HOW ARE MOUNTAINS FORMED?

Ed Tech Standard 8
Use technology resources (e.g., calculators, data collection probes, videos, educational software) for problem-solving, self-directed learning, and extended learning activities. (5, 6)

Standard 2
Students will understand that volcanoes, earthquakes, uplift, weathering, and erosion reshape Earth's surface.

**To help my students understand the plate tectonics lesson, I will do this experiment in class.  I think hands on experiences that engage students have a tendency stick with the student longer than facts.  I loved this lesson because we have many mountains in this area, I can help my students understand why we have so many here in Utah and how they were formed.

This section of the lesson is aimed at helping students understand the cause of earthquakes: movements in the tectonic plates. Here are two experiments to help the children visualize.

Using graham crackers, fruit roll ups & pudding/frosting/yogurt, students experiment to understand what happens when plates move: Snack Tectonics
Using paper plates, have students cut the plate into two pieces that fit perfectly together. Guide their understanding by asking them how the paper plate is like a tectonic plate. Then, ask them to model the main movements of the plates: divergent, convergent & transform. Ask: What happens to the land when each of these movements occur? Which movement occurred to create the new land in Pakistan? Can you think of any examples in the U.S. that have been formed by any of these movements (i.e. San Andreas Fault)?