During our Immersion Day (at the start of this term), the children understood that natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis can make some places quite dangerous for people and animals to live in, especially if these disasters occur frequently. Recently, the children had a lesson that delved more into the science behind these natural disasters, by looking at tectonic plates and tectonic plate boundaries.
The children learnt about the three tectonic plate boundaries: convergent (where the plates move together), divergent (where the plates move apart) and transform (where the plates laterally slide against each other). They understood that these movements of tectonic plates can impact the world by either causing natural disasters such as earthquakes, or it can result in changes in the natural world such as rifts and the formation of mountains and volcanoes.
To ensure the children understood the process behind this geologic and geographic phenomenon more clearly, they made their own models of plate boundaries by using sand, soil and red lentils. The sand and soil was used to show different layers of sediment within the lithosphere and the red lentils represented the magma from the asthenosphere.
These materials were placed inside clear plastic containers and the children were given cardboard to move the materials around the containers, in line with how the plate boundaries would move. In doing this physical activity, the children were able to understand how the layers of the Earth are impacted by plate boundaries and how new crust can be formed by certain movements like divergent plate boundaries.
See below for some photos from our active tectonic plate boundary lesson!
