Plate Tectonics is the third unit in the Earth & Space science course. Intended to fill a month of science learning, it has plenty of information and activities to carry you weeks beyond that time. In this unit, you will learn about the way the crust is broken up into moving plates that cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain formation. It contains sections on:
- Moving Plates
- Volcanoes
- Earthquakes
- Mountain Building
Some of the activities inside this unit include:
- Tectonic Cookie Continents activity
- Notebooking pages about Alfred Wegener and the unifying theory of geology
- Map of ocean ridges and the ages of the rock
- Baking soda and vinegar volcano activity
- Escape the Volcano game
- Strike-slip fault simulator experiment
- Plus much more!
Each Layers of Learning Science unit includes library lists of books, a family read-aloud suggestion, hands-on activities, printables and paper crafts, sidebars for extra learning, and tools to help you assess student’s progress and mastery.
Flexibility
This unit was written to be used for a month but contains plenty of content for many more weeks of learning if you choose. This is a pick-and-choose curriculum, meant to be cycled back to in the future when your child is older. As such, it intentionally includes far more material than you can possibly cover in a month.
Plate Tectonics is also part of the overall Earth & Space course, the first Year of the four year Layers of Learning Science cycle. If you use the program in order, it will take you though the four branches of science from Earth & Space to Biology to Chemistry to Physics in a logical progression where skills are learned and then practiced and used. However, each unit stands alone and can be used independently of any other unit.
Printable Pack
This unit comes with a downloadable Printable Pack that includes all the student worksheets. The printables can be copied as many times as needed for your family or class.
This is the Printable Pack cover. You can download the Printable Pack from your receipt or from your account at Layers of Learning.
Extra Resources
This unit comes with extra weblinks and a YouTube video playlist on the Earth & Space Resources page.
chantellegrubbs –
We have really enjoyed this science unit. There were so many activities that looked perfect and it was difficult to choose just a few. My kids enjoyed it and learned so much!
Melissa Downer –
So many great options for activities to do to solidify learned knowledge.
Kaya Seaton –
We did this unit months ago, and my kids can STILL recall detailed information from the projects we did. SO many great explorations in this one!! We loved it!