Lesson Plan in Earth and Life Science

(Earth Science Lesson 14: Endogenic Processes)

Date: ________________

I. OBJECTIVES
(General)
1. Explain how the continents drift (S11/12ESId- 20), and
2. Cite evidence that support continental drift (S11/12ES-Id-21)
(Specific)
1. Discuss the history behind the Theory of Continental Drift;
2. Describe the Continental Drift Theory; and
3. Enumerate and explain the evidence used to support the idea of drifting continents
II. SUBJECT MATTER
A. Topics: Endogenic Processes
B. Reference: Earth and Life Science TG pp. 111-118
C. Materials: TG, Audio-Video Facilities, video clips, printed images
III. PROCEDURE
A. INTRODUCTION (5 min)
Communicate learning objectives
1 Introduce the following learning objectives using the suggested protocols (Verbatim,
Own Words, Read-aloud)
a. Discuss the history behind the Theory of Continental Drift;
b. Describe the Continental Drift Theory;
c. Enumerate and explain the evidence used to support the idea of drifting continents
B. MOTIVATION (10 min)
Present a globe or world map (preferably a big one) and have the students identify the
different continents. Ask the students the following questions:
a. How much of the Earth is covered by water?
b. What are the ocean basins of the world? What is the largest ocean basin?
c. Is there anything peculiar with the shape of the continents on opposite sides of the
Atlantic Ocean?
Note: See if the students can recognize the remarkable fit between the eastern coast of South America
and the western coast of Africa.
C. INSTRUCTION (50 min)
1. Introduce the continental drift hypothesis
a. Discuss how the concept of continental drift came about.
i. The idea that continents fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle has been around
since the 1600s, although little significance was given to it.
ii. The continental drift hypothesis was first articulated by Alfred Wegener, a German
meteorologist, in 1912. He proposed that a single supercontinent, Pangaea,
separated into the current continents and moved across Earth’s surface to their
present locations. He published his work through a book entitled “The Origin of
Continents and Oceans” in 1915.
Note: • Pangaea – an ancient Greek word meaning “all land” or “entire earth”.
• Alfred Wegener thought that continents drifted due to the tides formed by the gravitational forces
of the Moon and Sun. He also believed that the larger and sturdier continents cut through the
thinner oceanic crust, although there is no proof that the ocean floor is weak enough to allow
passage of the continents without significantly deforming them in the process.
 iii. Until the 1950s-60s, it was still widely held that that continents and ocean basins
had fixed geographic positions. As such, scientists were reluctant to believe that
continents could drift. What was the driving mechanism?
iv. In the 1960s, the post-war boom in oceanography generated a lot of new data about
the ocean floor. It turned out that the ocean floor was not as flat and featureless as
they had originally thought. The ocean floor was characterized by deep depressions
called trenches and a network of ridges that encircled the globe. These topographic
data, together with heat flow measurements, led to the emergence of the Seafloor
Spreading Hypothesis which revived interest in Alfred Wegener’s idea of drifting
continents.
b. Show an animation of continental drift.
i. The animation is for the students to visually understand how continental drift
occurred. One example is the Pangaea Animation by Edgar Salmingo
Note: • There are a lot of animations available online.
2. Perform the Continental Drift Activity (See Practice section)
3. Enumerate and discuss the evidence supporting continental drift
a. The fit of the continents - Opponents of Wegener’s idea disputed his continental fit
evidence, arguing that the fit of the continents’ margins was crude, and that
shorelines were continuously being modified by wave erosion and depositional
processes.
i. The oceanographic data later on revealed that a much better approach was to fit the
continents together along the continental slope, where erosion would be minimal.
However, a perfect fit could still not be achieved. The process of stretching and
thinning of the continental margins and sedimentary processes (e.g. erosion, delta
formation, etc.) could explain some of the overlaps.
b. Similarity in geologic units and structures - Wegener discovered that geologic
structures (mountain ranges), as well as ages and rock types on opposite sides of the
Atlantic Oceans, were identical. For example, the Appalachians of the eastern United
States and Canada are similar to the mountain ranges in eastern Greenland, Ireland,
Great Britain, and Norway. Wegener concluded that these belonged to a single
mountain range that became separated as the continents drifted.
Note: • Several scientists worked on continental drift prior to Wegener but the distinction was awarded to
him because of the overwhelming lines of evidence that he presented.
c. Fossil match - Similar fossils of extinct plants and animals of the same age were
found on different continents which are now separated by oceans. Wegener argued
that these organisms physically could not have crossed the oceans because organisms
adapt to specific types of environment and their dispersal can be limited by
biogeographic boundaries (e.g. oceans, mountain ranges, etc.) A likely explanation
for this is that the continents were part of a large contiguous landmass which later on
broke apart and drifted.
i. Glossopteris flora (seed fern) – had large seeds (too large to be blown away by
wind to different continents) and grew only in subpolar regions, but fossils were
widely distributed over Australia, Africa, India and South America (later on
discovered in Antarctica).
ii. Mesosaurus – a freshwater reptile (cannot cross oceans) whose fossils were found
only in black shales about 260 million years of age (Permian) in South Africa and
Brazil.
iii. Lystrosaurus and Cynognathus – land reptiles whose fossils were found across
South America, Africa, India and Antarctica. With their inability to swim and the
continent’s differing climates, the organisms must have lived side by side and that
the lands drifted apart after they became extinct and fossilized.
 d. Glacial and paleoclimate evidence - A glacier is a slowly moving mass or river of
ice formed from the accumulation and compaction of snow on high mountains or in
polar areas. As it flows, it carries sediments of different shapes and sizes which are
then deposited and slowly compacted into a soft sedimentary rock called till (glacial
till). It also creates grooves or scratches called striations in the underlying bedrock.
i. Wegener analyzed glacial tills and striations of ancient times and found out that
glaciers of the same period (late Paleozoic age, around 300 million years ago)
were located in Australia, South America, Africa, India and Antarctica. Except
for Antarctica, these continents/countries did not have subpolar climate that
allowed glaciation. In addition, the striations in the rocks were consistently
pointing in different directions. Putting the continents together in accordance to
Wegener’s Pangaea shows that the glaciation only occurred in a small region in
Gondwana (around the South Pole) which then moved outward to the
aforementioned continents.
ii. Reconstructing the location of ancient glaciers led Wegener to discover that the
location of the current poles was not the same as the ancient ones. His studies
showed that South Africa was originally at the South Pole (300 million years ago),
which explains the flow direction of the ancient glaciers. Fitting the continents
together places the northern half of Pangaea closer to the tropics and was proven
correct by fossil and climatological evidences.

