American Museum of Natural History: 8^th Grade

The Forces of the Earth

Grade 8

Learning Standard:

After this learning experience students will be able to describe the major forces that contribute to the earth’s dynamic nature, including motion within the lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere.

Time requirements:

Approximately 40min preparation time, one school day for field trip, and at least 40 min class time after returning to the class (although it is recommended that several lessons be added to the curriculum to supplement the posttrip experience).

Topics covered by this lesson: Plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes, air currents, and water currents.

PreVisit:

This lesson will be most effective towards the end of the year. After students have studied the individual systems, which constantly keep the earth in motion, and change its appearance (see: topics covered by this lesson). Students should now be able to step back from studying each phenomenon as an individual event, and look at way in which the many forces that shape the earth often work simultaneously on the same part of the earth, as well as apart.

1) To begin the review, students should answer the following questions as part of previsit questionnaire:

a. How does the movement of crustal plates lead to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes?

b. What causes ocean currents?

c. What causes global winds?

d. What are the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere?

2) Open a class discussion about the questions, and allow time for the students to share their knowledge about these topics before separating the students into buddygroups (45 kids per group) for the trip.

3) Assign buddy groups for the trip. Explain that each group will be responsible for writing down notes for a specific exhibit during the trip.

At the museum:

Students should be given a list of exhibits to visit. These sites should include the volcano, El Nino, earthquake, and plate tectonics displays. Before allowing the students to walk freely around the hall, they should be given a tour of the area to familiarize them with the layout of the room (about 45 in). Afterwards, the students should be separated into buddy groups of 45 students each. Each group will be asked to adopt a topic, which they will become experts for. For example, one group will be asked to write down as much information as possible about the exhibit on El nino, another group will be asked to do the same for the exhibit about volcanoes, and so on.... The student groups should then be given free time to visit all of the exhibits, and to take extensive notes on their adopted topic. Afterwards, the students can discuss what they have seen over lunch, before returning to school.

PostTrip/Assessment:

1) Each group will be asked to describe the exhibit that they were responsible for to the class. The will be asked to give an 8 minute oral presentation, and to hand out a onepage leaflet providing a written, and illustrated description of the exhibit. After each presentations, the class, and the teacher should ask the presenters questions regarding the interrelatedness of earth systems... some of the questions could include:

a. How might the shifting of continents over millions of years cause changes in ocean currents?

b. How might volcanic eruptions affect climate and global winds?

c. Why is it important for us to understand how earth systems interact with each other?

2) Students will then vote on their favorite and least favorite exhibits.

3) Each group will then be asked to brainstorm on possible ways to improve the worst exhibit.

4) During future classes, each group could be asked to set up their improved version of the exhibit.

How might the shifting of the continents affect ocean currents and global winds?

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