plate tectonics made the continents.
  • Describe landslide as destructive.

Lower level

Strategies to achieve educational learnings

Based on learning cycle theory & method

Instructional Procedure

Pedagogical Overview

Activities Sequence to provide sufficient opportunities for learners to achieve the targeted outcomes.

Make sure learners have the prior knowledge identified in the background information.

  1. Activity 1 - Landslides
  2. Activity 2 - Mountain deconstruction
  3. Activity 3 - Plate tectonics
  4. Activity 3a - Plates meeting
  5. Activity 4 - Volcanoes intro
  6. Activity 5 - Volcanoes - types

Focus question

Unit focus question:

What constructive and destructive forces are shaping the Earth?

Sub focus questions:

  1. How are landslides destructive and constructive?
  2. When mountains destruct what do they construct?
  3. How do tectonic plates shape the Earth?
  4. How do volcanoes happen and what kinds of volcanoes are constucted?

Materials

  • Cardboard, toothpaste or spray frosting, paper punch,

Lab notes

Resources

 

Lesson Plans

Activity 1 - Landslides

First written by Angie Rief & Todd Ariens

Materials

Focus questions:

  1. What causes a landslide?

Learning outcomes:

  1. Explain a landslide as unstable Earth material caused by an earthquake or water causing the earth to flow.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put learners in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity -

Exploration -

  1. Put learners in pairs.
  2. Tell them to huild a firmly shaped sand castle.
  3. Have them slowly pour water onto the sand castle.
  4. Be sure to do it slowly to allow the sand to soak up all the water.
  5. Continue to pour water until the sand cannot absorb any more and a landslide happens.
  6. Record your observations with a before and after diagram with explanations

Invention -

  1. Regroup as a class.
  2. Each group shares what happened.
  3. Ask. Explain why you think the sand didn't erode slowly?
  4. Why do hills and mountains that seen very solid in dry weather develop major landslides after prolonged rain?
  5. What was the first thing to happen to the sand castle?
  6. How much water did the sand absorb before it fell?
  7. What finally happened?
  8. What are forms of landslides?
  9. What causes landslides?
  10. How are landslides related to erosion?
  11. How are they related to constructve processes?

Discover

  1. What if there would have been rocks or chips in the sand castle, would it have made a difference?
  2. How can you compare what happened to the sand castle to rainfall and the mountains?

Activity 2 - Mountain deconstruction

First written by Angie Rief & Todd Ariens

Materials:

  • Dishpans, potting soil, rocks, plastic chips, ice cubes, sand, water, watering can
  • Lab note -

Focus questions:

  1. What is created with erosion?
  2. How is it beneficial and harmful.

Learning outcomes:

  1. Describe how mountains change with water.
  2. And how the changes can be constructive and beneficial and destructive and damaging.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put learners in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Construct a model mountains, flood it with water, and describe the changes. Describe how the changes can be constructive and beneficial and destructive and damaging.

Exploration

  1. Put learners in small groups.
  2. Tell them they will build mountains from different earth materials and they should build what they believe will best hold up to a watering can full of water being poured over their structure.
  3. Groups will be assigned
    • Sand,
    • Rocks and sand,
    • Soil and
    • Combinations.
  4. All groups will have to access a certain 3-4 plastic chips, 3-4 pebbles and 1-2 ice cubes.
  5. Each group will brainstorm ways to build. They should write down all suggestions.
  6. Have them select their final decision and write why they think it is the best structure to withstand the water.
  7. Have them observe all the groups completed structure and suggest what they think might happen.
  8. Designate who and how one can of water water will be dumped on each mountain.
  9. Have them observe, record results, and explain why they think the outcome occurred. Along with any improvements they think may be beneficial for their mountain.
  10. What materials did you select to make your mountain?
  11. Why did you select these materials?
  12. Why did the material you selected work or didn’t work?
  13. Did your mountain hold up to the water?
  14. What was constructed from the water flood?
  15. What type of erosion occurred to your mountain?
  16. Was the erosion gradual or sporadic?
  17. What would you change or do differently if you were to do this project again?
  18. How does the amount of water effect the type of erosion and earth structures constructed with the erosion?

Invention

  1. Regroup as a class and discuss answers to the questions.

Discovery

  1. Discuss why this information is important to scientist?
  2. How does this activity relate to erosion in nature and what earth structures are constructed with the erosion?

