Essential Questions:

1. What causes Tectonic Plates to move?
2. How did scientists figure out that the earth is covered by rigid lithospheric plates?

Enduring Understanding:

1. Tectonic Plates move due to the creation/destruction of sea floor AND because of convection currents in the upper mantle.

Reference Materials/Assignments:

Questions/Understandings/Pre-conception Survey

Plate Tectonics Survey002.pdf

This USGS publication includes EVERYTHING you need to understand about the topic. 

Online Edition of "This Dynamic Earth: The Story of Plate Tectonics"

It is divided into 7 sections:

1. Preface
2. Historical Perspective
3. Developing the Theory
4. Understanding Plate Motions
5. Hot Spots: Mantle Thermal Plumes
6. Some Unanswered Questions
7. Plate Tectonics and People

Continental Drift + Seafloor Spreading= Plate Tectonics!!!

Continental Drift Evidence Assignment.pdf

For students: "Background Information," "Analyzing Evidence," and "Writing Frame" pages

Continental Drift Map Assignment.pdf

Worksheets are the last 4 pages of the file

The Earth's Magnetic Field "Flipping" Out

Seafloor Spreading Background Information.pdf

Seafloor Spreading Background

Seafloor Spreading Class Lab.doc

Animations:

Seafloor Spreading Animation

Seafloor Spreading Online Animation

Earth-Mantle Convection

Geologic Time and Continental Locations

Lonks:

The Paleomap Project:  illustrating the plate tectonic development of the ocean basins and continents, as well as the changing distribution of land and sea during the past 1100 million years.

The Geologic History of the Northeastern United States

Brief Geologic History of Vermont.pdf

Still Having Trouble???  Plate Tectonics Review:

Plate Tectonics Review.pdf