Snack Tectonics

        SNACK TECTONICS       

Materials: 

Graham Crackers (broken in half for each student)

Two 3" squares of fruit roll up

Cup of water

Frosting

Sheet of Wax Paper

Plastic Knife or spoon

Purpose of this Lesson is to teach Earth Science in a way that students can relate to. In this activity, food is used as an educational tool for students to learn about different plate boundaries, the lithosphere (earth's crust), asthenosphere (frosting used to represent the semi-fluid layer), Oceanic crust plates (represented by the thin yet dense fruit roll up), Continental Crust plates (represented by the Graham cracker that is thick but less dense than the oceanic crust/fruit roll up). This activity teaches students about the world they live in and what occurs on earth's surface, as well as ties it into things they eat and understand to relate the activity to them personally to help make that connection to their lives. I really appreciate this activity as most students don't tend to get wrapped up in things they feel they either cant relate to, or don't directly see or get affected by.

TPE's Addressed: 2: Monitoring Student Learning through instruction, 3:Interpretation and use of assessments, 4: Making content accessible, 5: Student Engagement

This Activity can be a successful one and a memorable one, as students can not only relate to the objects that are used to represent the earth's different surfaces, but as well eat the items after the lesson has been taught.