Background

 Teachers    Students

Teachers, raise your hand if you (a) don't have a middle school Earth science textbook, (b) don't adore the text you have, or (c) don't have enough books for all of your students. (If you are getting funny looks, please feel free to put your hand down now.) Whether you raised your hand or not, we imagine you'll agree with us that there's value in consulting multiple sources for background information. All of us, young and old, can deepen our understanding by synthesizing information from different sources. Plate tectonics resources may explain the theory in different tones, in differing levels of detail, or even with different illustrations--and digesting these different takes on the subject can help firm up our understanding of this groundbreaking (pun intended) theory.

We have categorized the resources here based on their primary users: teachers or students. For you, the teacher, we present reference material to help round out and deepen your knowledge of plate tectonics. Use the student materials to supplement whatever background information students would normally have at their disposal. An added plus is that two of the student resources include graphics that are a tad animated. While it might seem logical to begin a unit by having students read background information, please note that in this case it may squelch the discovery opportunities available in some of the featured activities.

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Teachers

This Dynamic Earth: the Story of Plate Tectonics http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/dynamic.html

In this beefy, superbly illustrated booklet, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) does indeed, as their title claims, deftly communicate the story of plate tectonics--with no implication, of course, that either the story of the plates or science's understanding of them is complete. The various sections address a range of information, from the development of the plate tectonics theory, to what is known about plate motions, to scientists' unanswered questions about these movements. (The plate motions section is described separately below.) Speaking of scientists, there is a particularly interesting sidebar--actually a full two pages in length--about Alfred Wegener in the historical perspective section. As you probably know, Wegener proposed the poorly received theory of continental drift, the precursor of the plate tectonics theory. Another section, about plate tectonics and people, addresses the destruction that plate movements can cause and goes where many resources don't when it discusses what humans gain from plate tectonics. MSP full record

Understanding Plate Motions http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/understanding.html

No plate tectonics unit would be complete without studying the types of plate movements. To supplement or reinforce what you already know about divergent, convergent, and transform plate boundaries, check out this material. General descriptions of each boundary type and subtype (e.g., oceanic-continental convergence) are enhanced by vivid characterizations--in both words and images--of the happenings at specific plate interfaces. The mix of photographs and labeled illustrations do a lot more than pretty up the page--they communicate the effects of plate tectonics. You may want to project some of them during class activities. There are two other pluses. The material touches on a fourth type of plate boundary that is not well-understood and may not even be mentioned in your middle school textbook: plate boundary zones. And, the final section describes how scientists determine past and present rates of plate motion. MSP full record

Major Tectonic Plates of the World http://geology.er.usgs.gov/eastern/plates.html

This single web page includes a simple, colored map of the plates followed by succinct information about the plates and the three types of plate boundaries. If you are looking for an uncluttered map on which students can label boundary types or geologic features related to plate tectonics, try this one. The only labels provided are those of the plates' names. MSP full record

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Students

Earth Like a Puzzle http://www.sio.ucsd.edu/voyager/earth_puzzle/

The engaging writing style, nontechnical vocabulary, and somewhat interactive graphics make this the most student-welcoming resource on this list. It's appropriate for a wide range of students and offers robust content. In addition to information on the evidence for plate tectonics and the continual nature of plate movements, there are explanations of how plates move relative to each other, causing earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain ranges to form. A description of the Earth's internal structure is also included. Most of the graphics ask students to either answer a question or turn on data labels. A planning note: There's much greater detail here about seafloor spreading and plate collisions than about transform boundaries. MSP full record

Plate Boundaries http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/plate4.htm

The material is sequenced nicely and is rounded out by short animations that show what occurs at divergent, convergent, and transform (conservative) plate boundaries. Because the labels in the animations have to be turned on one at a time, students can quiz themselves on the location of each labeled feature. (The labels can only be activated when the animations are still.) Please note that the text may be challenging for some middle school students to read, and no, your eyesight isn't going … the animation labels appear in a small font size. MSP full record

Plate Tectonics http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/plate_tectonics/introduction.html

Get your history of science here! This 14-screen piece (the lengthiest student source we've included) reveals in detail how the theory of plate tectonics developed. Yes, there is also basic information on Earth's internal structure, the positioning of the plates, and an overview of plate boundaries, but we selected this piece for what it emphasizes: the history of a theory's formation. It is likely that there's more detail about that history here than in a middle school text. The information illustrates scientific inquiry and the nature of science--from the number of people involved and their thought processes to the amount of time and supporting data that it can take to build a theory. The reading level may be challenging for young middle school students, and it may not be a piece you will want students to read in one setting. This is the kind of substantive resource that you can use in chunks in concert with discussion questions or writing prompts that you generate. You'll find links to teacher materials at the top of the first screen. MSP full record

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Copyright November 2004 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.