Objectives By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

-Identify the key components of plate tectonics -Understand the process of how plates move -Explain how plate tectonics can cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building

Materials -Computer or projector with internet access -Interactive activities -Whiteboard or poster board -Markers

Procedure

1. Introduction (10 minutes) -Explain the idea of plate tectonics to the students. -Explain that plate tectonics is the process that explains the formation of Earth’s surface and the movement of the Earth’s crust.

2. Interactive Activity (15 minutes) -Have students go to the following website for an interactive activity about plate tectonics: (http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/interactive/tectonics.html). -In this activity, students will be able to drag pieces of the Earth’s crust around a map to simulate the motion of the Earth’s plates.

3. Discussion (15 minutes) -Discuss the results of their interactive activity. -Explain why plates move and how this creates stress in the Earth’s crust that can lead to earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building.

4. Conclusion (5 minutes) -Review what students have learned about plate tectonics in today’s lesson. -Remind students that plate tectonics is a continuous process and we can observe its effects all over the world.