ES: Earth's Interior and Plate Tectonics

14 Components
Unit Overview
Earth's Interior & Plate Tectonics Unit Plan From Pangaea to the Present Unit 2 Regents-Based Item Bank
5E Instructional Model Plans
Plate Boundaries & Surface Features 5E Instructional Model Plan What's inside the Earth? 5E Instructional Model Plan What's Driving the Plates? 5E Instructional Model Plan
Highlighted Resources
Unit 2 Professional Development Booklet Unit 2 Formative Assessment Probe Seismic Waves & Earth's Interior Investigation Inferred Properties of Earth's Interior: Three Level Guide to Diagram Interpretation Earthquake Wave Seismogram: Three Level Reading Guide for Diagram Interpretation Locating the Mystery Epicenter of an Earthquake Investigating Plate Boundaries
Laboratory Experiences and Ordering Lab Materials
Ordering Laboratory Supplies through Lab-Aids
ES Unit 2: ES: Earth's Interior and Plate Tectonics
Browse Components
Unit Overview
Earth's Interior & Plate Tectonics Unit Plan From Pangaea to the Present Unit 2 Regents-Based Item Bank
5E Instructional Model Plans
Plate Boundaries & Surface Features 5E Instructional Model Plan What's inside the Earth? 5E Instructional Model Plan What's Driving the Plates? 5E Instructional Model Plan
Highlighted Resources
Unit 2 Professional Development Booklet Unit 2 Formative Assessment Probe Seismic Waves & Earth's Interior Investigation Inferred Properties of Earth's Interior: Three Level Guide to Diagram Interpretation Earthquake Wave Seismogram: Three Level Reading Guide for Diagram Interpretation Locating the Mystery Epicenter of an Earthquake Investigating Plate Boundaries
Laboratory Experiences and Ordering Lab Materials
Ordering Laboratory Supplies through Lab-Aids
5E Instructional Model Plan:

What's Driving the Plates? 5E Instructional Model Plan

Plan for teaching about convection and plate motion using the 5E Instructional Model as a framework

5-7 days
See Standards
Earth Science (NY State Core Curriculum, 2005) - Standard 4:
ES 2

Key Idea 2: Many of the phenomena that we observe on Earth involve interactions among components of air, water, and land.

ES 2.1

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 2.1: Use the concepts of density and heat energy to explain observations of weather patterns, seasonal changes, and the movements of Earth's plates.

ES 2.1b

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 2.1b: The transfer of heat energy within the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and Earth's interior results in the formation of regions of different densities. These density differences result in motion.

ES 2.1k

MAJOR UNDERSTANDING 2.1k: The outward transfer of Earth's internal heat drives convective circulation in the mantle that moves the lithospheric plates comprising Earth's surface.

Analysis, Inquiry, and Design SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY (NY State Core Curriculum, 2005) - Standard 1:
SI 1

KEY IDEA 1: The central purpose of scientific inquiry is to develop explanations of natural phenomena in a continuing and creative process

SI 1.1

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 1.1: Elaborate on basic scientific and personal explanations of natural phenomena, and develop extended visual models and mathematical formulations to represent one's thinking.

SI 1.2

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 1.2: Hone ideas through reasoning, library research, and discussion with others, including experts

SI 1.3

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 1.3: Work towards reconciling competing explanations; clarify points of agreement and disagreement

SI 3.3

PERFORMANCE INDICATOR 3.3: Assess correspondence between the predicted result contained in the hypothesis and actual result, and reach a conclusion as to whether the explanation on which the prediction was based is supported

Common Core Learning Standards - Grades 6-12 Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, & Technical Subjects:
9-10.R.ST.2

Reading: Key Ideas and Details

Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text’s explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.

9-10.R.ST.3

Reading: Key Ideas and Details

Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text. 

9-10.R.ST.4

Reading: Craft and Structure

Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 9–10 texts and topics.

9-10.R.ST.7

Reading: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.

9-10.R.ST.9

Reading: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Compare and contrast findings presented in a text to those from other sources (including their own experiments), noting when the findings support or contradict previous explanations or accounts.

9-10.R.ST.10

Reading: Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently

9-10.W.HST.10

Writing: Range of Writing

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

While Alfred Wegener produced evidence that the continents are in motion, he could not explain what forces could move them. In this 5E sequence students will explore models of Earth's interior processes in order to gain insight about what might be driving the motion of Earth's plates. Students will be able to explain the role of Earth's internal structure and properties in driving plate motion and crustal relationships.

Resources: