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Resource Title:Plate tectonics : moving middle school science
Description:This electronic publication about plate tectonics features online resources that were hand-picked for middle school teachers. The resources are organized into three sets: background information (for teachers and students), activities (single-day and multiple-day), and animations. National Science Education Standards related to plate tectonics are also provided. Each resource set begins with a discussion of its strengths. For example, students work with models and data in the activities, many of which are discovery-oriented. Teaching tips and usage suggestions are offered in the set introductions and in the descriptions of individual resources. Together, the resources address topics such as the development of the plate tectonics theory and the types of plate boundaries and their locations. The resources come from collections in the National Science Digital Library (NSDL). Links are provided to the original collections and to catalog records describing each resource. Copyright 2005 Digital Libraries @ The Ohio State University

Additional Resource Information

Author Carolee Barber
Judith Ridgway
Contributor(s) Carolee Barber
Judith Ridgway
NSDL Middle School Portal At ENC
Date Published 2005
Grade Level Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Middle School
Intended Audience Learner
Language En
Publisher / Resource Provider NSDL Middle School Portal At ENC
Resource Format Image/jpeg
Text/html
Rights Information Http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Subject Keyword(s) Earth Processes
Earth and Space Science
Education Issues
Instructional Materials
Science
Content contained within the resource:
Plate Tectonics for Middle School Science Teachers Middle School Portal  Search Entire Site Math Pathway Science Pathway for   Science Publications Table Of Contents Plate Tectonics: Moving Middle School Science Introduction Background Information Animations Activities National Science Education Standards Introduction When we asked middle school science teachers which topics are important to them, plate tectonics was among the most popular answers. And why not? It is a rich topic that opens students' minds to changes occurring through time. It challenges the students to exercise their critical thinking skills as they consider Earth movements they rarely feel. It also gives students insight into the changes typical in scientists' thinking. Students see how ideas were rejected and accepted as the plate tectonics theory developed. This publication offers a sampling of exciting activities and animations to support students as they piece together the plate tectonics puzzle. In some activities, students examine different sources of evidence to try to figure out where and how the Earth has changed. They will experience those cherished "aha!" moments when natural phenomena start to make sense. We have also included excellent reading resources to fill the gaps in students' and teachers' understanding of plate tectonics . National Science Education Standards (1996) describes the concepts involved in plate tectonics as they relate to the structure of the Earth system, the Earth's history, and the history of science. (Here's more about national standards .) We purposely chose to hold off deeper explorations of earthquakes, mountain building, and volcanoes. No doubt you will see them featured in future issues of this publication. If your junior Earth scientists are yearning for more about those topics, please follow the hyperlinks to browse digital resources that address those terms. In the meantime, enjoy the Earth's moves!   Back to top by Judy Ridgway and Carolee Barber, formerly of ENC Instructional Resources Judy Ridgway was ENC's Assistant Director of Instructional Resources. She is a veteran educator in the biological sciences. Carolee Barber was a science education resource specialist at ENC. She has science teaching experience at the high school and college levels.   Back to top Copyright November 2004 — The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0424671. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License .