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Wegener during J.P. Koch's Expedition 1912 - 1913 in the winter base "Borg".Image extracted and modified from an originalfrom MediaWiki, under public license

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Wegener during J.P. Koch's Expedition 1912 - 1913 in the winter base "Borg".Image extracted and modified from an originalfrom MediaWiki, under public licens

That day in 1931, everything turned bad for that german man. After several accidents and during several days of lack of supplies and temperatures under -60ºC,  the wild continent of Greenland put his life to an end.

He came so far to this wild land from his homeland with a mission.  To discover our planet's history. To learn reading the time, reading the rocks and seas. To see through thousand million years.

You now are invited to continue his mission. A puzzling research with crossing evidences, mad hypothesis and hidden clues.

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Alfred Wegener, the german man who died in Greenland, was a scientist that in 1912 proposed the theory of the Continental Drift.

Following his hypotheses, he found evidences (fossil, geological, metereological,...) about ancient movements of the continents in our planet.

His theory wasn't accepted at the beginning: it would take time to other scientists to accept that the Earth had a so long  and complex history.

But after a time the Continental Drift Theory was accepted: continents are moving slowly and as a consequence, new seas and mountains are being created. Nowadays' continents are the result of ancient continents with strange names: Pangea, Laurasia, Gondwana.

In this activity, you will follow his steps, use evidences and make hypothesis to understand the history of a planet that is not ours, but could be.

Your mission

To do this activity, you will organize in teams of three people.

Following several steps, you will analyze evidences, extract conclusions, and test your conclusions with new evidences.

During the process, you will learn about Plate Tectonics, Continental Drift, Geologic Eras, and Paleomagnetism.

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To do this activity, you will organize in teams of three people.

Following several steps, you will analyze evidences, extract conclusions, and test your conclusions with new evidences.

During the process, you will learn about Plate Tectonics, Continental Drift, Geologic Eras, and Paleomagnetism.

Your mission is to discover which is the story of an imaginary world, and determine which misterious forces and process had lead to its current (apparently quiet) appearence.

Follow the proposed steps on the timeline.

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Data

At each step, you will be given data in very diverse formats (Work Sheets), that are not sistematized (in real science, evidences are also found separated one from the other). It means that you will need to make an effort to sistematize your data and extract conclusions at each step.

The data show evidences from 4 geologic periods:

Proterozoic

Paleozoic

Mesozoic

Cenozoic

Each Worksheet gives you clues to undertake the construction of conclusions from the data.

There are some Scaffolds for it availables at the Resources section.

Goals and products

At each step, you will be asked to generate a product. You will need this to complete the next step, so don't skip the steps. The final product is to create a science communication video about the geological history of this part of this imaginary planet.

The video must provide justified answers to:

the location of the Plate limits and the type of limits.

the geological story of this planet

the evolution of the shapes and positions of the continents

A part from the products of each step and the final product, you are asked to perform individually a Portfolio during your project. In the resources section you will find a frame to do it.

Take a look at the Assessment section to know in advance the activities that you will be graded on.

Introductory videos

In these videos you can see that Earth is not static, but dynamic. Along its history, during almost 4.500 Million years these dynamic forces have lead to changes in the continents shape and ubication. We can discover the process through the evidences and traces let by the events.

https://youtu.be/ryrXAGY1dmE

https://youtu.be/Cm5giPd5Uro

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In this first step, you will  analyze two packs of data. After each pack of data, you have to extract some conclusions and represent them in a map.

Pack 1: Choose one Fossil Worksheet and one Geodynamics Worksheet from the Resources section.

Pack 2: Choose another Fossil Worksheet and another Geodynamics Worksheet from the Resources section.

>Don't try to look at all the WorkSheets at the same time. You will anyway end up using all the information.<

To analyze the data, you may need some of the frames  available at the Resources section.

At the end of this step, draw your conclusions as a map, showing the main events at when occurred.

To do so, you may need the Grid to Draw and Design. Draw one map for each period if you find it useful.