Activity 3 - Plate tectonics

Materials:

  • World map cut into pieces representing major tectonic plates (print on cardstock)
    ◦ Colored pencils or markers
    ◦ Tape or magnets (if using a magnetic board)
  • Lab notes -

Focus questions:

  1. What supports the continents?

Learning outcomes:

  • Explain the movement of tectonic plates and how they shape Earth's surface.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put learners in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Explain that the continents could have been one giant continent (Pangea) that broke into seperate pieces and drifted apart.

Exploration

  1. Put learners in pairs
  2. Give each pair a set of map pieces.
  3. Challenge them to fit the plates together like a puzzle based on the shapes of continents and plate boundaries.
  4. Once completed. Ask them to write how the plates fit or did not fit together and why.

Invention

  1. Regroup as a class and discuss answers to the questions.
  2. Discuss how the plates fit together and why (evidence like matching fossil records, mountain ranges, etc.).
  3. Assign different colors to boundary types. Have them mark the boundaries on the puzzle and label them.
  4. Briefly explain the concept of tectonic plates and their boundaries (divergent, convergent, transform). Tectonic plates are massive slabs of solid rock that make up the Earth's crust and upper mantle. As these plates move across the Earth's surface, they interact along their boundaries, which can be divergent, convergent, or transform. Divergent boundaries are areas where two plates move away from each other, allowing magma to rise and form new crustal material. Convergent boundaries are areas where two plates move towards each other, and one may be subducted under another. Transform boundaries are areas where two plates slide past each other in opposite directions.

Discovery

  1. Research how the plates are moving on Earth ... and what happens when they meet another plate.

Activity 3a - Plates meeting

Materials

  • Foam sheets or sponges (to represent tectonic plates), Oreo cookies or crackers and frosting (for plate boundaries)
  • Diagrams of Earth's layers and tectonic plates
  • Markers and chart paper
  • Lab notes -

Focus questions:

  1. What happens when plates hit?

Learning outcomes:

  1. Describe the theory of plate tectonics.
  2. dentify different types of plate boundaries.
  3. Demonstrate the movements of tectonic plates through hands-on activities.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put learners in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity -

Exploration

  1. Organize learners into groups and pairs.
  2. Use foam sheets to demonstrate: Convergent boundaries (push two sheets together to show mountain formation or subduction).
  3. Divergent boundaries (pull sheets apart to simulate mid-ocean ridges).
  4. Transform boundaries (slide sheets past each other to illustrate earthquakes).
  5. Give learners crackers and frosting.
  6. Spread frosting on a plate to represent the asthenosphere.
  7. Place crackers (lithosphere) on top and have learners create:
  8. Divergent boundaries (pull crackers apart).
  9. Convergent boundaries (push crackers together).
  10. Transform boundaries (slide crackers sideways).

Invention

  1. Regroup as a class and groups demonstrate their projects.
  2. Discuss observations from both activities.
  3. Briefly explain Earth's structure: crust, mantle, core.
  4. Introduce the theory of plate tectonics and the concept of the lithosphere floating on the semi-fluid asthenosphere.
  5. Relate movements to real-world phenomena: earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain formation.
  6. Describe the three types of plate boundaries.
  7. What natural events occur at each boundary?
  8. How do plate movements affect Earth's surface?

Mini lecture for plate tectonics

Earth's outermost layer, or lithosphere (the crust and upper) is broken into large plates made of Earth materials.

These plates lie on top of a partially molten layer of rock called the asthenosphere.

Due to the convection of the asthenosphere and lithosphere, the plates move relative to each other at different rates, from two to 15 centimeters (one to six inches) per year.

This interaction of tectonic plates is responsible for many different geological formations such as the Himalaya mountain range in Asia, the East African Rift, and the San Andreas Fault in California, United States.

Discover

  • Research project on famous earthquakes or volcanoes.
  • Create a model showing Earth's layers and tectonic plates.

 

Activity 4 - Volcano intro

Materials

  • Confetti in a balloon, cardboard, punch,
  • Tube of toothpaste or spray frosting, or whipped cream
  • Lab notes -

Focus questions:

  1. What is volcano? A volcano is an opening in the Earth's surface where molten rock can escape from underneath.
  2. How are they destructive and constructive?
  3. How do different models repesent different aspects of a volcano?

Learning outcomes:

  1. Explain how pressure forces magma and other matter through the Earth and sometimes it reaches the surface.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put learners in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Demonstrate how pressure moves Earth material from below the surface towards the surface and above to construct different Earth surfaces.

