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Blocking the Flow ................................. 172Earth’s Water ........................................ 182Uses for Water ...................................... 184River Basins ......................................... 191Help Save the Birds! ............................. 192Mini Water Treatment Simulation .......... 200Pollution Paradigm ............................... 206Drainage Details ................................... 217Water Rights and Responsibilities .......... 227Water Island .......................................... 236Meter Tape ........................................... 248Parent Letter ......................................... 249Materials List ........................................ 250Earth Science Assessment ................... 251Earth Science Assessment Key ............ 254The AIMS Program ............................... 255Model of Learning ................................. 257Chinese Proverb ................................... 261
Standards Alignment ................................ 2Safe Science ............................................. 5Scientifi c Inquiry ....................................... 6Assembling Rubber Band Books ............. 10Science Journal ...................................... 11Earth’s Structure .................................... 12Constructing Continents ......................... 14Constructive and Destructive Processes ....................................... 23Earth Construction Zone ......................... 25Plotting the Evidence .............................. 34Down on the Ocean Floor ....................... 43Shakes and Quakes ................................ 49Isn’t it Interesting: Shaking Up the Facts ..................... 59Quake Queries ....................................... 60Rate the Risks ......................................... 68Volcanoes ............................................... 76Topping Off Mount St. Helens ................. 82Time for Change ..................................... 89Peanut Butter and Jelly Geology ............. 91Ice Breakers ........................................... 98Weathering Activity Cards .................... 106Chalk It up to Weathering ..................... 112Earth Changes ..................................... 126Sand Dunes and Snow Drifts ................ 127Sandy Beaches ..................................... 134River Run .............................................. 143Rain Away ............................................ 151Erosion ................................................. 158Barrier Island Baffl er ............................. 160
You are entitled to unlimited copyright privileges of the student pages that are included. This copyright privilege extends only to one classroom/one teacher. Thank you!
Habits of MindS5CS1. Students will be aware of the importance
of curiosity, honesty, openness, and skepti-cism in science and will exhibit these traits in their own efforts to understand how the world works.d. Take responsibility for understanding the
importance of being safety conscious.Sand Dunes and Snow DriftsSandy Beaches
S5CS2. Students will have the computation and estimation skills necessary for analyzing data and following scientifi c explanations.a. Add, subtract, multiply, and divide whole
numbers mentally, on paper, and with a calculator.
Quake QueriesWater Island
b. Use fractions and decimals, and trans-late between decimals and commonly encountered fractions—halves, thirds, fourths, fi fths, tenths, and hundredths (but not sixths, sevenths, and so on)—in scientifi c calculations.
Plotting the EvidenceDown on the Ocean FloorPollution Paradigm
S5CS3. Students will use tools and instruments for observing, measuring, and manipulating objects in scientifi c activities utilizing safe laboratory procedures.b. Measure and mix dry and liquid materi-
als in prescribed amounts, exercising reasonable safety.
Ice BreakersPollution Paradigm
c. Use computers, cameras and recording devices for capturing information.
Quake QueriesUses for Water
Georgia Core Curriculum
Fifth Grade Performance Standards
d. Identify and prac-tice accepted safety procedures in manipulating science materials and equipment.
Sand Dunes and Snow DriftsSandy Beaches
S5CS4. Students will use ideas of system, model, change, and scale in exploring scientifi c and technological matters.a. Observe and describe how parts infl uence
one another in things with many parts.Help Save the Birds!Mini Water Treatment Simulation
b. Use geometric fi gures, number sequenc-es, graphs, diagrams, sketches, number lines, maps, and stories to represent cor-responding features of objects, events, and processes in the real world. Identify ways in which the representations do not match their original counterparts.
Earth Construction ZoneDown on the Ocean FloorQuake QueriesTopping Off Mount St. HelensPeanut Butter and Jelly GeologyRiver RunBlocking the FlowDrainage DetailsWater Rights and Responsibilities
c. Identify patterns of change in things—such as steady, repetitive, or irregular change—using records, tables, or graphs of measurements where appropriate.
