ES-ESS2.B-1

Plate Tectonics Adventure - Super Study Buddies

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Game Info for Teachers

COMBINED RATING

4.2 Stars

TEACHERS (350)

4.3

STUDENTS (80318)

4.0

LENGTH

11 Minutes

GRADES

CAPABILITIES

iPad Support

Spanish Language Support

Text-to-Speech Support

Description

Help geologists fight off the Pesky Prospector and his rampaging Bad Bots from taking their research! Learn about Plate Tectonics, boil the Earth's core, collect puzzle pieces to complete your world map, and learn about unique landforms. You can even make your own earthquakes in this epic adventure!

Vocabulary Words

plate tectonics

tectonic plates

faults

core

inner core

outer core

mantle

crust

lithosphere

geosphere

landform

delta

ocean basin

mountain

mountain range

plateau

volcano

earthquake

lava

trench

sediment

soil

rock

Ring of Fire

continent

Pangaea

continental plate

oceanic plate

diverge

converge

transform

Instructions

Play through this interactive game to learn about Plate Tectonics and Large Scale Systems. Suitable for Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5.

Main Concepts

Earthquakes occur along faults when tectonic plates shift relative to each other, causing the Earth to shake.

A volcanic eruption is the release of very hot lava, ash, and debris from an opening in Earth’s crust.

Most earthquakes and volcanoes occur in bands that are often along the boundaries between continents and oceans.

Different landforms on Earth include mountains, hills, valleys, canyons, deltas, sand dunes, and plains.

The geosphere includes Earth’s crust, mantle, outer and inner cores.

Earth’s mantle is hot, soft, solid rock.

Earth’s crust contains rock, soil, and sediment.

A delta is a fan-shaped piece of land that forms at the mouth of a river from the deposition of sand and mud.

Earth’s crust is divided into plates that can move across Earth’s surface.

Tectonic plate boundaries, also known as faults, are regions where two plates meet.

At a convergent plate boundary, tectonic plates move towards each other.

Mountain ranges are located in patterns across Earth’s surface, particularly near the middle or edges of a continent.

A plateau is a region of high, flat ground.

A plain is a large region of flat land.

Mountain ranges are groups of mountains connected by high elevation land.

A hill is an elevated area of land that is not as high as a mountain.

Deep ocean trenches are regions along the ocean floor where rock in Earth’s crust sinks back down into Earth’s mantle.

At a divergent plate boundary, tectonic plates move away from each other.

Discussion Questions

Before the Game

Name the 7 continents of our world. You will learn that the Earth used to have only one continent. What do you think happened? What are different types of landforms that you would find on a map? What are three landforms located in your state? What is the difference between a volcano and a mountain?

After the Game

Is the Earth composed of many small tectonic plates or a few large tectonic plates? What is the relationship between the Ring of Fire and earthquakes? In order for the tectonic plates to move, what has to happen within the Earth's mantle (this was the part in the game where you made soup)? The movement of the mantle causes what action to occur? Where did you learn that it is likely for stronger earthquakes and volcanoes to occur? Why is it likely for these to happen in this area? Where is a fault located? Where is a trench located? What is the difference between a continental and oceanic plate? How are mountains formed, by plates sliding past each other or by plates colliding?

Ratings & Reviews

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Ratings Breakdown

Teacher Ratings

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Student Ratings

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Game Details

Difficulty

Content Integration

Lexile Level

705