D. PRACTICE (25 min)

Continental Jigsaw Puzzle (modified from Continental Drift Activity Days before the
activity: The teacher must be able to print enough copies of the puzzle for all groups.
Note: • Expect imperfect fit of the cutouts as these are only approximations of the shapes of the continents
after Pangaea split up.
Instructions:
1. The teacher divides the class into groups of two to five. Each group is provided with
activity materials.
2. In the legend, assign different colors for each type of fossil and geologic structure. Use
these colors to represent the identified areas within the landmasses.
3. Cut along the borders of the continents using a pair of scissors.
4. On another sheet of paper, place the continent cut-outs and try to reconstruct Pangaea
using the given clues (fossils and mountain ranges).
5. When confident of the positions of the continents, glue them on a sheet of paper. Draw
a circle around to represent the Earth.
6. Cut out the legend and paste it in the lower portion of the paper.
7. Randomly select few teams to discuss their findings in front of the class.
Discussion:
1. What criteria or basis did you consider in piecing together the “jigsaw puzzle”?
2. Look at the resulting map. What can you conclude with regards to the location of the
different fossils? What about the mountain range?
3. Give your thoughts on why the cutouts do not perfectly fit with each other.
Note: • It is suggested that this discussion portion of the activity will be done after the instruction delivery
section. Each student will submit answers as an attachment to their group’s Pangaea puzzle. • For
better resolution, it is suggested that the activity material (left) be downloaded directly from the
source.
Answers
1.The basis for piecing together the “jigsaw puzzle”: the shape of coast lines, distribution
of fossils and mountain ranges
2.The distribution of fossils and mountain ranges will “line-up” in the reconstructed map
(They will form continuous belts or area)
3.The imperfect fit is most likely due to modification of the coastlines resulting from:
weathering and erosion, and collisions and movement of plates. Fitting together the
continental slopes will provide a much better fit.

E. ENRICHMENT
To be submitted on the next meeting
Introduction:
Other related studies came out after the continental drift hypothesis has been proven and
accepted by the scientific community. One of the studies led to the identification of the
 speed of the continents’ movement. Below shows the rate of movement of some of the
continents.

