SPA: Plates Moving Over Time
Assessment
This Short Performance Assessment (SPA) addresses the following NGSS PE: MS-ESS2-3 Analyze and interpret data on the distribution of fossils and rocks, continental shapes, and seafloor structures to provide evidence of the past plate motions. Clarification Statement: Examples of data include similarities of rock and fossil types on different continents, the shapes of the continents (including continental shelves), and the locations of ocean structures (such as ridges, fracture zones, and trenches). Assessment Boundary: Paleomagnetic anomalies in oceanic and continental crust are not assessed. This assessment was adapted from a Greenwich Public Schools exemplar. At this time no answer key is available.
The following sources represent various pieces of evidence that support the idea that the plates have shifted and moved over time. Evaluate each source to determine what evidence is represented and how it supports the claim that the plates have shifted. Click Next to begin.
Topics and standards: Earth Science, MS-ESS2-3, ESS2.C, ESS2.B, Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes & Volcanoes, Analyzing & Interpreting Data, Engaging in Argument from Evidence, Patterns, Grades 6-8, 3D Science Tasks, Earth's History, Hosted Greenwich SPA, TEKS Science 6.10.C, TEKS Science 7.10.B, 8-ESS2-3, 8-ESS2-4, Assessment, 3.3.6-8.G