Constructing ContinentsPlotting the Evidence
d. Identify the biggest and the smallest pos-sible values of something.
S5CS5. Students will communicate scientifi c ideas and activities clearly.a. Write instructions that others can follow
in carrying out a scientifi c procedure.Weathering Activity Cards
b. Make sketches to aid in explaining sci-entifi c procedures or ideas.
Earth Construction ZonePeanut Butter and Jelly Geology
c. Use numerical data in describing and comparing objects and events.
Down on the Ocean FloorQuake QueriesRate the RiskTopping Off Mount St. HelensRiver RunRain AwayHelp Save the Birds!
d. Locate scientifi c information in reference books, back issues of newspapers and magazines, CD-ROMs, and computer databases.
Quake QueriesBlocking the Flow
The Nature of ScienceS5CS7. Students will be familiar with the charac-
ter of scientifi c knowledge and how it is achieved.Students will recognize that:b. Some scientifi c knowledge is very old and
yet is still applicable today.Constructing Continents
S5CS8. Students will understand important features of the process of scientifi c inquiry.Students will apply the following to inquiry learning practices:c. Scientists use technology to increase
their power to observe things and to mea-sure and compare things accurately.
Quake Queries
d. Science involves many different kinds of work and engages men and women of all ages and backgrounds.
Sand Dunes and Snow DriftsSandy BeachesBarrier Island Baffl er
• EarthquakesEarth Construction ZonesQuake Queries
• VolcanoesEarth Construction ZonesDown on the Ocean Floor
• Faults Earth Construction ZonePeanut Butter and Jelly Geology
b. Identify and fi nd examples of surface fea-tures caused by destructive processes. • Erosion (water—rivers and oceans,
wind)Sand Dunes and Snow DriftsSandy BeachesRiver RunRain AwayErosion
• Weathering Ice BreakersWeathering Activity CardsChalk It up to WeatheringTime for ChangeEarth Changes
• Impact of organisms Weathering Activity Cards
• Earthquake Plotting the EvidenceShakes and QuakesIsn’t It Interesting: Shaking Up the FactsQuake Queries
• Volcano Plotting the EvidenceVolcanoesTopping Off Mount St. Helens
c. Relate the role of technology and human intervention in the control of constructive and destructive processes. Examples include, but are not limited to • Seismological studies
ScissorsColored pencilsCrayonsMarkers, washableGlue sticksWhite glueRubber bands, #19Chart paperFine-tip overhead pens, red and blackTransparency fi lmChalkSticky notes, pink and greenConstruction paper, 12" x 18"ClaySteel woolSpongesVinegarBaking sodaChocolate icingGraham crackersChocolate chip cookiesChocolate chipsCraft sticksPaper platesWhite breadWhole-wheat bread
Rye breadJam or jellyCrunchy peanut butterRaisinsPlastic spoonsPlastic cups, 9 ozPlastic cups, 10 ozPaper cups, 3 ozStyrofoam cupsPlastic bowlsPlastic recloseable bag, gallon sizeAluminum foilPaper towelsDishwashing soapSandpaperSmall water balloonsBucketUnglazed brickPlaster of ParisFine sandPebblesDirtPotting soilPea gravelEmpty milk cartonsShoebox lid
Drinking strawsNewspapersWater containersFood coloring, red and yellowFlat pieces of wood (lath or lattice strip)Rectangular pansCardboardMarblesGelatin dessertPlastic wrapThreadBaby food jarsToothpasteStyrofoam peanutsPinsCardboard tubeRadish seedsEmpty can with plastic lidMarble chipsSandstoneCoffee fi ltersCharcoal briquettesCotton ballsAmmonium alumSpray bottles
TopicPlate boundaries
Key QuestionHow can you use models to learn about constructive and destructive forces on the Earth?
Learning GoalsStudents will:• identify how plate boundaries can contribute to
constructive and destructive forces,• model how plates can move, and• identify some Earth features plate movements can
create.
Guiding DocumentsProject 2061 Benchmark• How fast things move differs greatly. Some things
are so slow that their journey takes a long time; others move too fast for people to even see them.
