Name: Date: Thur 11/30/15

Topic – Ch4L1 – Continental Drift Hypothesis – (Pages 126-132)• Essential Question (SC.7.E.6.4)

How have the continents ended up where they are? • Student Objective

I can describe how have the continents ended up where they are.• I Do/We Do – Guided notes and Class discussion• You Do – Student/Teacher choice menu

Continental Drift Hypothesis

• 1915: a time for world war, old-timey movies, and SCIENCE!• Alfred Wegner came up with the theory that all the continents were,

at one point, joined together.• This formed the supercontinent Pangaea• This supercontinent eventually started to break up

• Wegner suggested the Continental Drift Hypothesis• That the continents were in constant motion around the surface of the Earth

Reasoning?

• The fossil record shows that species existed in South America and Africa at the same time.• Fossils of animals that lived in warm climates were found in cold climates• Coal was found in Antarctica (remember, coal is decaying living matter that is

compressed)

• The shapes of the continents look like they fit like a puzzle

Rock clues

• The Caledonian mountain range and the Appalachian mountain range are similar• Same age• Similar structure• Made up of the same rock type• So geology is pretty important here!

Did that convince people?

• Wegner’s idea still didn’t convince people. WHY?• It is an extremely SLOW process (mm per year -> not that easy to measure)• He couldn’t explain the FORCE responsible (he said rotation of the Earth, but

that was disproved)• A lot of evidence for this theory was on the OCEAN FLOOR• All this didn’t come to light until AFTER Wegner died, when we realized PLATE

TECTONICS was responsible for this

Extra Resources

• https://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es0806/es0806page01.cfm?chapter_no=visualization• http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/glossary/

Contdrift.shtml• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-HwPR_4mP4

Chapter StandardsPrimary Standards• SC.7.E.6.2 – Identify the patterns within the rock cycle and relate them to surface events (weathering and erosion)

and sub-surface events (plate tectonics and mountain building)• SC.7.E.6.4 – Explain and give examples of how physical evidence supports scientific theories that Earth has evolved

over geologic time due to natural processes• SC.7.E.6.5 – Explore the scientific theory of plate tectonics by describing how the movement of crustal plates causes

both slow and rapid changes in Earth’s surface, including volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and mountain building• SC.7.E.6.7 – Recognise that heat flow and movement of material within Earth causes earthquakes and volcanic

eruptions, and creates mountains and ocean basins. Secondary Standards• LA.7.2.2.3 the student will organize information related to a topic through charting, mapping, paraphrasing,

summarizing, or comparing/contrasting.• MA.6.A.3.6 Construct and analyze tables, graphs, and equations to describe linear functions and other simple relations

using both common language and algebraic notation. • Data – See Bi-Weekly Analysis

• ESE/504/ELL – Separate Page

Green = On Level Yellow = Below level Blue = Above Level

Vocabulary – 14 words – Chapter 4

Lesson 1 – p126 Lesson 2 – p134 Lesson 3 – p142

1. Pangea2. Continental Drift

1. Mid-Ocean Ridge2. Seafloor spreading3. Normal polarity4. Magnetic reversal5. Reversed polarity

1. Plate tectonics2. Lithosphere3. Divergent,

Transformed, and Convergent plate boundaries

4. Subduction5. Convection6. Ridge push7. Slab Pull