The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

ESCAPE 7^TH GRADE SCIENCE! UNIT

Lesson Two: �Task 2: Cracking up! Plate Tectonics Race

ESCAPE 7^TH GRADE SCIENCE ROOM UNIT:��Lesson Two: �Task 2: Cracking up! Plate Tectonics Race

A 7th grade STEM lesson

Mandy Pollock

March 28, 2023

Notes for teachers

This is Task 2 (Lesson 2) of four tasks (lessons) of an overall project of “Escaping 7th Grade Science Room”

• This lesson takes place in a classroom for one or more hours.

*You may shorten each lesson/task to have the “Escape Room” one day/period.

• Students may work in small groups of 2-4.
• An emphasis on plate tectonics and continental movement
• Facilitate student reflection on that millions of years ago the continents were joined together in one supercontinent called Pangaea.
• Using some of the same evidence that scientists use, they will reconstruct this supercontinent by “earning” one piece of the Pangea puzzle by answering questions for each piece, making it a race between groups.

Lesson 1: Click here

Lesson 3: Click here

Lesson 4: Click here

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List of Materials:

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Pangea pieces in an envelope per group (included – Slide 13)

PangeaPuzzle.1.docx

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Pangea puzzle and organizer per group (included – Slide )

PangeaPuzzle.2.docx

PangeaPuzzle.3.docx

PangePuzzle.Answer.docx

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Pangea Article

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Question Strips

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Task Card per group (included – Slide 14)

PangeaPuzzleTaskCard.docx

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Scissors per group

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Glue per group

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Colored pencils/markers

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Arizona State Science Standards

7.E1U1.6 Construct a model to explain how the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures provides evidence of the past plate motions.

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Core Idea:

U1: (Phenomena):

Scientists explain phenomena using evidence obtained from observations and or scientific investigations. Evidence may lead to developing models and or theories to make sense of phenomena. As new evidence is discovered, models and theories can be revised.

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Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns; Cause and Effect; Scale, Proportion and Quantity; Systems and System Models; Energy and Matter; Structure and Function; Stability and Change

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Arizona State ELA Standards

7.W.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade‐ specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above).

7.W.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.

7.W.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Objectives:

Students will:

• Explain the phenomena in patterns of landforms in and plate tectonics.
• Understand the similarities of rock and fossil types on different continents, the shapes of the continents (including continental shelves), and the locations of ocean structures (such as ridges, fracture zones, and trenches).
• Understand the theory of continental movement and plate tectonics.
• Use logic and the evidence to reconstruct the position of large islands and continents as they appeared 220 million years ago.
• Collaborate and communicate effectively with our peers to complete an engineering design challenge

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Agenda (40-60 minutes)

1. Discuss that this is “Task 2” of the “Escape 7^th Grade Science Room.”
2. Review the phenomena of plate tectonics and the reformation of continents and land, including the historical significance of Pangea and how rock and fossil types shaped different continents, including continental shelves, and the locations of ocean structures (such as ridges, fracture zones, and trenches).
3. Reconstruct the position of large island and continents as they appeared 220 million years ago using logic an evidence by answering questions related to a reading article. Questions will be in cut into strips to only allow one question to be answered at a time to earn a “piece of the puzzle.”
4. Complete Task Card to explain Pangea as well as using evidence (symbols) on the continents and islands to reconstruct Pangaea, the supercontinent. Using the globe or world map as a reference, discuss with students in what general area the continents should be positioned.
5. Turn in Task Card for teacher approval and to move on to next Escape Room Task/Lesson.

CRACKING UP! PLATE TECTONICS�

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Plate tectonics is the unifying theory that explains the past and current movements of the rocks at Earth’s surface and provides a framework for understanding its geological history.

Plate movements are responsible for most continental and ocean floor features and for the distribution of most rocks and minerals within Earth’s crust.

Maps of ancient land and water patterns, based on investigations of rocks and fossils, make clear how Earth’s plates have moved great distances, collided, and spread apart.

Watch: What did Pangea look like? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKq0pr4rbRs

REVIEW: Pangea and Plates�

Fun Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdyleCob3HU

Hands-on Activity Instructions: Cracking up! Pangea Puzzle

• Students will work in groups of 2-4. Distribute the materials to each group. Review the instructions page.
• Explain that the landmasses they will be cutting out represent the continents and some of the larger islands of the Earth the way scientists think they appeared 220 million years ago.
• Student will use the evidence (symbols) on the continents and islands to reconstruct Pangaea, the supercontinent, using the globe or world map as a reference.
• Using the physical shape of continents, age of rock layers, fossilized desert belts, and the distribution of fossils, students will fit together the continents and islands, reminding students that not all the boundaries may touch and that there might be areas of water separating some of them.
• Students will designate a “runner” to retrieve a question strip to bring back to their group. The group will write down their answer, the runner will run back to the teacher to approve the answer. If the answer is correct, the runner will then be given another piece of the puzzle as well as the next question. This will be repeated until all pieces are retrieved.
• Once students are sure the landmasses are in the correct position, they will tape or glue them onto the world map for approval.

Constraints: Groups will be given specific materials and a time limit on construction.

• Groups will then have to complete the “Task Card” to go onto the next task.

Assessment: Task Card

Upon completion of the Pangea Puzzle, students will fill out the Task Card. The teacher will determine if groups “passed the task” in order to go on to the next task in “Escape the Science Room!”

Differentiation

• Students can be provided with a labeled diagram of Pangea as well as an example and model of a Pangea map.
• Students can have a sentence-starter, pre-filled Task Card to help them with ELA sentences and comprehension.

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Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

• Students can first piece together Pangea and then, using a shake table, can see how the land formations “shake” apart and describe.

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Materials: Pangea Pieces Puzzle

Materials: Reading Passage and Questions�(Passages must be separated from questions, and questions must be divided into strips for each group to “earn” as they correctly answer one question at a time. There are more questions than pieces so you have extra).

Material: Task Card

Materials: Pangea Pieces Puzzle (Extra)