Remember when we made different models of the earths layers. To model the interactions of earths tectonic plates as they move about its surface. Weathering and erosion science lab activity continued directions for part 2. Plate tectonics strand earth patterns, cycles, and change topic investigating plate tectonics primary sol 5. Lab worksheet plate tectonics wenatchee valley college. Plate movement directly affects the construction of earths surface because the land recycles and creates new crust by divergent plates.
The graham cracker represents the thicker but less dense continental plate, while the fruit roll represents the thin but dense oceanic plate. Graham cracker plate tectonics lab stepbystep photo instructions. The theory of plate tectonics states that the crust of the earth is composed of seven major. Graham cracker plate tectonics this quick and tasty kids science activity gives little scientists a hands on way to explore plate tectonics the movement of the earths crust that leads to the formation of volcanoes, mountains, and oceanic trenches.
The theory of plate tectonics states that the crust of the earth is composed of seven major plates and numerous smaller plates. Jan 29, 2015 at the plate boundaries, plates may converge collide, diverge separate, or slide past each other transform boundary. Dec 04, 2011 place the graham crackers on opposite sides of the plate. These plates move on the top of the hot plastic upper mantle known as the asthenosphere. Snack tectonics lab and write down the questions and answers in your journal after thursdays lab.
Name date class period snack tectonics lab exercise. Once the graham crackers have touched each other, note how the marshmallow spreading is a different shape than it was at the start of the experiment. Though alfred wegener was the first to suggest the theory of continental drift and plate tectonics in 1915, it wasnt widely accepted until the 1960s and 1970s as new information was obtained about the nature of the ocean floor, earths magnetism, the distribution of volcanoes and. Key concepts include e changes in earths crust due to plate tectonics. Familiarize yourself with the data the maps on the right illustrate the major features on the ocean floor the midocean ridge and trenches, and the global distributions of earthquakes and volcanoes. Graham cracker plate tectonics lab stepbystep photo. Model the plates movements using frosting and graham crackers to. Graham cracker plate tectonics plate tectonics, earth. In addition, some plates may appear to be inactive. The theory also states that the motion of these plates creates a variety of interactions at the plate boundaries. Dip one end of each of the two graham crackers into a cup of water about 2 cm. These plates ride on the hot plastic upper mantle called the asthenosphere. Founded in 2002 by nobel laureate carl wieman, the phet interactive simulations project at the university of colorado boulder creates free interactive math and science simulations.
Exploring the movement of tectonic plates with smores. Schaefer the theory of plate tectonics states that the crust of the earth is composed of 7 major plates and numerous smaller plates. The pattern of positive and negative magnetic anomalies in the elrond sea can be. Edible plate tectonics page plate tectonics boundary graphic organizer example part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5. Petersburg this activity seeks to have students analyze global data sets on earthquake and volcano distributions toward identifying major plate boundary types in different regions on the earth. Lectures prior to the lab should have covered the basics of plate tectonics, including the different types of plate boundaries.
Using graham crackers, fruit by the foot, and frosting they made videos of the different plate boundaries found on earth. Elaborate on all learning through this experience and other class activities dealing with plate boundaries. Jul 14, 2014 plate tectonics as expressed in geological landforms and events jeff ryan, university of south floridast. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. On the map on page 9, highlight the midocean ridge in the elrond sea and label it the hobbit ridge. These plates ride on the hot plastic upper mantle known as the asthenosphere.
Here is a set of pre lab, lab, and post lab lesson plans on plate tectonics. This video walks through the gram cracker plate tectonics lab. Reuse the graham cracker used above for this activity. The crust is broken into pieces, which is why i gave you two graham crackers. Read and follow all instructions for each part, then answer the questions that follow. Use the knife spread a thick layer of frosting in the center of the wax paper. Spread a thick layer of frosting on the paper plate. Access the answers to hundreds of plate tectonics questions that are explained in a way thats easy for you to understand. Finally we used our last graham crackers to make a subduction zone what happens when a more dense oceanic plate is thrust under a less dense continental plate. To understand how plate boundaries interact with each other and the features created as they drift atop the slow moving asthenosphere. Print out sets of these stepbystep photo instructions to help your students successfully model plate tectonic activity using graham crackers, cake icing and fruit rollups. Nov 14, 20 this is a video created by the 20 8th grade science classes of agwsr. My 5 year old instantly recognized this boundary as its what led to the formation of all the volcanic mountains that surround us.
Learn how earths tectonic plates interact in this delicious activity. How are convergent plates different from divergent plates. Graham cracker plate tectonics lesson plan for 7th 10th. How the activity is situated in the course this is a standalone exercise typically given near the beginning of the course in either discussion or lab section. Graham cracker plate tectonics lab stepbystep photo instructions fourth grade. Graham cracker plate tectonics lab just a little info the theory of plate tectonics states that the crust of the earth is composed of seven major plates and numerous smaller plates. The theory of plate tectonics states that the crust of the earth is composed of 7 major plates and numerous smaller plates. Provide facts and details that indicate a complete and thorough understanding of how plates move and how each plate boundary works. Mineral is the correct answer because it is one substance, the same through. Remove the graham cracker from the frosting from part 1. Movements deep within the earth, which carry heat from the hot interior to the cooler surface, cause the plates to move very slowly on the surface, about 2 inches per year on average. Break one whole graham cracker into two square pieces by following the perforations on the cracker.