Exploration

  1. Ask.What is volcano? A volcano is an opening in the Earth's surface where molten rock can escape from underneath.
  2. Start with a demonstration ...
  3. Use a balloon filled with confetti and pop the balloon to model an explosive eruption that might happen inside a volcano.
  4. Ask. How does this relate to a volcano? Pressure can build under the Earth and if a rupture occurs Everything can be pushed to the surface and out.
  5. How is it desctructive and constructive? It is destructive inside the Earth and it is constructive for the materials it moves and where they move to.
  6. Tell. We are going to model what happens in the Earth with less explosive models.
  7. Demonstrate how to take a piece of cardboard and punch an area with one hole, two holes, and 4 holes together.
    Card with holes punched
  1. And take a tube of toothpaste or spray icing and hold it firmly against the cardboard centered on a hole and squeeze or spray.
Toothpaste through holes
  1. In small groups have them take turns and try out the modle.
  2. Then, record what happens with the different holes.

Invention

  1. Invite the learners to come together.
  2. Ask. What are the main parts of the Earth? draw a figure like below and add information as you work through the following information or if necessary use the mini lecture to help.

Mini lecture

  1. Imagine slicing the Earth in half.
  2. You'll find these distinct layers.
  3. The top layer is the crust, and it's where we live. The crust is covered by land and oceans and made up of big slabs of rock called tectonic plates. That move slowly over time, spreading apart and coming together.
  4. Beneath the crust is the middle layer, called the mantle. It's thick, hot, and filled with heavy rocks. Sometimes, parts of the mantle get so hot that they melt the rocks inside, creating magma.
  5. At the center of the Earth is the deepest layer—the inner and outer core. This part of the Earth is made up of molten (liquid) and solid iron.
  6. Volcanoes usually form where tectonic plates meet.
  7. However, volcanoes can also form above something called a mantle plume. Plumes are hot, rising rocks in the Earth's mantle. Hot spots are sources of extreme heat rising from deep inside the Earth and they form above plumes.
  1. Ask. What does the cardboard represents? the Earth's crust.
  2. What does the paste or frosting represent? lava or molten earth materials from the mantle and core
  3. Add a volcano to the diagram and relate this experiment, the toothpaste represents a hot spot and the cardboard represents a tectonic plate. The holes punched in the cardboard represent weak spots in the Earth's crust. The toothpaste coming through the holes shows how magma rises through cracks in the Earth's crust to form volcanoes when the pressure is strong enough.
  4. Show the video ... and
  5. Say how they moved the tube or spary under the cardboard is like the tectonic plates move over the hot spot over time,to form chains of volcanoes and mountains under the ocean form. The Hawaiian islands are an example of a volcanic chain.
  6. Describe in their notes how the tooth paste model relates to the video (real life volcano)

Discover

  1. Volcanoes can be any combination of explosive or more oozing lava which can create different volcanic shapes.
  2. How is a volcano destructive and constructive? It is destructive inside the Earth and when it is constructive for where it moves.
  3. In the next activity we will explore the different kinds of volcanoes. (Constructed)

Activity 5 - Understanding Volcanoes

Materials:

Focus questions:

  1. What kinds of volcanoes are constructed?

Learning outcomes:

  1. Observe model of a volcanic eruptions, describe three types of volcanoes, how they operate, and how they can be constructive and destructive.

Suggested procedures overview:

  1. Put learners in groups, focus their attention, and assess their initial understanding of the focus questions.
  2. Activity - Observe a model of a volcanic eruption, describe three types of volcanoes, how they operate, and how they can be constructive and destructive.

Exploration

  1. Organize learners into pairs and groups.
  2. Review activity 4's information and ask what kind of volcanoes were constructed in the video? cone
  3. Ask. Do you know what other kinds of volcanoes canbe constructed? yes ... no ...
  4. Have learners review how they can find information about the different types.
  5. Organize them to investigate and report back.
  6. You can use the information below to help them organize.
  7. Might organize a jig-saw approach with groups researching and organizing presentations on four types of volcanoes.
  8. Decide on what to include:
    • Might require each include a picture or two,
    • Description of the tectonic activity and
    • magma movement of the Earth materials and how they are pushed out of the Earth (deconstructive) and
    • the results - constructs of different structures on the surface of the Earth.

Volcanoes

A volcano is an opening in the Earth's surface where molten rock can escape from underneath. The Earth's surface is made up of tectonic plates, which are spreading apart, crunching into each other, or sliding beside one another. Volcanoes are typically found at the fault lines between these plates. There can be active volcanos, which are currently, or have recently erupted. There are also dormant volcanoes, which haven't erupted recently, and extinct volcanoes, which will never erupt again.

