Brief Description

In this lesson students will use real-time earthquake and volcano data to explore the relationship between earthquakes, plate tectonics, and volcanoes. This in an online project which allows students to access real time data, interact with experts, and publish the results of their work on the project web site.

Students will need to collect data several times a week for two weeks. This should take 5-10 minutes for each data collection. The project also has four Core Activities that are designed to be used in 45 minute class periods. The final activity is an enrichment activity that asks the students to write a letter reporting what they have learned. This letter may be posted to the site’s Student Gallery.

Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

• 4T-E1. Use telecommunications efficiently and effectively to access remote information and communicate with others in support of facilitated and independent learning
• 4T-E3. Collaboratively use telecommunications and online resources

• 6SC-P3. Use the theory of plate tectonics to explain relationships among earthquakes, volcanoes, mid-oceanic ridges and deep sea trenches
• W-E3. Write a summary that presents information clearly and accurately, contains the most significant details and preserves the position of the author

Academic

• Students will be able to plot earthquake and volcanic activity using latitude and longitude.
• Students will be able to describe the relationships among earthquakes, volcanoes, and tectonic plates.
• Students will present clearly written and organized information.
• Students will express ideas that are clear and directly related to the topic.

• Students will use the Internet to access and analyze real time data.
• Students will publish the results of their work to the project web site.

• Students need to have basic technology skills in using the Internet so they can use links and bookmarks.
• Students need to have basic skills required in saving and retrieving documents.
• Students should also have a basic understanding of latitude and longitude.

• Computer(s) with access to the Internet and Microsoft Word.
• Student activities worksheets which can be found on the project web site.
• http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/musicalplates2/index.shtml
• Printed copies of a world map with longitude and latitude. (Links to world maps can be found in Activity One)
• Pens for plotting earthquake activity

REACH (gifted students): Gifted students should be placed in groups so that they can assist in learning about latitude and longitude if they are working with students who do not have a good background knowledge in this area. This project also includes four supplemental and enrichment activities that could be used by these students. There are also several wonderful links under the Reference section of this project that gifted students could explore on their own or help other students explore.

SEI (Sheltered English Immersion) students: SEI students should also be placed in groups so that they are with a student(s) that can help them understand the various tasks in this project. SEI students could be the person who plots the earthquake activity since this is something that is more visual and uses numbers and letters. These students could also use the link titled “World Map with earthquakes from the last 30 days” found at the bottom of Activity One which would help them determine if they have correctly plotted the recent earthquake activity.

Special Education Students: Special Education students could work with groups of students and be responsible for tasks such as navigating the Internet while other group members help them understand the printed information. These students could also use the link titled “World Map with earthquakes from the last 30 days” found at the bottom of Activity One which would help them determine if they have correctly plotted the recent earthquake activity.

Procedures

Before you begin the lesson you need to decide if students will be working in small groups or if the whole class will work together. This project can take place in a lab setting or in a one computer classroom. (For a one computer classroom see “Implementation Assistance” under the Teacher Guide link.)
Provide folders for teams to keep their activity worksheets in or have one folder that the whole class will use.

Day 1: Preliminary Lesson
Teachers should go to the Teacher Guide link and click on Lesson Plans tab. Read through the lesson plan for the “Preliminary Lesson: The President Wants YOU!” before you begin with students.

• Introduce lesson
• Have students go to the site for this project: http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/musicalplates2/index.shtml
• Have students bookmark this site on all computers that will be used during this project
• Have students go to Project Information link. Read the information together as a class.
• Have students click on Student Activities link and from there, click on Preliminary Activity.
• In my lab I gave each team a printed copy of the worksheet for this activity, had them read it together, and then complete the worksheet as a team.
• It is important that teams store their worksheets in their team folder at the end of each class period. They will need to use these worksheets throughout the project.

• Have students go to the project site.
• Go to Student Activities link and select Activity 1
• Use the projector in the lab or large monitor in the classroom to explain what each column represents on the earthquake bulletins.
• If necessary, have students go to the links under background information to help them have a better understanding of latitude and longitude.
• Students will need to continue to plot earthquake activity for the next two weeks. This should only take about 5-10 minutes for each data collection.
• In a one computer classroom students will plot earthquake activity for two weeks before going on to the next lesson. In a computer lab students should spend 5-10 minutes at the beginning of class plotting earthquake activity.

• Have students read through the questions in this activity.
• Before teams write their answers to the question, have them go to the sites for background information on plate tectonics. The Virtual Reference Book on Plate Tectonics is a very good site to explore.
• It worked well with my class to have a group discussion about the topics covered in this activity before they completed the worksheet.

• As a class, present the background information to the students on the Global Positioning System (GPS).
• Have students work with their team to complete the Activity 3 worksheet.

• As a class, present the background information to the students on volcanoes using the links found in the teacher lesson plan.
• Have students bookmark the two links found in lesson 4 under the Student Activities link
• Have students work with their team to complete the Activity 4 worksheet.

• Have students look at the answers they wrote for the Preliminary Activity and then complete this assignment.
• Students letters may be posted to the Student Gallery of this project. You will find directions in the student gallery. Click on the link titled “ Guidelines for How to Publish Student Work Online.”

Note: There are assessment suggestions at the end of each lesson that teachers may want to use. I assessed my students/teams using a rubric that assessed:

• Team participation
• Quality of work
• Accuracy of work
• Use of technology