Fourth-Grade Project on Pangaea
Alfred Wegener, a German meteorologist, was the first to theorize the existence of a giant landmass he called Pangaea. The theory stipulates that in Earth's early history there was only one landmass, but the movement of the tectonic plates caused sections of land to separate and created the continents. Wegener called this movement the continental drift and it can be introduced to fourth-graders using a series of creative projects.
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Theory of Pangaea
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Wegener theorized that all landmass is connected by a series of plates that aren't static. These plates rest above deeper layers of pressurized molten rock and lava near the Earth's core. When pressure changes the plates move and this movement is what broke apart the super continent Pangaea. This theory is called the continental drift and helps explain why similar, land-dwelling fossilized creatures are found at conflicting locations, as well as current movement landmass.
Pangaea Projects at Home
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At home a fourth-grader can use a map to trace the shapes of the continents. She can cut out each shape and use them to put Pangaea back to together like a puzzle. But this is just one example of an at-home project. With the help of a guardian, a fourth-grader can also create a model of Pangaea using dough that can be baked and painted. Both of these examples give a student a hands-on idea of landmass movement and the action of the tectonic plates.
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Pangaea Projects in the Classroom
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Classroom projects can take the form of a student presentation or a craft project. For example, one project may ask a student to make a map of an imaginary Pangaea and another may ask a student to explore Pangaea and give a presentation to the class about what she finds. A teacher may also choose to organize a group project that invites the entire class to participate in an investigation of Pangaea. But whether a fourth-grader is presenting an individual project or working with a group, he will be engaged by participatory projects that excite his imagination.
Other Pangaea Projects
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Other Pangaea projects can be completed either inside or outside the classroom. For example, a research paper investigating the work of Alfred Wegener and his conclusions about continental drift can be completed at home and presented in the classroom. Other projects can be invented by the fourth-grader, such as homemade movie documentary about Pangaea or a creative writing assignment that imagines what life may have been like on the super continent. But the right type of Pangaea project will depend upon both the creativity of the student and the teacher.
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References
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