Dear Reader,
It’s fire season again in California. I hope you and yours are safe. Here in coastal San Diego, we are not in immediate danger, nor have we had any related power outages. But we are not out of woods yet, and it is stressful seeing so many fires still burning throughout the state.
Oh, and happy November 1st birthday to geophysicist Alfred Wegener (1924–1930) known for his theory of continental drift.
See ya on the Net,
Barbara J. Feldman
“Surfing the Net with Kids”
https://www.surfnetkids.com
Plate Tectonics
https://www.surfnetkids.com/resources/plate-tectonics/
Plate Tectonics Printable(** for Premium Members only)
https://www.surfnetkids.com/printables/files/printables-club/plate-tectonics.pdf
Plate tectonics theory, formulated in the 1960s and 70s, states that the Earth’s outer crust is composed of moving plates. For example, two hundred million years ago there was only one super continent named Pangaea. Plate tectonics also explains how continents, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes were created as a by-product of continental drift.
Center for Educational Technologies: Earth Floor: Plate Tectonics
Developed in partnership with NASA Classroom of the Future, this two-story virtual museum for elementary and middle school students has an Earth Floor, and one dedicated to dinosaurs. This four-page exhibit explains plate tectonics theory and three kinds of plate movement: converging, diverging and transforming. Keep in mind that continental movement is very, very slow: “from two centimeters to ten centimeters per year about the speed at which your fingernails grow.”
Enchanted Learning: Plate Tectonics
With lots of colorful illustrations, Enchanting Learning introduces continental drift and the Earth’s plates to both elementary and middle-school students. If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is an animation worth? Perhaps they are priceless. The Continental Drift animation, which can be run both forward and backwards, is a must-see that shows how the continents have moved over the last 800 million years. Also noteworthy (about three quarters down the page) are the paragraph on the father of plate tectonics, Alfred Wegener, and the quizzes and printable activity sheets.
Live Science: What Is Plate Tectonics?
“With clues left behind in rocks and fossils, geoscientists can reconstruct the past history of Earth’s continents. Most researchers think modern plate tectonics began about 3 billion years ago, based on ancient magmas and minerals preserved in rocks from that period. Some believe it could have started a billion years after Earth’s birth, at around 3.5 billion years.” This Live Science article includes videos, maps, illustrations, and links to additional resources.
… Click to continue to Plate Tectonics
Printables Club Members Also Get …
Surfnetkids Printables Club Members also get the following printables to use in the classroom, the computer lab, the school library, or to send home with students:
Plate Tectonics Printable
Printable Plate Tectonics Word Search
Wikipedia Plate Tectonics Printable
Earthquakes Printable
Volcanoes Printable
Geologic Time Scale Printable
*** Are you curious? Get your own ten-day trial membership:
https://www.surfnetkids.com/printables-club/
Related Games
Plate Tectonics Word Search
Earthquake Crossword
Earthquake Word Search
Quote of the Week
“That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way.” ~~ Doris Lessing ~~ (b. 22 October 1919) British author. To find more great quotes about learning, click this link.
Surfing the Calendar
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Jonas Salk’s Birthday Oct 28, 1914
Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 Signed Into Law Oct 28, 1998
First Internet Transmission Oct 29, 1969
John Adams’ Birthday Oct 30, 1735
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Harry Houdini’s Death Oct 31, 1926
Halloween Recipes Oct 31, 2019
Halloween Costumes Oct 31, 2019
Halloween Pumpkin Carving Oct 31, 2019
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National Magic Day Oct 31, 2019
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President First Occupies the White House Nov 1, 1800