Last week we looked at the world's 15 major plates (or giant slabs of earth), saw the types of movement along their boundaries, and you discovered how the earth can change because of this movement. This week we will be using a simulation by PhET University of Colorado Boulder that takes a closer look at what happens when these plates tear apart, crash into each other, and slowly grind past one another - and in the process some incredible things happen. Then we will be investigating real-life examples of plate boundaries all over the world. While investigating, you will be sharing what you discover and recreating what goes on at your boundary as part of a video creation project using WeVideo Extra help is available after school Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday this week. Stay curious and keep looking for answers!
This week we'll be checking out Sea-Floor Spreading and Plate Tectonics (finally!). Alfred Wegener's theory of Continental Drift was mostly ignored by scientists during his lifetime, but slowly evidence that supported his theory was uncovered. The first clue was found while naval ships mapped the ocean floor after World War I. Not only did they discover that the ocean floor was NOT flat, but they found that there was a mountain chain that extended thousands of miles through many of the world's oceans. Today scientists call this mountain range the Mid-Ocean Ridge. It's discovery led to our modern understanding of how the ocean floor grows in some places and shrinks in others. Without this discovery, we would not understand that our planet's crust is cut up into pieces or "plates". Extra help is available after school Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday this week. Stay curious and keep looking for answers! This week we will take a close look at how the ideas behind plate tectonics began to develop through theory of continental drift. Based on pieces of evidence never connected by other scientists, Alfred Wegener developed the idea of a Pangaea, explaining that all the continents once formed one large supercontinent. His theory was rejected by the most of the scientific community during his lifetime, and it wasn't until 30 years after his death that the brilliance of his ideas were realized. This week we will be using Ancient Earth Globe (link) to look into Earth's past and to help understand why Wegener believed Pangaea existed. We will also take some time to assemble Pangaea to look for some of the evidence Wegener used to prove its existence. On Thursday, some former 8th grade students will be presenting their science work from last year at Gillette Stadium at a statewide teaching conference and Mr. Bowles will be going to support them. If you still want to do a retake on the quiz, make sure to contact Mr. Bowles and schedule a time this week. Last day for retakes is Wednesday. Stay curious and keep looking for answers! Hope you all enjoyed the long weekend and got a chance to relax. This week we'll be checking out how convection currents carry the intense heat from Earth's core up and out through the mantle. You will see how these currents actually help move the land (the lithosphere - including the crust) that sits on top of them. You'll also take some time to upload and reflect on your first piece of work - the Layers of Earth digital poster - to your Google Site portfolio. Progress reports will be coming out next week, so make sure to turn in any missing work by Thursday. QODs will be collected on Wednesday. If you have any questions or concerns about any assignments, make sure to contact Mr. Bowles. Stay curious and keep looking for answers!
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The Weekly UpdateThese posts are updates of weekly topics, events, and experiments. The most recent posts are at the top. Archives
March 2020
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