Astronomy: Work to complete between

April 13 and April 26

Hello everyone,
My technology upgrades are a bit delayed, so I am not having Zoom class video sessions this
week. I will hopefully be up to speed on Monday, April 20. Please read the announcements
below before you start this series of activities. Announcements:
1. I will be grading the work you have done and enter your accomplishments in Alma. I
will not grade assignments until they are due. I will go through all the shared google
doc’s and take note of your progress on Khan Academy.
2. You need to email me IF you submit work after it’s due date because I will not keep
going through the list of files that are being shared with me to identify late work.
3. You should go through the activities I assign in the order they are given unless I say
otherwise in the instructions. I say this to help you without overloading you with too
much information at once.
4. I am learning about Google Classroom. I hope to have everyone join their assigned GC.
I am not making assignments with GC at present. A shared google document for
completed work will work fine for the time being.
5. About assignments: I will let you know what you need to do so you get full credit for the
work you complete. I will always let you know what I expect. Not doing what I request
will cause you to lose credit.
Please send me an email. Include some feedback for me in your email. You can let me
know about what sort of activities you want and don’t want. You can let me know about
any technical difficulties you are having. I would like to know how you are doing.

Chapter 5: The Terrestrial Planets and Their Moons

We are revisiting these topics in this chapter in a deeper way to better apply scientific reasoning
and evidence from ancient Earth materials, meteorites, and other planetary surfaces to construct
an account of Earth’s formation and early history. This approach will also be applied to other
planetary bodies.
Activity 5 Create and share a google document
Create a google document with the title Plate Tectonics. Share the document with me giving me
commenting privileges. Label your answers when you use the document. For instance, you will
make a sub-heading called Activity 8 Chapter 5 Structured Notes.
Activity 6: Enroll in my class at Explore Learning AND Google Classroom
You will get credit for completing this activity as I can see who joins my class. I found some
great simulations for science at this site. Do these steps to enroll:
1. Go to the website at explorelearning.com
2. Use pull down menu for login/enroll. Enter our class code JDWH9T and click continue.
3. Click on bar to CREATE and Explore Learning account
4. Enter your actual first and last name and your school email address.
5. Create a username and password. Write these in your notebook.
Go to Google Classroom. Use the following code to enroll in our astronomy Google
Classroom. Class code: 4x6rqgp Ask me if you need help doing this.

Activity 7: Watch videos at Khan and take notes

Log in to your Khan account. Check your assignments. You need to watch these videos:
1. Plate tectonics: Geological features of divergent plate boundaries (12 minutes)
2. Plate tectonics: Geological features of convergent plate boundaries (6 minutes)
3. Plates moving due to convection in mantle (6 minutes)
You will need to watch each video all the way through for Khan to give you credit for watching
it. Pay attention to video. You can go back to review later if you need to.
Activity 8: Chapter 5 structured notes #21-25
Create the subtitle above in your google document for the following questions. Answer
questions in clear sentences. Check your spelling and word phrasing:
21. What process finally provided the needed evidence that plate tectonics were real? How fast
do plates move, on average?
22. About how many plates does Earth have? What was the most recent supercontinent named?
When it broke up into two major sections, what were those named?
23. What are the three motions that plates can have where they meet at boundaries? Give some
examples.
24. How are craters erased on Earth? Give three main ways (see pg. 122 as well).
25. What kept the early Earth molten?
Activity 9: Plate Tectonics
Go back to the Explore Learning website. Login. Click on the plate tectonics “Launch”. Use
the following directions to work through the “gizmo” simulation. Be sure to follow the
directions below:
1. Label the subsections, ie prior knowledge, warmup, Activity A, etc, in the google
document you created and answer the questions from the activity. Check your spelling
and phrasing of the sentences of your answers.
 2. I have put a full glossary of vocabulary terms at the end of this document. Use the
vocabulary list to help you understand all the terms being used.
3. Make requesting sketches in your notebook. I will not be able to check these. I have not
figured out how you can easily share graphic answers with me. These sketches can help
you with the after-activity assessment.
4. Answer the 4 assessment questions below the simulation and check your answers.

Please be detailed with your email if you have questions or encounter difficulties.
Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________________

Student Exploration: Plate Tectonics

Vocabulary: asthenosphere, collision zone, convergent boundary, crust, divergent boundary,

earthquake, lithosphere, mantle, plate, plate tectonics, subduction zone, transform boundary,
volcano

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

1. Volcanoes are openings in Earth’s crust where lava, gas, and ash can erupt. Where are

active volcanoes located? ____________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

2. An earthquake is a violent shaking of Earth’s surface. Where are earthquakes common?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Gizmo Warm-up
Volcanoes, earthquakes, mountains, and other features of Earth’s
surface owe their origin to the movements of plates: enormous,
slowly-moving sections of Earth’s crust. At plate boundaries,
plates collide, move apart, move under or over each other, or slide
past one another. The theory of plate tectonics describes how
the plates move, interact, and change the physical landscape.

The Plate Tectonics Gizmo shows a cross-section, or side view, of Earth. (Not to scale.) Above
the cross section is a bird’s-eye view of the same location.

1. Turn on Show labels. What are the layers of Earth that you can see? _________________

_________________________________________________________________________

The lithosphere is a layer of rigid rock that consists of the crust and the upper part of
Earth’s mantle. The asthenosphere is a layer of the mantle that can deform like plastic.

