Unit Plan (Final)

Unit Summary:

1) Basic understanding of plate tectonics:
a. the global distribution of plates
b. fold mountain, volcanoes and earthquakes

2) The general processes leading to the formation of
a. fold mountains
b. rift valleys
c. block mountains
d. volcanoes
e. earthquakes

3) Describe and explain the impacts of earthquakes and their outcomes on human activities

Learning Outcomes:
Pupils will be able to:
i. understand the relevance of plate tectonics in influencing general distributions of earthquakes, volcanoes and fold mountains.
ii. develop basic skills to identify different zones of volatility associated with plate margins
iii. describe and explain the impacts of volcanoes and earthquakes on human activities

Enduring Understandings
1) Major landforms, volcanoes and earthquakes are a result of plate movements.
2) Volcanoes and earthquakes have both positive and negative effects on human activities.

Essential Questions
1) How do plate boundaries affect the formation of major landforms?
2) Consequently how do plate movements result in earthquakes?
3) What are the impacts of volcanoes and earthquakes on human activities?

Knowledge
1) Difference: know the difference between the different plate boundaries i.e. convergent, divergent and transform.
2) Characteristics: know the characteristics of different landforms, volcanoes and severity of earthquakes.

Skills
1) Identify different plate margins on the world map and explain the types of landforms and or activities that occur.
2) Draw and label landforms which occur at the plate margins.

3) Explain consequences of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on people and the environment.


Time Frame : 2 Periods

Skills & Strategies:

1) Schema Knowledge Activation: Construct meaning from visuals: pictures, map and diagrams of the interior of the Earth and introduction to convection currents.

Tasks & Activities:

Think-Pair-Share
1) Respond to a range of visuals on the earth’s interior in pairs and share ideas about what the Earth’s interior constitutes. (i.e. core, mantle and the different lithospheres, plates etc.)
2) In pairs, share what convection currents mean in terms of physics and draw a basic diagram about convection currents.
3) Then as a class share their findings. Compare the convection currents that occur in a beaker of water left over a flame with the convection currents that occur in the Earth’s interior.
4) Students are required to submit an 'exit pass' at the end of the lesson.

Assessment:

1) Informal assessment of understanding by gauging what students have discussed regarding the Earth’s interior and convection currents.
2) Informal assessment of students understanding from their drawing of convection currents.
3) Teacher can assess students understanding through the exit passes.

Resources:

1) Visuals of Earth’s Interior– newspapers, magazines, video clips
2) Visuals of convection currents on worksheets constructed from scratch.
3) Show a pre-recorded video of teacher using a beaker of water and a bunsen burner to heat it up. Coloured dye or potassium permanganate is placed in the water and the class can see the movement of convection currents following the movement of the dye or chemical substance.


Timeframe: 1 period

Skills & Activities

1) Linking convection currents to the concept of density.
2) Schema Knowledge Activation: On the concept of density.
3) Using appropriate terms and definitions to articulate visuals

Tasks & Activities

1) Directive Learning: Teacher introduces the concept of Density by getting 2 objects of similar size but of different masses and shows them an experiment on which object floats and which object sinks.
2) Thereafter students are to get into groups of 4s to associate the density idea from the experiment to the different plates in the Earth’s interior

Assessment

1) Formal Assessment: A worksheet is given that shows diagrams on how convection currents drive the movement of plates. Students draw arrows to show the movement of plates depending on the movement of the convection current in the diagram.
2) Then they have to explain which plate subducts beneath the other depending on the direction of the movement of the plates and the density of both plates.

Resources

1) Textbooks
2) Materials for experiment.
3) Worksheet designed by teacher.


Timeframe: 2 periods

Skills & Activities

1) Schema Activation: On the nature of plate movements (divergent, convergent, transform)
2) Direct Instruction: Using directed learning students will be introduced to the theory of Plate Tectonics

Tasks & Activities

1) Students will role-play on the types of plate movements i.e. Divergent, Convergent and Transform plate boundaries.
2) Students will be shown a power point presentation with animations of the different types of plate boundaries.

