Plate Tectonics

Book Chapter | March 2011

The Reading on Plate Tectonics elaborates on the concepts presented in the Activities section of Project Earth Science: Geology, Revised 2nd Edition. This Reading was written especially for this volume with the…

Tectonic Plate Shuffle

Book Chapter | December 2016

In this lesson, students will develop a model that illustrates that the tectonic plates are moving in different directions on Earth’s surface. Disciplinary core ideas covered are Earth materials and systems and plate…

Edible Plate Tectonics: Plates Move and Interact

Book Chapter | March 2011

Plate tectonics is geology’s central theory and one of the most important in science. It provides explanations for many of Earth’s major geological processes and physical features. This Activity uses an unusual physical…

Teaching Plate Tectonics to Diverse Students Using the 5E and 5R Instructional Model

Journal Article | September 2022

Synthesizing Geologic Data Into An Argument for Plate Tectonic Theory

Journal Article | March 2020

A Virtual Tour of Plate Tectonics

Journal Article | August 2012

This article describes how teachers can use Google Earth to support inquiry instruction in both general and Earth science classrooms.

Exploring the Evolution of Plate Tectonics

Journal Article | August 2001

Students often view science, especially Earth science, as being “set in stone.” They don’t realize that scientific theories are continually being developed, refined, and discarded as new information is discovered. The…

Investigating Students' Ideas About Plate Tectonics

Journal Article | August 2006

As part of a project designed to develop, among other tools, an assessment for measuring middle school understanding in plate tectonics, researches from Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI)--a research firm specializing in…

Teacher's Toolkit: Using the Five Practices to Facilitate a Meaningful Discussion on Plate Tectonics in a Middle School Classroom

Journal Article | January 2019

This column provides how-to strategies and practical advice for the science teacher. This issue explains how you can encourage abstract reasoning and scientific thinking through a Five Practices Discussion.

Using Google Earth to Teach Plate Tectonics and Science Explanations

Journal Article | June 2012

The author describes the Cyber-Enabled Earth Exploration Curriculum. Using this curriculum, students progress from making simple observations in the Google Earth environment to creating their own data files and overlays…

Models for Developing Explanations of Earth’s Dynamic Plate System

Journal Article | March 2022