In this windows to the universe activity, students use these items to model the different types of plate boundaries. Print out sets of these stepbystep photo instructions to help your students successfully model plate tectonic activity using graham crackers, cake. In this experiment we will learn the science behind plate tectonics using graham crackers and whipped cream. Draw what your food looks like after you created the transform boundary in the space provided 4. To determine how the different plate boundaries function. As they finish, allow students to choose a type of boundary to imitate with their graham crackers and have their partner guess what type of boundary they. Graham cracker plate tectonics plate tectonics, earth. This graham cracker plate tectonics lesson plan is suitable for 7th 10th grade. Observe the edges of the graham crackers where they are colliding. The large crack where two huge tectonic plates collide and move against each other is a fault line. Exploring the movement of tectonic plates with smores.
Learn how earths tectonic plates interact in this delicious activity. Model the plates movements using frosting and graham crackers to understand how earths landscape can. Explain why the graham cracker and krispie treat represent the type of crust they do. One pile is for those students who get 100% correct like the following two examples. Dip one end of each of the two graham crackers into a cup of water. Four resources make up a collection that breaks down each part of the plate tectonic cycle, developed by mathscience nucleus. As part of your plate tectonics activity, answer the questions below. Break the graham cracker on its seam to make 2 rectangles and place the 2 rectangles, touching, on top of the frosting. Graham cracker plate tectonics plate tectonics, earth science. The theory of plate tectonics states that the crust of the earth is composed of 7 major plates and numerous smaller plates. At the plate boundaries, plates may converge collide, diverge separate, or slide past each other transform boundary. Immediately remove the crackers and lay them end to end on the cool whip with the wet edges nearly touching. Edible plate tectonics divergent, convergent, and transform.
The lithosphere is made up of the outer most layer of the earth, called the crust and the solid, top. Spread frosting on wax paper to cover an area a bit larger than the graham cracker square. Graham cracker plate tectonics second grade science. The graham crackers represent the crust of the earth. Label drawing as to what each item represents in terms of earth layers or processes of plate tectonics. Convergent places where plates crash or push together. Have students look over their plate tectonics chart to ensure they have completed each of the entries. My 5 year old instantly recognized this boundary as its what led to the formation of all the volcanic mountains that surround us. When an oceanic plate pushes into and subducts under a. Finally we used our last graham crackers to make a subduction zone what happens when a more dense oceanic plate is thrust under a less dense continental plate. In the data section, draw a crosssection diagram to show what this continentalcontinental convergent boundary looks like.
This lab allows students to fully understand the three types of plate boundaries convergent, divergent, and transform as well as subduction. What happens when the graham cracker and krispie bar meet. To study the interactions of the tectonic plates as they move slowly on the asthenosphere. Before they became too soggy, ld and i pushed our crustal. Next, direct the kids to imitate different types of boundaries. Lay the two squares against each other on the frosting on the plate. To model tectonic plate boundaries, students will use graham crackers to represent earths lithosphere and pudding to represent the flowing asthenosphere upper mantle. This theory also says that most of these plates are in. As they finish, allow students to choose a type of boundary to imitate with their graham crackers and have their partner guess what type of boundary they are creating. Plate movement directly affects the destruction of earths surface because the more dense plates sink causing a trench where the plates are thoroughly destroyed. With these photoenhanced instructions, you wont need to lead your students through the lab. The graham cracker represents the thicker but less dense continental plate, while the fruit roll represents the thin but dense oceanic plate. In this windows to the universe activity, students use these.
Immediately remove the crackers and lay them end to end on the frosting with the wet edges nearly touching. Lesson content overview students will demonstrate, identify, and explain the movement of the plates at. Move the crackers back and forth against each other. They complete the exit ticket and i check them later. To represent the natural world by creating models and analyzing their limitations. Item what it represents frosting graham crackers fruit roll ups procedure. Schaefer the theory of plate tectonics states that the crust of the earth is composed of 7 major plates and numerous smaller plates. Reuse the graham cracker used above for this activity. Model the plates movements using frosting and graham crackers to. Graham cracker model of plate tectonics miss hernandez. Movements deep within the earth, which carry heat from the hot interior to the cooler surface, cause the plates to move very slowly on the surface, about 2 inches per year on average. The theory of plate tectonics states that the crust of the earth is composed of seven major plates and.
These plates ride on the hot plastic upper mantle known as the asthenosphere. Kids should place two graham crackers side by side and move them against each other. This is an awesome upper elementarymiddle school lab that uses graham crackers and cool whip to represent tectonic plates. With the help and permission of a parent, share pictures of your plate tectonic activity on. Graham cracker plates minilab worksheetgraham cracker plates minilab answer keyyou can pur. Jan 29, 2015 at the plate boundaries, plates may converge collide, diverge separate, or slide past each other transform boundary. For this activity, i grabbed a box of graham crackers, some cool whip, and a plate. Gently push the continent graham cracker towards the ocean plate fruit roll up until the two overlap and the graham cracker is on top. These plates move on the top of the hot plastic upper mantle known as the asthenosphere. To understand how plate boundaries interact with each other and the features created as they drift atop the slow moving asthenosphere.
Plate movement directly affects the destruction of earths surface because the more dense plates sink causing a. Dip one end of each of the two graham crackers into a cup of water about 2 cm. We respread the frosting asthenosphere, and demonstrate the convergence of oceanic crust and continental crust using the graham cracker oceanic and rice crispy treat continental. On the actual surface of the earth, the lower plate is subducted. In this plate tectonics worksheet, students use graham crackers, frosting, water and a paper plate to simulate tectonic processes such as convergent, divergent and transforming plate boundaries. In this activity, students will use handson materials including graham crackers and frosting to investigate tectonic plates helping take an abstract idea and making it more concrete. What can you do with fruit rollups, graham crackers and frosting in your science class. One tectonic plate moves under another tectonic plate, thus sinking into the mantle, as the plates converge. Take two pieces of dry crackers and place them side by side on the frosting. In this activity, ocean plates are represented by fruit roll ups and continental crust is represented by graham crackers. Model the plates movements using frosting and graham crackers to understand how earths landscape can change over time. Graham cracker plate tectonics playdough to plato teach kids about plate tectonics with graham crackers and cool whip.
