Name __________________________________________ Period ________ Score           /180 

Unit 7: Plate Tectonics

Lauren Ard
Santa Clara High School
Tucson, Arizona

Instructions: Below are the activities you can choose from to earn points for this unit. Start with the C activities. These will help you learn the basics of the unit. Activities in bold are required for every student. After you have enough points in the C section, move on to section B and then A for more challenging activities. Here's how to get the grade you want: 

F: 0 - 110 C points

D: 111 – 125 C Points

C: 126 – 145 C Points

B: 145 C Points and 5-20 B Points

A: 145 C Points, 20 B Points, and 5-15 A Points. 

When you are finished with an activity, you must sit down and discuss what you've learned with Mrs. Ard. You may not turn in more than two activities on the last day of the unit. 
 

C Activities 

Description # of Periods Points Score
Take Cornell notes on the entire unit. - 10  
Bring in a cardboard poster for your science fair project. - 20  
Do the “Convection” activity with the rest of the class on January 22. 1 20  
Do the “Vocabulary Checklist” with the rest of the class on January 28. 1 20  
Do the “Volcanoes and Plate Tectonics” activity with the rest of the class on January 25. 1 20  
Do the “Graph of Earth’s Layers” worksheet. 0.25 5  
Do the “Plates and Mantle Convection” worksheet. 0.25 5  
Watch 15-minute video called “Bill Nye: Earth’s Crust” and take one side of a page of Cornell Notes. 0.5 10  
Do the “Mystery Bags” activity. (You will try to figure out what is sealed in a bag without seeing it. Then you will compare this to what we've learned about Earth's layers.) 0.5 10  
Read an AR book about Plate Tectonics. They can be found on Mrs. Ard’s desk. You CANNOT check them out – they must stay in my room! If you score a 100% you get 15 points. If you score 80-99% you get 10 points. If you score below 80%, you get 0 points. 1 10-15  
Create a “scale model” of the Earth's layers using the white butcher paper on the counter. (For instance, you could have 1 millimeter represent 1 mile in real life.) The core is 4400 miles across, the mantle is 1800 miles thick, and the crust is 5-25 miles thick, depending on whether it’s oceanic or continental crust. 1 15  
Do the “Seafloor Spreading” activity. (You will learn about what happens in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean where the plates are diverging.) Make sure you get handouts 1, 2, and 3 to do this activity. 1 20  
Read F98 – F101 in the hardcover Earth Materials and Processes book and answer questions 1-5 on page F101. Then read F102-F104 and answer questions 1-5 on page F104. 1 20 
 
 
Read F106 – F115 in the hardcover Earth Materials and Processes book and answer questions 1-5 on page F115. Then read F156-F161 and answer questions 1-5 on page F161. 1 20  
Do the “Plate Tectonics on the Internet” activity. (You will read about plate tectonics and answer some questions.) 1 20  
Read pages 101-103 in the soft cover Earth History book and answer the questions on the worksheet titled “Destroying and Reconstructing Earth.” (You will learn about the basics of plate tectonics.) 1 20  
Do the “Plate Tectonics Puzzle” activity. (You will learn about how the continents used to fit together like a puzzle. Do not do this activity if you are not good at puzzles!) 1.5 25  
 

B Activities 

Description # of Periods Points Score
Read pages 126-127 in the hardcover book. Explain in a 5 sentence essay how Earthquakes and plate tectonics are related. Then draw a picture to illustrate your explanation. Make sure to write everything in your own words. 0.5 10  
Use the internet to research Alfred Wegener, the scientist who came up with the theory of plate tectonics. Write a 10-sentence essay or make a small poster with pictures and at least 5 facts, a title, and a picture of Wegener. Make sure it is all in your own words. 1 20  
Make a model of the three different types of plate movement using modeling clay  
(Mrs. Ard has it). Use toothpicks and paper to label the important parts of your model.
1 20  
 

A Activities 

Description # of Periods Points Score
Research volcanologist (volcano scientist) using the internet. Write about the career in a 15 sentence (or more) essay. Be sure to include a topic sentence, conclusion sentence, and at least five facts. 0.5 15  
Come up with a lesson about the Earth’s layers using a hard-boiled egg as a model. Write or type a worksheet with instructions and questions that you think would help students learn about plate tectonics and earth’s layers. Use the same format for the worksheet as Mrs. Ard uses. 1 15