There are 4 major types of volcanoes:

Cinder Cone Volcanoes:

These are the simplest type of volcano. They occur when particles and blobs of lava are ejected from a volcanic vent. The lava is blown violently into the air, and the pieces rain down around the vent. Over time, this builds up a circular or oval-shaped cone, with a bowl-shaped crater at the top. Cinder cone volcanoes rarely grow larger than about 1,000 feet above their surroundings. Steep, conical hills (e.g., Par..cn in Mexico)

Composite Volcanoes: (Stratovolcanoes)

Composite volcanoes, or stratovolcanoes make up some of the world's most memorable mountains: Mount Rainier, Mount Fuji, and Mount Cotopaxi, for example. These volcanoes have a conduit system inside them that channels magma from deep within the Earth to the surface. They can have clusters of vents, with lava breaking through walls, or issuing from fissures on the sides of the mountain. With all this material coming out, they can grow layers thousands of meters tall. Mount Saint Helens is an example of how composite volcanoes can explode violently.

Shield Volcanoes:

These are large, broad volcanoes that look like shields from above - hence the name. The lava that pours out of shield volcanoes is thin, so it can travel for great distances down the shallow slopes of the volcano. These volcanos build up slowly over time, with hundreds of eruptions, creating many layers. They're not likely to explode catastrophically. Perhaps the best known shield volcanoes are the ones that make up the Hawaiian Islands, especially Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.

Lava Domes:

Volcanic or lava domes are created by small masses of lava which are too viscous (thick) to flow very far. Unlike shield volcanoes, with low-viscosity lava, the magma from volcanic domes just pile up over and around the vent. The dome grows by expansion of the lava within, and the mountain forms from material spilling off the sides of the growing dome. Lava domes can explode violently, releasing a huge amount of hot rock and ash.

Invention

  1. Learners report back and share information in a jig-saw manner.
  2. Display an outline. photos, and share information.
  3. Discuss.

Discover

Additional information related to volcanoes to discuss.

  1. Scientists figure out how fast and in what direction tectonic plates move by comparing the age of the volcanic islands to the hot spot location.
  2. Newer volcanoes are found closer to a hot spot, while older volcanoes are farther away. In this project, which "volcanoes" are oldest? Which are youngest?

 

Lab Notes for activities

Lab notes 1 - Landslide

Materials

  • Sand, water, Lab notes

Focus questions:

  • What happens when sand becomes saturated?

Challenge

Make a sandcastle and pour as much water as possible.

Results

Draw a before and after diagrams with an explanation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lab notes 2 - Mountain deconstruction

Materials

  • Dishpans, potting soil, rocks, plastic chips, ice cubes, sand, water, watering can

Focus questions:

  • How do mountains deconstruct?

Challenge

Construct a mountain and deconstruct it with water.

Draw before and after pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What materials did you select to make your mountain?

Why did you select these materials?

 

How did the material you selected work and didn’t work?

Did you mountain hold up to the water?

What type or erosion occurred to your mountain?

Was the erosion gradual or sporadic?

 

What was constructed after the flood?

 

 

Summary

What would you change or do differently if you were to do this project again?

How does the amount of water effect the type of erosion?

Why is this information important to scientist?

How does this activity relate to erosion in nature?

Lab notes 3 - Plate tectonics

Materials

Focus questions:

  • What supports the continents?

 

Challenge

 

 

 

 


Lab notes 3a - Plate tectonics Plates meeting

Materials

Focus questions:

What happens when plates meet?

 

Challenge

 

 

 

 


Lab notes 4 - Volcano intro

Materials

Cardboard, toothpaste or spray frosting

Focus questions:

  • What is volcano?
  • How do different models repesent different aspects of a volcano?

Challenge

How does the balloon represent an aspect of a volcano?

 

 

 

How does the cardboard and toothpaste demonstrate volcanoes on Earth. Use crust, mantle, core, earth materials, magma, and plates.

 

 

 

Lab notes 5 - Understanding Volcanoes

Materials

Research materials

Challenge

What kinds of volcanoes are constructed?

Volcano type

 

Information requirements

Picture or diagram and location of real examples

 

 

 

 

Description of the tectonic activity

 

 

 

 

Magma movement of how the earth materials are pushed out of the Earth (deconstructive)

 

 

 

 

 

Results of the constructed structures on the surface of the Earth

 

Support materials

Earthlayers

Earth Layers

Ring of fire

Ring of fire

Gall-Peters World map with seven continents

Continents map

World map - blank

World map blank

San Andreas Fault

San Andreas Fault

Brownies as cooling Earth

Brownies

 

Brownies as Earth material

Brownies

Brownies as Earth material

Brownies

 

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