Geological Processes

Geological Processes

 

Grade 8 Unit Plan

Laurel Apps and Lauren La Prairie

Link for Lesson with table intact:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aLbgfIRhfrnuyb454L5ZRTlt_8YdGjmh/view?usp=sharing

 

Big Ideas:

• The theory of plate tectonics is the unifying theory that explains Earth’s geological processes.

 

FPPL:

•  First People’s Principle of Learning: Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place).
• Learning involves recognizing that some knowledge is sacred and only shared with permission and/or in certain situations.

 

Curricular Competencies:

• Communicate ideas, findings, and solutions to problems, using scientific language, representations, and digital technologies as appropriate
• Express and reflect on a variety of experiences and perspectives of place
• Contribute to care for self, others, community, and world through personal or collaborative approaches

 

Cross-Curricular Connections: 

• English language arts
• ADST
• Fine arts

 

Content:

• plate tectonic movement
• major geological events of local significance
• First Peoples knowledge of local geological formations and significant local geological events
• layers of Earth

 

Determining enduring understandings- summary of what students will know and be able to do by the end of the unit:

 

Evaluation plan 3 parts: 

1. Outcomes/expectations 
2. Assessment strategies
3. Assessment tools

Science journal w/ cutouts and things to put in journals

Rubrics

Job interview for lead correspondent on the news answering questions

 

Sequence of Lessons:

 

Lesson	Outcome or Expectations	Assessment or Evaluation	What will the teacher do?	What will the students do?
1.How the world came to be	Students will read traditional, Indigenous narratives on land formations   Students will guess where in BC the stories originate from	Participation in readings and class discussion	read to students   lead class discussion, write down student ideas	listen to the story   Participate in the discussion
2. Brainstorm/ Exploration   SEL- Anxieties around earthquakes	Class brainstorm on geological processes, what we know and what we want to learn   Students will explore their own worries/anxieties around earthquakes	Chart paper on wall- each student writes on a sticky note that goes on paper   Ensure strong class community before students share anxieties	Provide prompts to begin exploration   Ensure strong class community before students share anxieties	Participate in discussion   Fill out at least one sticky note   Share feelings around geographical location with self, peer, or class
3/4. Tectonic Plate Day!! Visit from Ocean Networks Canada   Demo of convection currents on tectonic plates	Students will identify and expand on their knowledge of tectonic plates: -motion and movement of plates -convection currents -recognize different tectonic plates	Notes and drawings from what was noticed during demonstration	Provide materials and instructions for demonstration   Prompt and guide class discussion	Participate in demonstration, write in science journal to document findings   Class discussion
5/6. Earthquake day!!	Identify and expand on earthquake knowledge	See expanded lesson plan
7/8. Volcano Day!! Fill our volcano at the school library	To understand the build up of volcanoes over time and what happens under the surface.	Formative- assessment for teacher on what types of information is being taken in, and seeing based on class responses where the glaring gaps are	Teacher plays audiobook of popular title, “I survived the destruction of Pompeii” and monitor the class volcano (paper mache, to be filled with red fact paper crumple-ups) for when it will “burst” (ie. the class has filled it with enough facts. Beforehand teacher will have worked with librarian to set up a bunch of geological and volcano books, audio books and computer station	Students listen to the audio book while they look for volcano facts to add to the class volcano with provided resources. Each new fact goes on a crumpled piece of red paper (from recycling bins around school) until it is full with new class knowledge. At the return to class, students unwrap crumpled pieces and tape them to a volcano graphic organizer displayed in classroom.
9/10. Tsunami/ Flooding Day!!	Learn what processes happen in the ocean to cause tsunamis Learn key vocabulary	See expanded lesson plan
11. Act Out Day Planning	To explain the geological occurrences of an assigned event (earthquake, tsunami, volcano or tectonic plate movements) in groups. To communicate ideas clearly to peers	Teacher completes summative checklist that covers if students’: ·       Explain clearly ·       Use scientific jargon accurately ·       Clear beginning, middle, end	Teacher will divide students into groups of 5 (4 groups total) and go over criteria from checklist prior to sending groups off to plan & rehearse. Coordinates order of presentations and facilitates moving between groups	Students need to plan a short demonstration of what their geological process would look like to be performed in front of the class. Each student must have a clear role.
12. Independent or Pairs preparation for panel	To practice their investigative skills	Occurs during following lesson.	Minimal.	Researches topic of interest from unit, finds stakeholders and points of interest
13/14. Classroom panel of experts- topic= disaster response on the island	To practice and showcase their ability to communicate complicated scientific processes accurately and make connections to the real word	Summative assessment tool, utilizes a rubric to determine if main communicative, comprehension and clarity was mastered	Assessing each presentation, largely student led.	Present compelling arguments and scientific musings on case, argue with other focus experts on which event would be most damaging etc.

 

Expanded Lessons:

 

 

Lesson #5: Earthquakes

 

Main Curricular Competency for Lesson:

• Make observations aimed at identifying their own questions about the natural world

 

Vocabulary:

P wave (primary or compressional waves)- longitudinal waves, moving particles in the same direction of the wave. These waves arrive at seismic recording stations before the S waves. Humans can feel these waves as bump or bang.

 

S wave (secondary or shear waves)-complex patterns of transverse (crosswise) waves. Move slower than P waves but are larger in an earthquake.

