History of the development of Plate Tectonic Theory Project Guide
Each student has been assigned one step in the development of the Plate Tectonic Theory. Each student has received two excerpts from a longer article about the History of Plate Tectonic Theory. They may also find quality sources online or from other books. Links to the full articles and other useful internet sites are listed below. If a student uses one of the provided resources, the bibliography appears at the end. The student simply needs to copy the bibliography information
This is the first major project for 6th Grade Earth Science and we expect Aristoi Scholars to work carefully to create a quality project that will tell their piece of the story. This project will be weighted as a major test grade. The project is due on Friday, September 2. Students will present their projects in class.
The grading rubric is below.
Includes required details:Name of person or group credited with concept
Time or time period
Image related to new idea
One summary sentence
One 5-7 sentence paragraph detailed description / 20 points
Paragraph contains:
Topic Sentence
Supporting Details
Concluding Sentence / 20 points
Project is neat and attractive in appearance / 10 points
Paper is free of mechanical or grammatical errors. -2 points for each error / 20 points
Student’s name and source texts are on the back / 10 points
The Following Key Word Outlines are attached:
Source 1 Key Word Outline
Source 2 Key Word Outline
Combine Key Word Outline / 10 points
Oral Presentation to the class / 10 points
Students will find the following online resources helpful as they work on their research project.
Online Resources for Plate Tectonic Theory History
Brief overview of history of Plate Tectonic Theory
Online edition of a book published by the USGS. It will be helpful to click on the link pertaining to your specific topic.
Detailed transcript from an hour long lecture. Each section is labeled in bold. Most students will only need to read the section pertaining to their specific topic.
The next two links describe isostasy in more detail
This link helps explain how convection currents drive plate movement.
This is a series of 5 brief pages describing aspects of plate tectonic theory.
How to write the research paragraph for the Science Timeline Card
Combining Key Word Outlines from two sources
Read the first source text. Write a Key Word Outline from that text. To do this:
- Write the title or main idea on the top line.
- Write the name of the source text underneath.
- Write a numbered list of 1-7.
- Ask yourself, “What are the 7 most important or interesting facts from this source?
- Use three words or less per line to help you remember the facts. Abbreviations and doodles don’t count as words.
- You should fill at least 5 lines and usually no more than 7.
Repeat the steps above for the second source text.
Show these two outlines to your teacher for approval to move to the next step.
Now, set your two Key Word Outlines side by side. Use them as your source for a Combined Key Word Outline.
- Write the main idea or title of your outline.
- Ask yourself, what are the 7 most interesting or important facts from these two outlines combined and what order should I put them in?
- Use three words or less per line to help you remember the facts. Abbreviations and doodles don’t count as words.
- You should fill at least 5 lines and no more than 7.
Show this combined Key Word Outline to your teacher for approval.
Now, use your combined Key Word Outline to help you write the research paragraph. After you write the first draft, read it aloud to someone and edit it. Then, you may type or handwrite your final copy.
On the back of your Timeline card, write “Source Texts.” Under this, write the names of the source text you used.
Congratulations! You have finished your first Earth Science research paragraph for the year.