Document Type
Teacher Resource
Grade Level
Grade Level: 4th Grade
Publication Date
5-2020
Background Information
The Earth’s crust is broken into pieces that are called tectonic plates. Seven major plates exist. Plates move in three ways; they may slide by one another (transform plate boundaries), run into each other (convergent plate boundaries), or move apart from one another (divergent boundaries). Movement of these plates is responsible for landforms and natural events such as earthquakes and volcanoes. Volcanoes and mountains tend to be the result of convergent plate boundaries. Earthquakes are likely to occur at transform plate boundaries. New crust is made where divergent plate boundaries exist. These actions occur on the ocean floor as well as on land. Patterns of results of these actions are recorded on maps.
Performance Expectations
ESS2-2 Earth’s Systems:
Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth’s features.
Recommended Citation
Martinez, Elizabeth, "Earth/Space Science - BUT THE CRUST IS THE BEST PART: Earth Features" (2020). Model NGSS Lessons: 4th - 5th Grade. 1.
https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/model_ngss_lessons_4_5/1