Think-Pair-Share
1) In pairs, students will be given a worksheet with simple guiding questions to teach them how to draw good diagrams associated with plate boundaries.
2) Then in groups of four share their drawings to compare if they have all the relevant information.
3) Each group then will be asked to come up to share their drawings on the visualiser.
4) Students are required to submit an 'exit pass' at the end of the lesson.

Assessment

1) Informal assessment of the students understanding through their role-play of the 3 types of plate movements.
2) Teacher can gauge students' understanding through the exit passes.

Resources

1) Geography Textbook
2) Animated clips of plate movements at different plate boundaries.
3) Worksheets with guidelines for the 3 different plate boundaries.
4) The visualizer for sharing each group’s final diagram for the class.


Timeframe: 1 period

Skills & Strategies

1) Drawing of convection currents, plates of different densities and types of movement of plates.

Tasks & Activities

1) Students will be seating for a short, informal, closed-book, test in the school’s computer lab to gauge their understanding of what they have learnt so far.
2) Test will include diagram drawing and explaining the concept of convection currents together with density to explain plate tectonics.
3) They will also have to put up a reflection of what they have learnt so far on their online Geography class forum.

Assessment

1) Formal assessment of their learning, but not included into final grades.
2) Gauge for the teacher regarding their academic understanding of the topic so far.

Resources

1) Short test designed by the teacher. (15 marks)


Timeframe: 2 periods

Skills & Strategies

1) Schema Activation of different types of landform on Earth, their characteristics and formations
2) Tiered learning/ Differentiated Instructions

Tasks & Activities

1) Students asked to list the types of landforms, which can form on Earth.
2) Teacher picks out the landforms relevant to the lesson and adds on if they have not been listed.
3) Students are divided into groups and allotted different landforms according to their abilities.
4) Lower ability students carry out jigsaw activity. They are given a text which describes the formation of a particular landform. They are to piece it together coherently.
5) Average ability students are to roleplay the formation of the landform.
6) Higher ability students are to draw different diagrams describing the formation of the landforms.
7) Students will take turns to present their activity to the class.
8) Students will have to submit an ‘exit pass’ at the end of the lesson.

Assessment

1) Informal assessment of students understanding via their respective activities.
2) Teachers can assess the students' understanding through the exit passes.

Resources

1) Text for lower ability students cut up and put in envelopes for them to piece together.
2) Mahjong paper and markers for higher ability students to draw their diagrams.
3) Diagrams showing the different landforms from web sources, textbooks, magazines etc.


Timeframe: 1 period

Skills & Strategies

1) Continuation from previous lesson so that all groups can finish presenting.

Tasks & Activities

1) Teacher will comment on their interpretation at the end of the lesson
2) Teacher will inform them on important technical terms that should be included when describing characteristics and formations.

Assessment

1) Informal assessment of students understanding via their respective activities.

Resources

1) Text for lower ability students cut up and put in envelopes for them to piece together.
2) Mahjong paper and markers for higher ability students to draw their diagrams.
3) Diagrams showing the different landforms from various sources.


Timeframe: 2 periods

Skills & Activities

1) Map-reading skills
2) Directed Learning

Tasks & Activities

1) Students will be introduced to the world map and the different plate margins where such landforms form.
2) They will learn which types of movements occur at which plate margins and be introduced to the common plate margins e.g. Nazca Plate, Philippines plate etc.
3) At the end of the lesson they will engage in an activity in groups to answer the worksheet prepared for them.
4) Students are required to come up with an ‘exit pass’ at the end of the lesson.

Assessment

1) Informal assessment using recall technique: Students will be shown a world map at the end of the lesson with no markings and will in groups decide where stipulated plate margins are and what types of movements and landforms occur there. They will be given a worksheet to complete.
2) Their understanding can also be gauged from their exit passes.

Resources

1) Power point slides to show the world map and to circle out different plate margins for students to take note off.
2) Worksheet designed by teacher


Timeframe: 1 period

Skills & Strategies

1) Rounding up lesson on landforms, characteristics and formations.
2) Directed Learning

Tasks & Activities

1) Teacher comments on previous lesson and goes through in detail regarding the characteristics of the different landforms.

