Loreen Davila- Lesson Plan

Subject(s): _The Dynamic Ocean Floor _ Date: _4/17/15____________

Teacher: _Loreen Davila_________ School: _CSUDH Elementary School______________

1.

Objective (What is the topic of discussion and reason for learning?)

Our topic of discussion is to study the complex aspects of the dynamic ocean
floor and its relationship with plate tectonics.

2.

Learning Target(s): (What will students know & be able to do as a result of this
lesson?)
Students will be able to list the major differences between Earths lithosphere
and asthenosphere and explain the importance of each in the plate tectonics
theory. Students will also be able to list and describe the evidence used to
support the plate tectonics theory. Lastly, students will be able to explain why
plates, such as the African and Antarctic plates, are getting larger, while the
Pacific plate is getting smaller.
Students should know and understand the following terms:
Pangaea: A proposed supercontinent that 20 million years ago began to break
apart and form the present landmasses.
Lithosphere: The rigid outer layer of Earth, including the crust and upper
mantle.
Asthenosphere: A subdivision of the mantle situated below the lithosphere.
This zone exists below a depth of about 100 kilometers and in some regions
extends as deep as 700 kilometers.
Divergent plate boundary: A region where the rigid plates are moving apart,
typified by the mid-ocean ridges.
Seafloor spreading: The process of producing new seafloor between two
divergent plates.
Convergent plate boundary: A boundary in which two plates move together,
causing one of the slabs of lithosphere to be consumed into the mantle as it
descends beneath an overriding plate.
Transform plate boundary: A boundary in which two plates slide past one
another without creating or destroying lithosphere.
Transform fault: A major strike-slip fault that cuts through the lithosphere and
accommodates motion between two plates.
Deep-ocean trenches: Surface manifestations produced as oceanic lithosphere
descends into the mantle.

3.

Relevance/Rationale: (Why are the outcomes of this lesson important in the real
world? How will it benefit students to know this topic?)
The outcomes of this lesson are important because students should know and
understand that plate tectonics have a major relationship with us on Earth.
Students also need to understand the many complex aspects and
interrelationships of the dynamic ocean floor.

4.

Formative Assessment Criteria for success: (How will you & your students
know if they have successfully met the outcomes? By what criteria will they be
assessed?)
A test will be given in which the students will compare and contrast the three
types of convergent plate boundaries and name a location where each can be
found.

5.

Activities/Tasks: (What learning experiences will students engage in?)

Students will perform an experiment that shows them what a lithosphere looks
like:
Have each student tear the cup into about 12 pieces to represent the major
tectonic plates underlying the earths surface, and float them on the water, in
turns. They have just modeled the lithospherethe place deep below the
surface of the earth where the tectonic plates are located. In the real lithosphere,
the tectonic plates are floating on magma. Here they are floating on water.
Students should gently experiment with their tectonic plates. First, they should
pull them apart. Ask them, What do you see in the space where the pieces
once touched? (Water. In real life, this is magma.)

6.

Resources/Materials: (What texts, digital resources, & Materials will be used in

this lesson?)
Earth Science textbook, water in a pan, Styrofoam cup.