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Step2: Communicating and discussing results

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Step2: Communicating and discussing results

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In this step, one of you will quit the team and join another team.

The two remaining members of the team will receive a new member, an "invited Scientist" that have worked with different informations from you, and that have probably a different point of view.

1) Explain to the new member your results and conclusions.

2) The new member will explain the results he obtained with his former team. It is not allowed to get back to the former team.

3) Build a new model of the events.  To do so, you may need the Grid to Draw and Design.

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Step3: Contrasting hypothesis, analyzing new data

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Step3: Contrasting hypothesis, analyzing new data

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As in the first step, you will have the right to analyze two more packs of data. For each pack of data, you have to reach some conclusions and represent its implications in a general map.

Pack 1: Choose one Fossil Worksheet and one Geodynamics Worksheet from the Ressources section.

Pack 2: Choose another Fossil Worksheet and another Geodynamics Worksheet from the Ressources section.

>At the end of this step, you might have analyzed all the available data<

To analyze the data, you may need some of the  ressources available at the Resources section.

At the end of this step, you draw your conclusions as a map, showing the main events at when occurred.

To do so, you may need the Grid to Draw and Design. Draw one map for each period if you find it useful.

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Now it's time to build your definitive scientific model. Follow these three steps:
1) Print 4 copies of the  Grid to Draw and Design (one for each geological period) and make a drawing of the shape and position of the continents at the different stages of its evolution. Point out which of your statements are very probable (because you have lots of evidences of it) and which are just hypothesis (because you have few or very weak evidences).
2) From this evolution, and toghether with all the information available, place on these maps the edges of the tectonic plates, and determine which kind of limits are they (constructive, destructive, transformant), and the direction of their movement.
3) Make a Prediction about the position of the continents in the next stage, and a list of the significant geologic events that should be observed.

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Now it's time for you to communicate your results in a science dissemination format, as a video (3 minutes length). Follow these steps:

PROCESS

1) Make a list of the key data (the data allowing you to extract the main conclusions).

2) Write a storyboard for your video.

3) Prepare the materials you need, and register your video.

PRODUCT

In the resulting product (video), you should:

Present a a comprehensive description of the changes in the shapes and positions of the continents.

Localize the edges of the tectonic plates, and describe which kind of plate limits are they(constructive, destructive, transformant).

Justify your conclusions on data.

Identify the parts of the map you weren't able to solve and explain which are your hypothesis and the controverted/lacking data.

Use the all the terms of the scientific vocabulary (see list at Ressources section).

The video should last a maximum of 3 minutes and can include images or fragments of external videos. Remember that you are talking to a not-specialized public, and you should explain the scientific terms when you use them.

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Fossil worksheets
Geodynamic worksheets
Work frames and didactic scaffolds

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Student's productions object of evaluation

At the end of the activity, students will present:

Team work

The Worksheets with the partial conclusions.

A document showing the explanation on the evolution of the position and shape of the continents and the position and type of plate limits.

A storyboard of the video.

A science dissemination video. This video will be qualified following the items:

Present a a comprehensive description of the changes in the shapes and positions of the continents.

Localize the edges of the tectonic plates, and describe which kind of plate limits are (constructive, destructive, transformant).

Justify your conclusions on data.

Identify the parts of the map you weren't able to solve and explain which are your hypothesis and the controverted/lacking data.

Use the all the terms of the scientific vocabulary (see list at Ressources section).

Creativity, use of models or devices.

Edition quality: light, sound, image transitions.

Individual work

Portfolio.

Other assessment outputs

During the Project sessions, students work on their own, and discuss about scientific evidences.

Even if it is impossible to reach a sistematic assessment from these discussions, the teacher will listen to their discussions (can also participate on it, but just add more questions, don't give answers!) and take note of interesting participations of good scientific skills (constructing hypothesis, extracting conclusions,...). It might be included it in students' assessments.

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The website and the project have been designed by Jordi Domènech Casal, Science teacher in Secondary Education in Barcelona.

License

The project has been published under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0) license  so it can be used and modified freely citing the original author.