Learning Outcomes

What: Learn how the earth’s crust is split up into tectonic plates

How: Create a model of the worlds tectonic plates

Why: To be able to explain why plates move

KEY WORDSTectonic Plates Continental Drift

Convection Currents

Learning Focus: What are tectonic plates?

Ask 5 Geographical questions about this picture

• Who?

• What?

• Where?

• When?

• Why?

• How?

EXTENSION

Try to answer 2 of your questions

As we have seen in previous lessons the earth is made up of different layers.The crust is the outer most layer and sits on top of the mantle, which is a liquid made up of molten rock.The crust is broken up into plates, which float on the mantle.

Outer core

Crust

Mantle

Inner core

African

Indo-Australian Plate

North American

South American

Eurasian

Pacific

Nazca

Antarctic

Pacific

Task: Cut out the pieces of the jigsaw to put the world back together again.

Convention Currents

Mantle

Crust

The movement of the convection currents within the mantle results in the plates moving in different directions.

Task: Copy the following passage using the words in the box to fill in the blanks.

The earth’s crust is split up into _________ plates, that movearound on top of the _____________. Due to the heat created by the core ___________ currents are generated in the liquid mantle. This slow movement has resulted in the plates __________ around.

The position of the plates is ever ___________ and the world we see today will be very different in a million years time.

changing tectonic convectionmoving mantle

tectonic

convection

moving

mantle

changing

Look back at the picture from the start of the lesson.

Can you answer any of the questions you asked at the start of the lesson?

Extension: What other questions might you want to ask?

Learning Outcomes

What: Learn how the earth’s crust is split up into tectonic plates

How: Create a model of the worlds tectonic plates

Why: To be able to explain why plates move

KEY WORDSTectonic Plates Continental Drift

Convection Currents

Learning Focus: What are tectonic plates?