OpenSciEd Unit 6.4 · Lesson 07
Look for: We know that volcanoes do not cause mountains…
From Teacher Edition
Facilitation guidance from the lesson plan — what to notice in student thinking and how to respond while teaching.
What to look / listen for
Look for students to use evidence from the Seismic Explorer map images, the Data Cards for Other Mountains and Mt. Everest from Lesson 1, and How are Volcanoes Formed and What Kinds of Changes Do They Cause? to describe the processes that play a role in the development of volcanoes and the changes that volcanoes cause to the surface of Earth. (See the key ideas listed above.) Some examples of what students might argue:
- We know that volcanoes do not cause mountains to move, so we can claim that none of the changes in location were caused by volcanoes at or near any of the mountain sites.
- We also know that volcanoes can create new landforms or build up existing land when lava flows out and over the top of a volcano.
- But a volcano can only add to its own height, not the height of surrounding mountains.
- So, the only mountain that might possibly be increasing in elevation because of volcanic eruptions is Mt. Hotaka because it is the only active volcano in our list of 6 mountain sites.
What do do
If students do not correctly describe the interaction between the oceanic plate and the continental plate, you can:
Have students work with partners or in small groups to review the reading and look for evidence of the processes that play a role in the development of volcanoes and the changes that volcanoes cause to Earth’s surface.
Have partners or small groups develop models using pictures, words, and/or symbols that show:
how volcanoes are created from the collision between a denser oceanic plate and a less dense continental plate; and
the constructive and destructive changes that volcanoes cause at the surface.
Universal Design for Learning
It is important to support students to clarify academic language they encounter in the text to develop their ability to learn and use linguistic representation. Most of these terms are words we encounter that students need only understand to make sense of the text at this moment. However, a few terms, such as “solidified,” “destructive,” and “constructive” can become words we earn if students continue to use and develop an understanding of those terms beyond this reading.
Supporting Emerging Multilingual Learners
Provide opportunities for emerging multilingual students to break down the meaning of scientific terms used in the lesson. Provide an opportunity to discuss any preconceptions about the meaning of each term and draw upon their personal experiences to make sense of them.
For example:
- Use students’ prior knowledge of the word solid to help them understand that solidified means to become solid, and use examples, such as water solidifying into ice when it is placed in a freezer.
- Use students’ personal experiences with words such as construct and construction to help them make sense of constructive processes, which build up or create new land or landforms.
- Use students’ experiences with words like destroy and destruction to help them understand that destructive processes are those that break down landforms and earth materials.
What to do
Building towards 7.A: Apply scientific ideas and evidence to construct an explanation for the processes that cause some of the large scale interactions of Earth’s plates that result in the effects (volcanoes) of those interactions.