Students create and test models of tectonic plate movement and use them to analyze and interpret features on a map of earth. We took two graham crackers and placed them on a plate with a bit of water. Slowly push the graham crackers towards each other. Graham cracker plate tectonics lab stepbystep photo instructions. Using the knife respread a thick layer of frosting in the center of the wax paper. Fruit roll ups 2 3 squares water 1 cup graham crackers 2 squares sheet of waxed paper 8 x 11. Give each student a paper plate covered in frosting and several. Google graham cracker plate tectonics lab for a variety of different versions used by schools across the country. Technically, it is the earths lithosphere that is broken up into tectonic plates.
Graham cracker plate tectonics earth science activities. Give each kid two graham cracker halves and a plate covered in a thick smear of icing. Slather a considerable amount of marshmallow spread onto a plate. The icing represents the molten rock in the earths mantle and the graham crackers represent the tectonic plates.
In addition, some plates may appear to be inactive. If you are low on cash, stick with procedure and skip the rice crispies. Graham cracker plate tectonics lab stepbystep photo. What term is used to describe one plate moving beneath another. The graham crackers represent the earths crust, which is broken up into plates.
Then i move on to the two different convergent plate boundary activities. This video walks through the gram cracker plate tectonics lab. Dec 04, 2011 slather a considerable amount of marshmallow spread onto a plate. Make earthquakes and volcanoes with graham crackers and frosting. Graham cracker plate tectonics this quick and tasty kids science activity gives little scientists a hands on way to explore plate tectonics the movement of the earths crust that leads to the formation of volcanoes, mountains, and oceanic trenches. Break the other whole graham cracker in half, and then break each half in half again so you have 4 pieces. Observe what is happening to the marshmallow spread. The theory also states that the motion of these plates creates a variety of interactions at the plate boundaries. To identify and demonstrate the forces that shape the features of the earth 2. Once the graham crackers have touched each other, note how the marshmallow spreading is a different. Plate movements introduction the theory of plate tectonics states that the crust of the earth is composed of less than twenty separate plates that float on the hot plastic mantle of the inner earth. This is another fun activity with a sweet treat reward at the end. Print out sets of these stepbystep photo instructions to help your students successfully model plate tectonic activity using graham crackers, cake icing and fruit rollups. Microsoft word graham cracker plate tectonics lab activity.
Edible plate tectonics page 1 focus on inquiry the student will use food to model and observe the plate movement and consequences of plate movement associated with the theory of plate tectonics. However, the version i prefer includes the use of a rice crispy treat to illustrate oceanic vs. I make three piles when i go through the exit tickets. Plate boundaries are found at the edge of the plates. To model the interactions of earths tectonic plates as they move about its surface.
The theory of plate tectonics states that the crust of the earth is composed of seven major plates and numerous smaller plates. Plate boundary description landformsfeatures materials. The theory of plate tectonics states that the crust of the earth is composed of 16 major pieces or plates. Remember when we made different models of the earths layers. Discover how geologic features form by modeling the slow movement of earths tectonic plates. Dec 17, 2018 however, the version i prefer includes the use of a rice crispy treat to illustrate oceanic vs. Put the two plate models slowly toward each other and observe which plate rides up over the other. What happens to the wet ends of the graham crackers. Each piece of graham cracker represents a continental plate. When there is a crack in the plate, we call that a fault. Students create a tasty model that illustrates plate tectonic motions. This quick and tasty kids science activity gives little scientists a hands on way to explore plate tectonics the movement of the earths crust that leads to the. Second grade lesson incredible edible earth changes.
Have students slowly push the crackers together so. Plate movement directly affects the construction of earths surface because the land recycles and creates new crust by divergent plates. How do wet crackers act more like real plates than dry crackers. With pre and postlabs, discussion topics, and writing assignments, sixth graders take on a handson approach to understanding the plate tectonics cycle. Find plate tectonic labs lesson plans and teaching resources. The purpose of this lab is to demonstrate the different types of interactions at plate boundaries. Plate tectonics with graham crackers and fruit roll ups. The crust is broken into pieces, which is why i gave you two graham crackers. Every ten seconds, push the graham crackers closer to each other.
Handson activities for teaching landforms grade school giggles. What happens to a real tectonic plate being subducted. Provide an example of a location where this type of boundary is found on earth. Dip one end of each of the two graham crackers two centimeters into a cup of water. Well even get to eat our experiment at the end, yum. Make earthquakes and volcanoes with graham crackers and. Use only two of the pieces for part 3, saving the other two for part 4.
Buy wax paper, knives, frosting, fruit rollups, and graham crackers. In this graham cracker simulation in science class, the students hands make the tectonic plates move. As students are enjoying the plate tectonic treat, i pass out the plate tectonic exit ticket to each student. Place the graham crackers on opposite sides of the plate. Graham cracker plate tectonics playdough to plato this quick and tasty kids science activitygives little scientists a hands on way toexplore plate tectonics the movement of the earths crust that leads to the formation of volcanoes, mountains, and oceanic trenches. Break the graham cracker into four pieces use only two and save the remaining two pieces of graham cracker for the next section. Pupils recognize three basic types of tectonic plate boundaries and explain what happens to each one.
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