 

Epicenter– the position on the surface of the Earth that is directly above the earthquake location

 

Magnitude-amount of fault movement at the source

 

Intensity– measure of local shaking

 

Demonstration: Earthquake Simulation Model (taken from: Natural Resources Canada)

https://teachbcdb.bctf.ca/list?q=bcscta&p=1&ps=25

 

Class discussion:

Have students record and write down questions as they are watching the demonstration. After completing the demonstration, ask them:

• what they noticed and wondered about.
• How were the waves in the water moving?
• Could they see the waves moving through the bungee cord?
• What would have happened if the string had been longer? Shorter?
• How could we measure the “magnitude” of the earthquake caused by the bricks sliding

 

Activity:

After gathering and asking further questions from the demonstration, have students form small groups to explore further about earthquakes. Ideas for exploration:

–       Create a scale of measurement and determine how large different “jerks” of the string make of earthquakes

–       What could we put in the water to help see the waves? Food colouring, salt…

–       What different materials could be used in place of water to measure waves?

–       What could we use to measure the shaking intensity of the earthquake?

 

Final Discussion:

Bring students back together for a closing discussion.

Have students share what they discovered in their experiments

Consider talking about how students feel around earthquakes and geological processes now that they have more science knowledge and understanding around the processes (use judgment based on class community strength)

 

Assessment:

Participation in the class discussion

Likenesses and Differences Graphic Organizer

 

 

Likenesses & Differences

Directions: Illustrate or write down the similarities and differences between the demonstration done by the teacher and the exploration activity done by your group

 

 

 

Concept 1:                                                                            Concept 2:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Different                                                           Same                                                           Different

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson #9: Tsunamis

 

Main curricular competency enhanced through this lesson: “Communicate ideas, findings, and solutions to problems, using scientific language, representations, and digital technologies as appropriate.”

Key Terms: 

• Subduction Zones– boundaries between tectonic plates that are pushed down due to an earthquake, causing water displacement.
• Troughs & Crests– the peaks and valleys, respectively, of waves.
• Wave Shoaling– when waves, created by tectonic energy, moving in slow, sloping formations towards shorelines.
• Displacement- when ocean water moves uncharacteristically higher or lower than typical due to tectonic movement.

First activity- creative exploration. Ask students, “what does a tsunami look like to you?” and, “Draw what you think would happen if a tsunami hit a coastline?” Give around 10 minutes so students have time to add in the details needed to show their budding understanding.

 

 

Teacher tip: Encourage them to “think like a scientist” before they begin- what types of ocean activity occurs during tsunamis? What does it look like at sea? On the shore? What movements define this phenomenon? 

 

Here is a sample of students’ artwork on tsunamis and what they may look like. At the end of the lesson, students will revisit their artwork and decide how accurate they were and what adjustments they would like to make to show their changed understanding.

 

After this, students should get into groups of 3. Each group will receive a 2L pop bottle, a 16oz pop bottle and a scoop of gravel. Groups are to discuss their predictions about what will happen to the gravel prior to carrying out simulation. Instruct students to fill the bottom of the 2L bottle with gravel, reaching about 2in in height. ShakeOut.org has the most detailed instructions, copied here:

 

 

 

“Today, we will create a tsunami in a bottle.

1. Please form groups of three (based on the number of soda bottles available).
2. Distribute the soda bottles to students.

Here is a soda bottle which will contain our tsunami.

1. Students fill their soda bottles with gravel.

One at a time, please come up and I will help you fill your soda bottles with gravel.

Please hold your bottles upright.

Fill up their bottles until there is about a two inch layer of gravel on the bottom.

1. After collecting pebbles, direct students to pour water into their bottles.

One at a time, use the empty water bottle. Fill it halfway up (8 oz) to the top at the

available water source. Carefully pour this water into your soda bottles to avoid spills.

1. When you are finished, please return to your desk and wait for everyone else to

finish. I will give you more instructions then.

1. With their bottles standing upright, say “With its cap on, carefully lie down your bottle

on its side. This will create a “hill” as the pebbles slide to the side.

1. Students create a tsunami.

Place one hand underneath the mouth of the closed bottle. Now pretend your hand

is one side of an ocean fault. If you are going to recreate an earthquake, what should

your hand do? (Move, move up) TSUNAMI!

4. All the students should create a tsunami by sharing the bottle.

What do you see as you lift the bottle? (The water moves in the bottle)

What do you think the water and the pebbles represent? (ocean and land)”

 

Taken from “ShakeOut.org’s ‘Tsunami in a Bottle’”, retrieved at https://www.shakeout.org/downloads/ShakeOut_ES1_TsunamiBottle.pdf

 

Image of comparable experiment for reference:

Retrieved from Hawaii News Now at https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/11957449/weird-science-waves-in-a-bottle/

 

Have a discussion with students about what the gravel might look like in the real world and their new observations and questions.

 

Next we’ll take a small brain break and watch a really informative video on this topic!

Watch video: How Tsunamis Work- Ted-Ed

 

Following the video, lead a class brainstorm on the following topics and add them to a class-made graphic organizer (chart paper is fine!):

• What are some distinct features of tsunamis based on this video and what we have seen so far?
• Talk about the ramifications of tsunamis on the world and prepare for classroom anxieties that students’ may bring up.

Luckily the last part of our lesson will impart some hope onto the ways tsunamis are studied and anticipated around the world!

 

The final activity is a class-wide tsunami demonstration that explores how effective warning systems are at preserving the life living along vulnerable coast lines.

 

You will need:

 

• Long tub
• Water
• Two boards
• Some sort of prop
• String
• Animal figurines and small platforms (styrofoam alternative)
• Pong balls (dressed up as buoys)

 

For comprehensive instructions and informative visual, consult the demonstration video shown here: Tsunami Warning Systems Demo

 

Afterwards have students revisit their art piece- what would they add? Omit? Do they need to overhaul it? Did they get it bang on? What is one emergency measure they would add to their tsunami art piece. This art piece with edits will be their assessment evidence for the day.