2. Turn on Boundary name, and click on each boundary. What four boundaries do you see?

_________________________________________________________________________

2019
 Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
Sliding plates  Select BOUNDARY A.

Question: What happens when plates slide past one another?

1. Observe: Boundary A is a transform boundary. The arrows below the BOUNDARY A label
will move the plates. Click the left arrow once to see how the plates move.

How would you describe the motion of plates in a transform boundary? ________________

_________________________________________________________________________

2. Sketch: Draw a bird’s-eye view of the plate boundary before and after the plate motion.
Draw an arrow to show which way the plate moved.

Before movement After movement

3. Locate: Turn on Show location. Where on Earth can you find transform boundaries? (Note:
You can refer to a world map or atlas for location names.)

_________________________________________________________________________

Highlight these locations on the map below.

2019
 Activity B: Get the Gizmo ready:
Colliding  Turn off Boundary name and Show location.
continents  Select BOUNDARY B.

Question: What happens when two continents collide?

1. Observe: Boundary B is an example of a convergent boundary, where two plates are

moving toward one another. When the two converging plates both contain continental crust,
it is called a collision zone. Click the left arrow four times to see how the plates move.

How would you describe the motion of plates in a collision zone? _____________________

_________________________________________________________________________

2. Sketch: Draw a side view of the plate boundary before and after the plate motion. Draw an
arrow to show which way the plate moved.

Before movement After movement

3. Locate: Turn on Show location. Where on Earth can you find collision zones? (Note: You
can refer to a world map or atlas for location names.)

_________________________________________________________________________

Highlight these locations on the map below.

2019
 Activity C:
Get the Gizmo ready:
Oceanic crust
 Turn off Boundary name and Show location.
meets continental
 Select BOUNDARY C.
crust

Question: What happens when ocean crust collides with continental crust?

1. Observe: Boundary C is another type of convergent boundary called a subduction zone.

Click the left arrow four times to see how the plates move.

How would you describe the motion of plates in a subduction zone? ___________________

_________________________________________________________________________

2. Sketch: Draw a side view of the plate boundary before and after the plate motion. Draw an
arrow to show which way the plate moved.

Before movement After movement

3. Locate: Turn on Show location. Where on Earth can you find subduction zones? (Note:
You can refer to a world map or atlas for location names.)

_________________________________________________________________________

Highlight these locations on the map below.

2019
 Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity D:
 Turn off Boundary name and Show location.
Spreading plates
 Select BOUNDARY D.

Question: How is new crust formed?

1. Observe: Boundary D is a divergent boundary. Click the right arrow four times to see how
the plates move.

How would you describe the motion of plates in a divergent boundary? ________________

_________________________________________________________________________

2. Sketch: Draw a side view of the plate boundary before and after the plate motion. Draw an
arrow to show which way the plate moved.

Before movement After movement

3. Locate: Turn on Show location. Where on Earth can you find divergent boundaries? (Note:
You can refer to a world map or atlas for location names.)

_________________________________________________________________________

Highlight these locations on the map below.

2019
 Vocabulary: Plate Tectonics

Vocabulary

• Asthenosphere – a layer of the upper mantle in which rocks can deform like plastic.
o While the rock of the asthenosphere is almost solid, over long periods of time it
can move like a liquid.
o The asthenosphere is thought to contain convection currents that help to move
the plates.

• Collision zone – an area in a convergent boundary where two continents are colliding.
o Due to its low density, continental lithosphere is usually not subducted. As a
result, high mountains often form in these locations.
o The Himalayas were formed by a collision between India and Eurasia.

• Convergent boundary – a boundary between plates that are moving toward each other.
o Convergent boundaries include collision zones and subduction zones.

• Crust – the rocky outer layer of Earth.

o Oceanic crust is about 10 km thick, while continental crust is up to 50 km thick.

• Divergent boundary – a boundary between plates that are moving away from each other.
o New crust is created in a divergent boundary.
o Divergent boundaries on the ocean floor result in long mountain ranges called
mid-ocean ridges.

• Earthquake – shaking and vibration of Earth’s surface.

o Most earthquakes are caused by the sudden movement of plates along plate
boundaries.

• Lithosphere – the rigid upper layer of the Earth.

o The lithosphere consists of the crust and the upper part of the mantle.

• Mantle – the layer of Earth between the crust and the core.
o The mantle extends from 2,900 km below Earth’s surface to the base of the
crust. It is the largest of Earth’s layers.
o The mantle is composed of solid and partially molten rock that is rich in
magnesium and iron.

• Plate – a rigid section of Earth’s crust that moves very slowly.

o Earth’s crust is divided into approximately 15 plates.

2019
• Plate tectonics – the movement of plates that make up Earth’s surface.

• Subduction zone – a convergent boundary where one plate is sliding beneath another.
o A subduction zone usually occurs when at least one of the converging plates is
composed of dense oceanic lithosphere. In this case, the plate with the denser
lithosphere subducts, or sinks below, the other plate.

• Transform boundary – a boundary between plates that are sliding past one another.

• Volcano – an opening in Earth’s crust from which lava, gas, and ash erupt.
o Often the erupted material will form a mountain.

2019