Discussion:
1. Compute, in meters, how far these continents will travel in (a) 100 years, (b) 500,000
years and (c) 1 million years. Tabulate the answers.
Answer:
Using the formula of velocity/speed, distance is computed as: Distance = Speed x Time

2. Which continent moves the fastest? Where will it be in 50,000 years?

Answer: The African continent moves the fastest. In 50,000 years, it will be 1.1km away
from its current location.
3. Which continent moves the slowest? Where will it be in 1 million years?
Answer: The North American continent is the slowest moving continent with a speed of
1.2cm/yr. In 1 million years, it will be displaced from its current location by 12km.
4. Is there a chance that the continents will collide with each other? Explain your answer.
If yes, give an example.
Answer: Yes, continents can collide with each other since they are moving in different
directions. India for example has collided and still colliding with the Asian continent.
Reconstructing Pangaea shows that India was originally part of the southern half of
Pangaea that slowly drifted northwards.

IV. EVALUATION (12 min)

Summary questions related to the lessons (Questions in regular font are easy questions while the ones
in bold are hard):
1. Why do the continents fit roughly along their coastlines?
Answer: Because these were once joined together; they just drifted apart through time.
2. Define the concept of continental drift.
Answer: Continental drift is the idea that the continents move. From a single landmass called
Pangaea, the continents broke apart and drifted to their current positions.
3. What made early scientists reject Wegener’s continental drift idea?
 Answer: Although Wegener presented a lot of evidence supporting continental drift, he was not
able to convincingly explain how the continents moved.
4. List the lines of evidence that support continental drift.
Answer: The evidence of continental drift includes (1) continental fit, (2) similarities of geologic
units and structures across continents, (3) fossil match across continents, and (4) glacial and
paleoclimate evidence.
5. True or False.
Mountain ranges on the opposite sides of the Atlantic were used by Wegener to support his
continental drift idea.
Answer: True
6. What evidence can prove that two mountain ranges separated by ocean were part of a single
mountain range and that these were once joined together?
Answer: The mountain ranges should be aligned from one continent to another. The rock types
and their ages should be similar for both landmasses. If there are fossils in the area, they should
be similar as well.

2.5 (Test) Metamorphism and Its Effects in Rock Formation

Earth Materials and Processes
1. What kind of rocks are formed when the lava solidified after reaching the Earth's surface?
A. intrusive igneous
B. extrusive igneous
C. metamorphic
D. volcanic
2. _______________ is the process of change in the structure and form of rocks due to intense heat and
pressure.
A. metamorphism
B. compression
C. tension
D. crystallization
3. _______________ is the most common form of metamorphism that occurs in broad areas.
A. regional metamorphism
B. dynamic metamorphism
C. contact metamorphism
D. crystallization
4. Which of the following is not a type of stress in the Earth's crust?
A. compression
B. tension
C. dynamic
D. shear
5. Which of the following is not true about metamorphism of rocks?
A. Metamorphism is the process of change in the form and structure of rocks due to intense heat and
pressure.
 B. The rocks that undergo metamorphism are converted to metamorphic rocks.
C. In contact metamorphism, the country rock adjacent to the igneous intrusions are altered by the
heat coming from the country rock.
D. Mylonites are compact, fine-grained rocks that undergo dynamic metamorphism.
6. Which of the following are true about igneous and metamorphic rocks?
I. Igneous rocks are rocks that formed from magma while metamorphic rocks are rocks that may
come from igneous rocks.
II. Igneous rocks are either volcanic or plutonic rocks while metamorphic rocks are rocks that have
undergone metamorphism.
III. Metamorphic rocks may come from igneous rocks and igneous rocks may come from
metamorphic rocks.
IV. Both rocks may undergo metamorphism on the Earth's surface.
A. I and II
B. II and III
C. III and IV
D. II and IV

