Shake, rattle, and roll! Plate tectonics is an exciting and relevant concept for my students---especially living on the west coast!
My students are curious and competent middle school students.
They love science, want to explore the world around them, and are adept at devising scientific investigations. We are a NASA Explorer School and place a high emphasis on scientific understanding and application.
My Project
Although field experiences are very valuable and incorporated into our curriculum, students must also be able to manipulate models in order to fully grasp scientific concepts. Plate tectonics is a perfect example. The tectonic sandboxes and lab kits allow students to manipulate variables and observe and analyze results. From the catalog description of the kits, "Watch geologic time unfold in your classroom! The Tectonic Sandbox vividly demonstrates convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries in an easy-to-use, self-contained, hands-on model. Students predict landform creations along tectonic boundaries as the crustal plates push, pull, and slide past each other in minutes instead of millions of years. The intricacies of deformation are enhanced with the use of colored sand(included)" Wow! I wish that I had learned about plate tectonics in this manner when I was in school.
Thank you for considering this proposal.
You can literally put the world into the hands of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders by supporting plate tectonic investigations and models. We are anxious to get started and I know that my students will take full advantage of the supplies.
More than a third of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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