NRC Standards• Lithospheric plates on the scales of continents and
oceans constantly move at rates of centimeters per year in response to movements in the mantle. Major geological events, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building, result from these plate motions.
• Landforms are the result of a combination of con-structive and destructive forces. Constructive forces including crustal deformation, volcanic eruption, and deposition of sediment, while destructive forces include weathering and erosion.
ScienceEarth science geology plate tectonicsPhysical science force and motion
Integrated ProcessesObservingComparing and contrastingRelatingUsing models
MaterialsFor each student group: chocolate icing 1 graham cracker (see Management 1)
4 chocolate chip cookies (see Management 1) aluminum foil, approximately 30 cm square 5 chocolate chips craft stick plastic spoon
Background Information The Earth’s crust is broken into large pieces called plates. The composition of the plates plays an impor-tant role in their interactions. There are two types of plates, oceanic and continental. The oceanic plates are composed of mostly basalt and are more dense than the continental plates, which are composed of granite. The push and pull of forces at the edges of the plates result in three types of plate movement: convergent, divergent, and transform. Constructive and destructive forces at the plate boundaries create many physical features of the Earth.
Convergent Plate Boundaries The edges of plates pushing toward each other are called convergent boundaries. Convergent boundaries can occur between two continental crusts, two oceanic crusts, or oceanic and continental crusts. When two continental crusts collide, the crust crumples and folds, forming mountain ranges. The Himalayas, the European Alps, and the Appalachian Mountains were created this way. When oceanic crust and continental crust push together, the oceanic crust is subducted, or slides under, the less dense continental crust. Subduction can occur when oceanic crust collides with oceanic crust. The older, denser plate slides under the younger plate. The subducted crust melts in the mantle. The results of these collisions are deep trenches such as the Marianas Trench in the Pacifi c Ocean, the Puerto Rico Trench in the Atlantic, and the Peru-Chile Trench along the western coast of South America. Volcanoes often form when oceanic crust is subducted under continental crust. The volcanoes located on the West Coast of the United States are a result of this type of plate movement.
Divergent Boundaries Divergent boundaries form when molten material rises from the mantle to fi ll the gap between the spread-ing plates and solidifi es into new crust. This seafl oor spreading builds a long underwater chain of mountains dotted with volcanoes—the mid-ocean ridge. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a large section of the ridge. This type of plate movement can also take place on continental
plates. When continental plates side apart, rift valleys form. The Great Rift Valley in Africa is a result of this type of plate movement.
Transform Boundaries Where two plates slide past each other horizontally is called a transform boundary. There is a lot of friction and sometimes the two plates lock together. If enough pressure builds up, rocks in the plates are jerked apart and earthquakes occur. Transform boundaries, such as the San Andreas Fault in California, neither create nor destroy crust.
Management1. Each group will need one graham cracker broken
in half. They will also need two soft chocolate chip cookies and two regular chocolate chip cookies.
2. Each group will need approximately one-quarter cup of icing. Chocolate pudding can be substituted for the icing.
3. Point out to the students that they will need to smooth the icing out between each model.
Procedure1. Ask the Key Question and state the Learning Goals.2. Tell the students that they will be given some
materials that will be used to model constructive and destructive forces on the Earth.
3. Distribute the student pages, the aluminum foil, craft stick, plastic spoon, and the chocolate icing.
4. Point out the location for the remainder of the materials and tell the students to use the information on the student sheet and materials to explore how the plates of the Earth interact.
5. Direct a discussion on what the students learned from the models.
6. Distribute the plate boundary study print. Ask them to write paragraphs describing what is taking place at each type of boundary and identifi ng whether there is a constructive force or a destructive force at work.
Connecting Learning1. What are the two types of plates? [continental plates
and oceanic plates]2. How are divergent plates different from convergent
plates? [Divergent plates are moving apart and convergent are moving together. Different geologic features are formed at the different types of bound-aries. Convergent boundaries form mountains as well as deep ocean trenches. Volcanoes can also form at these locations. Divergent boundaries form the mid-ocean ridges.]
