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"Peanut Butter and Jelly" Earth Layers
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Learner Outcomes
By completing this lesson, the learner will:
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describe characteristics of lithospheric plates
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use latitude and longitude, negative integers, angle measure, decimals
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perform calculations using the computer
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determine absolute and relative plate motion rates
Materials
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Macintosh computer with Internet access for every 4 students
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WWW Browser
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PictureBook (Digital
Chisel Plate folder)
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Paper and crayons or colored pencils
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Three slices of bread for each student, varying colors and textures
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Chunky peanut butter in mini-cups
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Honey in mini-cups
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Paper plates
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Plastic knives
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Napkins
Procedures
Divide the students into groups of four. In each group, students discuss
their knowledge and assumptions about the interior of the Earth, writing
down any terminology or concepts that they recall and creating one or more
diagrams( refer to the digital chisel folder for these) with colored pencils
or crayons representing their thoughts.
Each group shares a Macintosh computer, starting the PictureBook
presentation by double-clicking on the icon. As they "click through" the
presentation, students compare their knowledge and assumptions with the
information presented in the PictureBook.
After they return
to their desks, give each student a paper plate, a plastic knife, a napkin,
a mini-cup of peanut butter, a mini-cup of honey, and three pieces of bread.
Explain that they will be building a model of the Earth's crust. The first
piece of bread represents a layer of rock. On top of the first layer, add
a layer of peanut butter, which represents a sedimentary layer of rock,
then another piece of bread, a layer of honey, and finally a last layer
of bread.
Divergent
boundary: Have students cut and pull their sandwiches apart as illustrated
in the PictureBook.
Transform
boundary: Have students slide their sandwich pieces alongside each
other as illustrated in the PictureBook.
Convergent
boundary: Have students push their sandwich pieces together as illustrated
in the PictureBook. Demonstrate that either of the pieces can be pushed
up. Where the crust is pushed up, mountains develop. Where one piece is
pushed under another a subduction zone occurs. (Note that where boundaries
are present, earthquake and volcanic activity is greatest. )
Have each student write a question that he/she would like answered about
the interior or crust of the Earth. Have the students take turns reading
their questions aloud as they eat their sandwiches. From these individual
questions, develop a concensus on a set of 3 or 4 class questions. Students
will write or post their questions.
Returning to the computers in small groups, the students use a WWW Browser
to search for answers to their questions at the following URLs.
Students will share their questions and answers.