Unless otherwise specified, this work by washington state colleges is licensed under a creative commons attribution 3. This is another fun activity with a sweet treat reward at the end. Press down along these edges while pushing crackers away. Graham cracker plate tectonics plate tectonics, earth science. Immediately remove the crackers and lay them end to end on the cool whip with the wet edges nearly touching. Observe the condition of the cracker and the water in the bottom of the plate. Dip one end of each of the two graham crackers two centimeters into a cup of water.
How do wet crackers act more like real plates than dry crackers. Graham cracker plate tectonics playdough to plato teach kids about plate tectonics with graham crackers and cool whip. Every ten seconds, push the graham crackers closer to each other. Gently put the wet cracker section and a dry cracker section on the layer of frosting. Observe what is happening to the marshmallow spread. The theory of plate tectonics provides geology with a comprehensive theory that explains how the earth works. Plate movements introduction the theory of plate tectonics states that the crust of the earth is composed of less than twenty separate plates that float on the hot plastic mantle of the inner earth.
Now lay a quarter of a whole graham cracker and the fruit roll end to end against each other on top of the frosting. This theory also says that most of these plates are in. To identify and describe the three types of plate boundaries and their individual effects on the earth prelab questions. Its the perfect combination to our action packed landform activity pack. After each activity students will answer the reinforcement questions as well as. Give each student a paper plate covered in frosting and several. What are some features on earth that are caused by plate movement. After completing the previous labs on volcanoes and earthquakes, sixth graders use the gained knowledge to explore plate boundaries and the movement of earths. Lay the two pieces of graham crackers side by side on top of the frosting so they are touching. Buy wax paper, knives, frosting, fruit rollups, and graham crackers. Graham cracker plate techtonics lab demo sacs 8th science.
I observed the graham cracker sliding past the other graham cracker and it getting stuck and crumbling at the edges. The dent on the cracker should not be as pronounced as the middle and like the previous iterations there should be crumbs in the water. Students will use shaving cream and graham crackers to simulate the three types of plate boundaries transform, divergent, and convergent. Perfect balance of teacher structure and student learning. Use your lab sheet to describe what you observed in each part. Graham cracker model of plate tectonics class set do not mark. In this plate tectonics worksheet, students use graham crackers, frosting, water and a paper plate to simulate tectonic processes such as convergent, divergent and transforming plate boundaries. Jul 06, 2017 this video walks through the gram cracker plate tectonics lab. Plate movement directly affects the destruction of earths surface because the more dense plates sink causing a trench where the plates are thoroughly destroyed. This theory also says that most of these plates are in motion, creating. Second grade lesson incredible edible earth changes. Print out sets of these stepbystep photo instructions to help your students successfully model plate tectonic activity using graham crackers, cake.
What happens to the wet ends of the graham crackers. Go directly to plate tectonics activity 114k requires shockwave take a hardboiled egg and crack its shell. What feature do the resulting ends of the wet crackers represent. With these photoenhanced instructions, you wont need to lead your students through the lab. Phet sims are based on extensive education research and engage students through an intuitive, gamelike environment where students learn through exploration and discovery. To represent the natural world by creating models and analyzing their limitations. Plate boundary description landformsfeatures materials. In this activity, ocean plates are represented by fruit roll ups and continental crust is represented by graham crackers. Plate tectonics graham cracker lab by science station tpt. It should be about the size of a whole graham cracker but twice as thick. Each piece of graham cracker represents a continental plate. When there is a crack in the plate, we call that a fault.
The theory of plate tectonics states that the earths lithosphere is broken into 15 major plates and that move on the top of the hot. Introduction to physical geology created by ralph l. This quick and tasty kids science activity gives little scientists a hands on way to explore plate tectonics the movement of the earths crust that leads to the formation of volcanoes, mountains, and oceanic trenches. Students responses may vary but could include that they observed the layers of. For this activity, i grabbed a box of graham crackers, some cool whip, and a plate. This graham cracker plate tectonics lesson plan is suitable for 7th 10th grade. Draw a diagram and explain the origin of the striped magnetic anomaly pattern visible in the elrond sea. The purpose of this lab is to demonstrate the different types of interactions at plate boundaries. Graham cracker model of plate tectonics miss hernandez. The graham crackers represent the crust of the earth. Graham cracker plate tectonics earth science activities.
66 969 469 1246 1446 1327 664 532 86 868 471 485 1220 534 729 681 699 296 24 540 458 443 1189 1456 772 248 1030 1156 1274 1042