3. What are some of the features of the Earth that are constructed by plate movements? [trenches, ridges, mountains, and volcanoes]
4. How did the models help you learn more about how plates on the Earth create constructive and destructive forces?
5. The Appalachian Mountains are a result of two continental plates pushing together. What does that tell you about the past geologic history of the plate the Appalachian Mountains are on since there is not a plate pushing on the North American plate? [Scientists theorize that the Appalachian Mountains resulted from the present day North American plate and African plate pushing together.]
Three types of plate movement: Divergent Convergent Transform
The fi rst type of plate movement you will model is at a divergent plate boundary. Place a large spoonful of icing on the aluminum foil. You will need to place two pieces of gra-ham cracker next to each other on the icing. Press down slowly on the graham crackers. They represent oceanic crust. Oceanic crust is fl oating on the mantle. The icing models the mantle.
Slowly push the graham crackers about a centimeter apart. Notice how the frosting is exposed where the crackers are separated. This is a model of how magma comes to the surface where real oceanic plates are moving apart. This is a constructive Earth force.
Most divergent plate boundaries are located on oceanic crust. When plates begin to pull apart on continental crust, rift valleys are made. The Great Rift Valley in Africa is an example of this type of plate movement.
Draw and label your model. Include these things: oceanic plates and magma. Draw arrows to show the directions the plates are moving. Draw and label the rift valleys that formed between the divergent plates.
Things you will need: Aluminum foil Chocolate icing Plastic spoon Craft stick 1 graham cracker, broken in half 2 soft chocolate chip cookies 2 hard chocolate chip cookies 5 chocolate chips
The second type of plate movement you will explore is when oceanic crust converges with(meets) continental crust. Pick up one of the graham crackers. Smooth out the icing and place a hard chocolate chip cookie on the ic-ing where the graham cracker was located.
The chocolate chip cookie represents con-tinental crust. This is thicker and less dense than oceanic crust. It fl oats higher on the mantle, so don’t push it down into the icing.
Gently move the chocolate chip cookie and the graham cracker toward each other until the edge of the chocolate chip cookie is on top of the edge of the graham cracker. Place the fi ve chocolate chips on the edge of the cookie that is on top of the graham cracker.
When plates meet like this, the oceanic plate goes under the continental crust and a deep trench is formed. This is a constructive Earth force. You will often fi nd volcanoes along the edge of the continental crust where the oceanic crust is going under.
Draw and label your model. Include these labels: oceanic plate, continental plate, volcanoes, trench. Use arrows to show the directions the plates are moving.
Now you will explore when continental crust converges with (meets) continental crust. Remove the graham cracker and the hard chocolate chip cookie from the icing. Smooth out the icing. Put the two soft chocolate chip cookies into the icing. Slowly push the cook-ies toward each other. Notice how the edges crumple and push up.
This is how mountains form where continen-tal plates push together. When continents move toward each other, there is nowhere for the rock to go but up. This is a constructive Earth force.
Draw and label your model. Include these labels: continental plates, mountains. Use arrows to show the directions the plates are moving.
The last type of plate movement you will explore is when continental plates slide past each other. These are called transform plate boundaries. Remove the two soft chocolate chip cookies. Put two hard chocolate chip cookies into the icing. Push the two cookies together. Apply pressure so that two cookies begin to slide past each other.
This is the same type of movement that is taking place at the San Andreas Fault in California. You should also notice that small bits of cookies are crumbling where the two cookies are pressing together. This models that the land is under stress where plates are passing beside each other.
Draw and label your model. Use arrows to show the directions the plates are moving. Write the word “stress” where earthquakes would originate. This would be a destructive Earth force.
These experiences show some of the processes that are taking place between the plates of the Earth. Look at the drawings of the plate boundaries and tell how the models helped you learn about each type of plate interaction.
2. How are divergent plates different from convergent plates?
3. What are some of the features of the Earth that are constructed by plate movements?
4. How did the models help you learn more about how plates on the Earth create constructive and destructive forces?
5. The Appalachian Mountains are a result of two continental plates pushing together. What does that tell you about the past geologic history of the plate the Appalachian Mountains are on since there is not a plate pushing on the North American plate?
