oneone es-3 objective: to identify evidence of continental drift in order to support the theory of...

CONTINENTAL DRIFTDay 1

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Objective: To identify evidence of continental drift in order

to support the theory of continental drift.

Earth Note: What is the evidence that the continents are moving?Drill: 1. Get a new Activity Sheet from the SET.

2. Open up your Log Book. 3. Explain why people dream.

CONTINENTAL DRIFTDay 1

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Activity 1: Puzzling CluesLook at a map of the world. What do you notice about South America and Africa?

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2. Manipulate the paper copies of the continents to make one possible giant landmass.

3. State a possible reason as to why the continents did not fit together perfectly.

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Activity 2: What is the Continental Drift Theory?

The Theory of Continental Drift is found on page

19.Skim to find the name of the person that proposed the theory.

Alfred WegenerIdentify three things that the theory claims to be true.

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Identify three things that the theory claims to be true.

1. All of the continents were once connected as a supercontinent. (Pangaea)

2. Pangaea existed over 300 million years ago.

3. Over millions of years Pangaea broke apart and moved to their present day positions.

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PANGAEA ANIMATION

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People, including many scientists, did not believe in this theory. If you had a theory and wanted to convince other people that it was true, what would you do?

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Activity 3: Evidence of Continental Drift 1. Read pages 20 – 21 in Prentice Hall

Science Explorer: Inside Earth.2. Complete Chart 1: “Evidence for

Continental Drift” as you read.

HOMEWORK: Complete the chart for at least 1 category of evidence.

CONTINENTAL DRIFTDay 2

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Objective: To identify evidence of continental drift in order

to support the theory of continental drift.

Earth Note: What is the evidence that the continents are moving?Drill: 1. Get a new Activity Sheet from the SET.

2. Open up your Log Book. 3. Explain why people dream.

CONTINENTAL DRIFTDay 2

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LAND FEATURES

1. Mountain ranges in eastern South America lined up with mountain ranges in western Africa.

2. European coal fields lined up withNorth American coal fields.

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Fossils

1. Fossils of Glossopteris have been found in many different continents that are widely separated.

2. Fossils of the freshwater reptiles Mesosaurus and Lystrosaurus were found in places now separated by oceans.

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Climate

1. Fossils of tropical plants are found on an island in the Arctic Ocean.

2. Scratches in the rock have proven that glaciers once covered South Africa. South Africa is too warm for glaciers now.

CONTINENTAL DRIFTDay 2

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Activity 4: THEORY REJECTED! 

1. Read page 22 in Prentice Hall Science Explorer: Inside Earth.

2. Explain why many scientists rejected Wegener’s theory for half a century.

Scientists (especially geologists) did not support the theory of continental drift because Wegener could not identify the forces that caused the continents to drift.

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Alfred Wegener Video

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Homework: Analysis Ditto