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Hi all, Let me reinforce Ann's comments. We've stopped using images of a boiling pan of water to talk about convection (and convective heat transfer) because of the very widespread and hard to dispel misconception that the mantle is a liquid. Randy At 08:42 AM 4/6/2010, Bykerk-Kauffman, Ann wrote: >Hi Folks, > >There are great ideas and they look like a lot of fun, but beware of >the possibility of teaching misconceptions. The plates do NOT ride >on horizontal mantle currents like rafts on a river; the rolling >students demonstration could give students this hard-to-shake misconception. > >Ann > >***************************** >Ann Bykerk-Kauffman >Dept. of Geological and Environmental Sciences >400 W. 1st Street >California State University, Chico >Chico, CA 95929-0205 >(530)898-6305 >[log in to unmask] > > > >-----Original Message----- >From: Stella Heenan [mailto:[log in to unmask]] >Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 6:10 AM >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Foam Plate Tectonics Learning Activity > >Larry Braile has a quite detailed write up for modelling faulting and >tectonic boundaries using different foam blocks and sheets: > >http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/edumod/foammod/foammod.htm ><http://web.ics.purdue.edu/%7Ebraile/edumod/foammod/foammod.htm> > >Basic suggestions students have done in our classrooms for modelling: >same thickness of flexible foam for collision boundaries - model uplift, >folding and mountain building >different thicknesses of foam for subduction zones (thinner tends to >subduct under thicker) >thread two sheets up through a small gap between two desks for a >spreading ridge >flexible long sheets (like camping mattresses) draped over the backs of >crouched students - when the students roll, the plate above them moves >laterally - models convection cells > >In all scenarios, features can be stuck or drawn onto the foam, e.g. >volcanoes, quake epicentres, magnetic striping, land masses. > >All of these can work as discovery tasks: provide instructions of what >to do, and students observe what happens. ------------------------------------------------------------- Randall M. Richardson, Professor Department of Geosciences, Gould Simpson 208 1040 E. 4th Street University of Arizona, Tucson AZ 85721-0077 (520) 621-4950 (O); (520) 621-2672 (Fax)