Home | Session 1 | Evidence for Continental Drift Page 1, 2, 3

Evidence for Continental Drift

Adapted From This Dynamic Planet: A Teaching Companion
US Geological Survey, May 1999

Overview:

In this lesson, students learn about the evidence for continental drift and about the process of science.

Lesson Concept:

There are multiple lines of evidence for changes in the position of the continents over geologic time.

Materials:

[Note: overheads, evidence sheets and clues sheet are PDF files. If you do not have the free Acrobat Reader, download it.]

Advance Preparation:

  • Make overheads as described above.
  • Copy and cut up Fossil Evidence Sheets 1 and 2 so that each team has a packet of fossil evidence in an envelope labeled Fossil Evidence.
  • Copy and cut up Rock Evidence Sheets 1 and 2 so that each team has a packet of fossil evidence in an envelope labeled Rock Evidence.
  • Copy and cut up the Fossil Clue Sheet so that each team of students has a set of five Fossil Clue Cards.
  • Copy and cut up the Rock Clue Sheet so that each team of students has a set of three Rock Clue Cards.

Each team of students will need:

Part I.
A copy of the map of The World Today
A packet of the six Fossil Clue Cards
An envelope containing the Fossil Evidence pieces
6 color markers or crayons

Part II.
A copy of the map of The World Today
A packet of the three Rock Clue Cards
An envelope containing the Rock Evidence pieces
3 color markers or crayons

Part III.
The colored Fossil and Rock Evidence pieces from Parts I and II.
A copy of Wegener's map.

Time:

1-2 class periods

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updated January 29, 2002

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