7. Which of the following is not true about contact metamorphism?

A. In this process, the zone of metamorphism that surrounds the intrusions is called halo or aureole.
B. It is the process where the country rock adjacent to the igneous intrusions is altered by the high
heat coming from the intrusions.
C. Some examples of rocks that undergo contact metamorphism include marble and emery rock.
D. Contact metamorphism is the most common form of metamorphism that occurs in broad areas.
8. When compression occurs in the Earth's crust, what would likely happen?
A. Mountains and hills could be formed when two plates collide.
B. Continental drifts and long mountain ranges are formed.
C. Shaking of the Earth's ground or earthquake would happen.
D. It would move the oceanic crust away resulting to the rising of less dense rocks from the mantle.
9. Which of the following are true about the different stresses on the Earth's crust?
I. The different types of stresses could create different land forms.
II. The types of stresses uses force to push and pull the rocks in different directions.
III. All types of stress can lead to earthquakes.
IV. All types of stress happen along the plate boundaries.
A. I and II
B. II and IV
C. II and III
D. I and IV
10. Which of the following are not true about the different types of metamorphism?
I. Contact and dynamic metamorphism involve intense heat to alter rocks.
II. Regional metamorphism is the process that involves intense heat coming from country rocks.
III. Dynamic metamorphism is the process that involves intense heat and differential pressure to alter
rocks along the fault zones.
IV. Contact metamorphism is the process that involves strong pressure that alters country rock
adjacent to the igneous intrusions.
A. I and II only
B. I, II and III
C. I, III, and IV
D. II, III and IV
2.6 (Test) Plate Tectonics: Continental Drift Theory and Its Evidence
Earth Materials and Processes
1. Who proposed that in the beginning the
Earth has only one giant landmass that
slowly broke apart into smaller land pieces?
A. Sir Arthur Holmes
B. Harry Hess
C. Alfred Wegener
D. Sir Isaac Newton
2. Which of the following is the giant landmass
that is present on the Earth in the beginning?
A. Gondwanaland
B. Pangaea
C. Laurasia
D. Eurasia
3. Who theorized that the driving force for the
continents to move is the convection cells in
the Earth’s interior?
A. Sir Arthur Holmes
B. Alfred Wegener
C. Harry Hess
D. Sir Isaac Newton
4. In which of the following pairs of continents
were the fossils of mesosaurus found?
A. South America and Africa
B. South America and Antarctica
C. Africa and Australia
D. Asia and Antarctica
5. Which of the following is a fernlike plant
whose fossils were found distributed in all
the continents?
A. mesosaurus
B. tillite
C. coal seam
D. glossopteris
6. Which of the following best explains why
coal seams found in Antarctica support the
Continental drift theory?
A. Coal seams contain rocks and fossils
that provide evidence that Antarctica
was once located near the equator.
B. Coal seams indicate abundance of
animal and plant organisms that are
evidence that Antarctica was once
located near the equator.
C. Coal seams are the remains of a fernlike
plant that can only survive in a very cold
place like Antarctica.
D. Coal seams do not provide support for
the Continental drift theory.
7. Which of the following best explains why
tillites found in some tropical areas in the
world support the Continental drift theory?
A. Tillites, which are rock debris left by
glaciers, indicate that the continents
were once located in the South Pole.
B. Tillites, which can be found anywhere in
the world, indicate that the continents
were part of one giant landmass.
C. Tillites, which are rock debris left by a
meteorite, indicate the continents drifted
apart when they were hit by a meteorite.
D. Tillites do not provide support to the
Continental drift theory.
8. Which of the following best explains why
Alfred Wegener’s Continental drift theory
was rejected despite the pieces of evidence
that support it?
A. It was impossible for the continents to
move; they are immovable geologic
features.
B. There was no way to explain how the
continents drifted away from each other.
C. Other scientists felt that Alfred
Wegener’s pieces of evidence were
inadequate.
D. Alfred Wegener was not popular among
other scientists.
9. Which of the following best explains how
the continents move?
A. Convection currents in the Earth’s
interior move the crust.
B. The Earth’s crust is attracted by the
gravitational force of the Moon.
C. Convection currents in the Earth’s
atmosphere move the crust.
D. The Earth’s crust is attracted by the
gravitation force of the Earth’s interior.
10. Arrange the following processes that
produce convection currents.
a. Rocks on the Earth’s surface cool down.
b. Heated rocks become less dense and rise
to the surface of the Earth.
c. Cooled rocks become dense and sink
back down in the Earth’s interior.
 d. Rocks within the Earth are heated B. b, d, a, c
through radioactivity. C. d, b, a, c
A. a, b, c d D. c, d, b, a

Key: 1.C 2.B 3.A 4.A 5.D 6.B 7.A 8.B 9.A 10.C

V. REFLECTION (HOMEWORK FOR NEXT MEETING)

1. Which of the topics interest you the most? Why?
2. Which of the topics interest you the least? Why?
3. Did the activities help you understand the topic (Y/N)? Explain your answer.
4. Did you see the significance/ connection of the topic in your life?

Prepared by: _______________________

T-

Checked by: _______________________

Date:

Remarks: