Plate Motion 3.2

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Plate Motion
Lesson 3.2: “A Continental
Puzzle”

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Warm-Up

5 MIN

Plate Motion: Lesson 3.2

Activity 1

Poll

What happens to earth's plates during an earthquake?

• Claim 1: Plates move which causes earthquakes

• Claim 2: Earthquakes cause the plates to move.

Multiple Select

Earth’s plates are constantly moving.

What evidence do scientists use to support this claim? (Hint: You may choose more than one answer.)

• Earthquakes

• Volcanic Activity

• GPS Measurements

• They watch the plates move with their eyes

Open Ended

2. If Earth’s plates are constantly moving, why don’t we need to update the locations of continents on world maps (such as the one above) all the time?

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The Value of Fossil
Evidence

10 MIN

Plate Motion: Lesson 3.2

Activity 2

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Activity 2

Plate Motion: Lesson 3.2

Chapter 1 was about understanding Earth’s
outer layer. Chapter 2 was about what’s
underneath the plates and how plates
move.

The first lesson of Chapter 3 introduced the
idea of using GPS measurements to
determine the current rate of plate motion.

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Activity 2

Plate Motion: Lesson 3.2

We know that plates are moving slowly now,
but today we’ll investigate this question:

Investigation Question:
What evidence do we have of past plate motion?

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Before you read about
past plate motion,
you’ll discuss how
information about this
might help you
understand the mystery
of the Mesosaurus
fossils.

Activity 2

Plate Motion: Lesson 3.2

Open Ended

1. How can understanding how plates move today help explain how plates moved in the past?

Open Ended

1. How could knowing about past plate motion help explain how the Mesosaurus fossils got separated?

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Active Reading: “A
Continental Puzzle”

20 MIN

Plate Motion: Lesson 3.2

Activity 3

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Finding evidence of past
plate motion and
answering our
Investigation Question
will help us explain why
the Mesosaurus fossils
are on separate
continents.

Activity 3

Plate Motion: Lesson 3.2

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Today, you’ll read an
article about a scientist
named Alfred Wegener.
His work led modern
scientists to be able to
explain what happens to
the plates and mantle at
plate boundaries.

Activity 3

Plate Motion: Lesson 3.2

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Multiple Choice

Who was the German scientist that first argued that continents on Earth's surface had moved over long periods of time?

• Alfred Wegener

• Charles Darwin

• Isaac Newton

• Marie Curie

Multiple Choice

What was the name of the supercontinent that Alfred Wegener proposed?

• Laurasia

• Gondwana

• Pangea

• Rodinia

Multiple Choice

What type of evidence did Wegener use to support his claim about the movement of continents?

• Shapes of the continents

• Similar fossils found on different continents

• Similar landforms on different continents

• All of the above

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a type of evidence used by Wegener to support his claim?

• Similar fossils found on different continents

• Ancient climate records

• Matching mountain ranges and rocks

• Shapes of the continents

Multiple Choice

What is the accepted explanation for the movement of continents?

• Theory of evolution

• Theory of gravity

• Theory of relativity

• Theory of plate tectonics

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Remember, challenging words and
phrases can be completely unfamiliar, or
ones you have seen or heard before, but you
are not sure of their exact meaning.

They can also be familiar words or phrases
used in a different context, with a meaning
other than the one you are familiar with.

Activity 3

Plate Motion: Lesson 3.2

Video Response

What interesting or unanswered questions do you still have about the article?
What connections or challenging words do you want to share?

Open Video Recorder

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Investigation Question:
What evidence do we have of past plate motion?

Plate Motion: Lesson 3.2

Remember, we are investigating this question:

Activity 4 - Screen 1

Multiple Select

What patterns did Wegener use as evidence for his claim? Select ALL that apply.

• The edges of continents have similar shapes like puzzle pieces.

• Similar landforms that are made out of the same rock can be found on different continents.

• Similar fossils are found on different continents.

• It came to him in a dream.

Multiple Select

What do you think a scientist should do if they discover an interesting pattern in the world that no one else has described, but they cannot explain what is causing the pattern? Select ALL that apply.

• • Look for more evidence

• • Conduct investigations

• • Look for similar patterns

• Make something up

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End of Lesson

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Plate Motion: Lesson 3.2