Models in Science

Modeling Earth Science

     Students begin the lesson by first demonstrating the following vocabulary words, compression and tension.  It is important that students understand these two words before beginning the lesson.  I begin the lesson by having students roll up their play dough in a tube shape.  We first talk about the word compression.  To help the students remember this word, I tell the students to have their hands “come together and press”.  All of the students then practice compression with their play dough.  The next vocabulary word we demonstrate is tension.  The students roll the play dough in a tube.  Then we discuss the word tension.  Students then slowly put tension on their play dough and pull the play dough apart.  Once students understand these two concepts; we begin creating the faults.

Tension

compression

                                                                                                                                                                                            Students begin creating their models by making lay dough into the shape of a rectangle.  Students 

are working in groups of four.  The next step is to cut their play dough into a diagonal, using dental floss.  By cutting at a diagonal, the students are creating a footwall and a hanging wall.  The students then place their two diagonal pieces of play dough together.  We demonstrate what happens at a reverse fault that has compression.  The students slowly push their pieces together.  I tell the students to notice that their footwall looks like a sliding board.  The students then slowly slide their hanging wall up the foot wall.  Tillery, Enger, and Ross (2008) state that at a reverse fault, the hanging wall moves upward relative to the footwall.   We then describe what type of land formations could occur at this type of fault, such as mountains.  Students then draw their observations in their science journal.

     We then discus what happens at a fault with tension.  The students put their pieces together and slowly pull their pieces away.  I tell the students to relax their hands and look at what happens to the hanging wall. Tillery, Enger, and Ross (2008) state, that the hanging wall moves downward relative to the footwall at a normal fault.  Students then draw what they see at this type of boundary, such as faultblock mountains.

     Finally, the students mold their play dough into a rectangle again.  Instead of cutting at a diangle, student cut the play dough in half.  We then use these two pieces to discuss what happens at a strike slip fault.  Students then predict if this type of plate movement can create mountains.  Students draw what they see at this type of boundary.

Reverse Fault

Normal Fault

Normal Fault

Strike Slip Fault

    I feel the lesson was a success.  By using the model, students were able to visualize the faults and land formations that occur at the faults.  Perhaps, if larger pieces are used, students could visualize the landscape on a larger scale.  Braile (2000) also suggests using foam to create fault boundaries.  Braile (2000) states that foam models aid in visual understanding at plate boundaries since the models are three dimensional.  Play dough also serves as a three dimensional model, since foam can be expensive.  Students can also use the play dough to create large scale boundaries and add detail to their models.   Adding details like color for an ocean boundary or adding volcanoes and mountains to the model can increase student understanding.  Students can practice the different types of folds with their play dough,  such as anticline, syncline and monocline folds.

    Whether you use clay, paper, and foam or play dough, I feel models are an important part of the science classroom.  MacKay (2012) states that using models enhance student learning.  Models also allow students to visualize aspects of the world they may never see.  Models allow students to gain a boarder understanding of the topic and visualization of the model leaves a lasting impression on the students

     

 References

Braile, L.W. (2000). Teaching about plate tectonics using foam models.  Explorations in Earth Science.  Retrieved from http://web.ics.purdue,edu/~braile

Mackay, B. (2012). Teaching with models.  Retrieved from serc.carleton.edu/ntrogeo/models/index.html.

Tillery, B. W., Enger, E. D., & Ross, F. C. (2008). Integrated science (4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.