Assessment

1) No assessment.
Students are given summary notes on the different landforms, their characteristics and formations.

Resources

1) Powerpoint slides to show the different characteristics of the landforms (designed by teacher)
2) Notes with the summary (designed by teacher)


Timeframe: 2 periods

Skills & Strategies

1) Learning Centres:
Explain why volcanoes and earthquakes occur along plate boundaries.
2) Explain the impacts of volcanoes and earthquakes on the environment and people
3) Explore both negative and positive impacts

Tasks & Activities

1) Students will be given access to a website to explore what they have learnt thus far.
2) In the process they will engage, explore and explain how the phenomenon of volcanoes and earthquake is associated with plate boundaries.
3) They will also explore the positive and negative impacts of volcanoes and earthquakes on people and the environment.
4) In pairs they will be given worksheets focusing on different aspects of the site.
a. The linkages between volcanoes and plate boundaries.
b. The linkages between earthquakes and plate boundaries.
c. The resultant impacts on people and the environment.
5) They will then be asked to answer several questions related to the topic concern, which will require some knowledge of what they have learnt about plate interactions at boundaries.
6) Each pair will be given different questions to focus on. However, 3 pairs in the class will have the same set of questions.
7) This will help in the verbal presentation of answers later in the lesson.
8) Worksheets will be collected at the end of class.
9) Students will have to submit an ‘exit pass’ at the end of the lesson.

Assessment

1) Formal assessment of their learning, which will be included into the final grades. (10%)
2) Their answers on the worksheets will serve as a gauge for the teacher with regards to their cognitive development in the unit how they process their ideas. Their answers will also make up the grade for 10% of their continual assessment.
3) Teacher can gauge students' understanding through the exit passes.

Resources

1) Plate Tectonics: Consequences of Plate Interactions - http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/7/SCB-PT.4.1
2) Worksheet designed by teacher


Timeframe: 1 period

Skills & Strategies

Direct Instruction:
1)Continuation from previous lesson whereby the teacher draws linkages to plate boundaries and volcanoes and earthquakes.
2) Directive Learning:
Teacher also briefly mentions that there are means to manage the impacts volcanoes and earthquakes have on people and the environment.

Tasks & Activities

1) Traditional Classroom:
The class will be given a short lecture on the relationship between plate boundaries and the mentioned phenomenon as well as the resultant impacts for a clear understanding of this part of the topic.
2) Think-Pair-Share:
Students are to think of management strategies to lessen or control the impacts of volcanoes and earthquakes on people and the environment.

Assessment

Informal Assessment:
1) Teacher is able to gauge their understanding of management strategies from their pairwork.
2) Students are given power point notes on the phenomenon, its impacts and management strategies.

Resources

1) Power point presentation.


Timeframe: 2 periods

Skills & Activities

1) Organise, summarise, synthesise information using a variety of organisational patterns.

Tasks & Activities

1) Students will be organizing their points of discussion so far. They will use computers in the computer lab to come up with a mind map.
2) The mind map will serve as a summary for the students. It should minimally include:
a) Plate Boundaries
E.g. Convergent, Divergent and Transform plate movements.
b) Resultant Landforms
c) Identifying both the positive and the negative impacts of volcanoes and earthquakes on human activities and the environment.
3) Students will have to come up with an ‘exit pass’ at the end of the lesson.

Assessment

1) Informal Assessment:
From the students’ mind maps, the teacher is able to gauge whether she has achieved the enduring understanding and answered the essential questions of the unit.
2) The teacher is also able to gauge the students' understanding through the exit passes.

Resources

1) Mind Manager 2000 software to help create a mind-map


Timeframe: 1 period

Skills & Strategies

1) Rounding up the chapter with a test so as to give the students an opportunity to test their knowledge thus far.

Tasks & Activities

1) Exam style test whereby a period of 45 minutes is given to complete the question.

Assessment

1) Formal Assessment of the topic as a whole.

Resources

1) A 25-mark exam style question designed by the teacher.