Science Lesson: Wegener’s Dilemma

Abstract
During this lesson, students are introduced to the ideas of Earth being an ever-changing planet and the study of Earth’s geochemical processes as a relatively new science.

Purpose –Engagement of students with Alfred Wegener’s Continental Drift Theory.

Objectives
Students will be able to:
1. Explain the importance of evidence when making scientific theories.
2. Observe patterns in the Earth’s continental shapes.
3. List several examples of evidence that might support Alfred Wegener’s Theory of Continental Drift.

National Science Education Standard:
CONTENT STANDARD D: Earth and Space Science
The Origin And Evolution Of The Earth System
• Interactions among the solid earth, the oceans, the atmosphere, and organisms have resulted in the ongoing evolution of the earth system. We can observe some changes such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on a human time scale, but many processes such as mountain building and plate movements take place over hundreds of millions of years.

Teacher Background

Biography of Alfred Wegener from UC Berkley
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/wegener.html

Continental Drift Theory
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001765.html

Biography of Alfred Wegener from NASA
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/Giants/Wegener/

Related and Resource Web sites

Evidence for Continental Drift from NASA
http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/archive/pangaea/evidence.html

Continental Drift Information Page
http://wwwf.countryday.net/FacStf/ms/schniebec/Cont%20Drift%20Plate%20Tectonics/Continental%20Drift%20INFO%20Page.htm

Alfred Lothar Wegener (1880-1930)
Photograph courtesy of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research,
Bremerhaven, Germany.

Activity

1. As students enter the classroom have the following question written on the board for them to answer on a sheet of paper: If I told you the there was a new school policy stating that due to the increase in soda thefts by freshman, soda machines will be locked during lunch, what would be your response?

2. Allow students five to ten minutes to record their thoughts and share with the class. If students do not bring up the idea of evidence, try to draw it from them through questioning strategies.

3. Tell students: The role of a scientist, as you know, is to observe and question the world around them. When scientists make a claim based upon observable evidence it is called a theory. Theories are not incontrovertible but are often widely accepted by the scientific community. They are more solid than a hypothesis and less solid than a law. In 1915, Alfred Wegener proposed the Continental Drift Theory. His theory proposed that all of the continents had been joined together in one super-continent called Pangea. His theory was widely disputed at the time, but by providing evidence Wegener was able to justify his theory. This week you will be attempting to prove this theory.

4. Divide the class into groups of four and have students list evidence that they believe would prove Alfred Wegener’s claim that hundreds of millions of years ago the continents were joined together, but have since separated. (If the students struggle you may ask them to think about the fact that if they were together at one time, there should be common elements on all continents.)

5. Once students have a good list of possible evidence that supports the theory, ask them to begin planning how they might conduct an experiment to test for each piece of evidence (i.e. – students who believe fossil evidence might be a key should design an experiment to either dig for fossils or research fossil findings.)

Closure
Call students together and ask each group to share at least one experiment they would conduct and why.

Embedded Assessment
Can students outline a simple experiment? Do they connect the ideas of similar locations having similar rocks, fossils, climate, etc?

Homework
Have students write a conclusion in their science notebook. The conclusion should explain what the students learned in class and should include reflections on the day’s learning.

Embedded Assessment