Lesson Variations for Home Use (Pt 6): Layers of the Earth

I hope everyone has been staying as safe as possible and practicing good social distancing. I also hope that people are taking advantage of going outside and exercising if possible. If you are working during this time, know that you are appreciated, important, and you are literally keeping society going.

Thank you.

It seems like the cases of coronavirus are leveling off in Illinois, so we may see some adjustments to the stay at home order that goes until April 30th. We have a mandatory mask ordinance now, which is meant to protect others. We are not returning back to our building this year, so the remaining school year will be done online. I would not be surprised if your school is in the same boat. If that’s the case I hope this lesson variations have been helpful.

 While I am out of school, what I will continue to post lessons for free that I typically sell online, slightly rewritten to accommodate the fact that the game will be played by only a few people at a time (parents and kids) and at home (either inside or outside). What I want is everyone to have access to these games in this time of uncertainty; money and resources should not be a factor to have quality Montessori physical education instruction. If you are in a position to support me by purchasing programs and lessons, I would be very grateful, but the ultimate goal is doing the most good.

 This is also a thank you to everyone who has already purchased my lessons and albums, those that have downloaded my free lessons, those who have attended my presentations, and for everyone who appreciates my work in person or through social media engagement. I appreciate the Montessori and physical education communities for showing interest in my philosophy of integrating physical education with the Montessori classroom.

 Without further ado:

Layers of the Earth

Excerpts from Montessori Physical Education Volume Two (Both Volumes One and Two on sale for $29 each)

Layers of the Earth

Montessori Physical Education

 

 

Introduction:

When I was a student, one of the most iconic materials was a globe that was cut to show the inner layers of the Earth. The idea that the core of the Earth was made of metal, and it was as hot as the Sun, was fascinating to me. From our understanding of states of matter, the core should be liquid from extreme heat, but because of the intense pressure, it remains a solid. Another mind-blowing fact was to see how small the crust was in relation to the mantle.

As cool as the layers of the Earth models are, they do not give a sense of the movement that is happening inside the Earth. The students eventually learn about tectonic plates, but the cause of the movement is relatively unknown. We are told that the mantle is made of molten magma, but why is it moving so much?

In this game, which will reinforce concepts like crust, mantle, outer and inner core, and volcanoes, the students will come to understand why there is so much movement in the mantle through play. The students will be introduced to terms like convection currents, which follows the First Great Lesson, and helps solidify the concept that when something is heated, it rises, and when something is cooled, it settles.

 

 

Materials:  Version #1 (in the classroom or at home)

·      A play area with a rug of decent size. It is best to move any tables and chairs out of the way. If you do not have a big area rug, use something to show the boundaries of your play area (jump rope, etc.)

·      Cones are preferable, but other household items like pillows can be used (as many as you can get)

 

Prior Knowledge: The students should have had the First Great Lesson, as well as a lesson on the layers of the Earth.

 

Presentation 

At Home Variation

1.     The edge of the rug will represent the crust.

a.     If you have two or more students and a parent:

                                              i.     The instructor/parent will stand in the middle of the rug, and they will represent the inner and outer core. Choose one student to tag the other students (they will represent heat), and the other students will dodge and evade the tagger inside of the mantle.

b.    If you have one student and a parent:

                                              i.     Make a circle with a jump rope or hula-hoop to represent the inner and outer core. The parent/instructor will be the heat player, and the student will dodge and evade the tagger inside of the mantle.

2.     When the instructor says go, the tagger tries to tag the students who are in the mantle. If the student wants turns being the heat tagger player, switch every five minutes or so.

3.     When either the tagger or the instructor tags a student running in the mantle, the tagged student leaves the playing area. Wherever they step out, they should put a cone or pillow where they left. Everyone gets a 10 second break (or longer if people are really tired). After ten seconds, the evading player comes back into the mantle and the process repeats. To be fair, the tagging player should start far away from the reentering student so they are not tagged immediately.

4.     The instructor is representing the cores, they cannot move and should not reach out too far to tag students; they should focus only on students who get too close to the core. The tagging student is free to move anywhere in the mantle to chase the other students. If the instructor is the tagger and there is a hoop or something else representing the core, the evading player must go around the hoop. If they step on it, it counts as a tag, and they should leave the crust like they were just tagged.

5.     After rotating the tagger several times, and the game is coming to and end, the instructor should ask the students, “What did the evading students in the mantle represent (magma)? What do the cones or pillows represent (they were becoming mountains and volcanoes)? What did the tagging student represent (heat)? Why could the teacher in the core tag students as well and/or why did the hoop make players leave the mantle (the core is very hot)?” These questions hopefully will stimulate good conversation. If appropriate for your class, this is the time that the idea of convection currents can be introduced to the students as well. When heat touched the students in the mantle, or the hot core touched them, they rose to the crust. After the rest, the “cooler” student settled into the mantle, where it would eventually be heated again. This cycle of heating and cooling is called convection currents. The pressure and heat builds up enough that it has to escape out of the crust and burst out (like a volcano).

 

Aims:

Direct:    To reinforce terminology and understanding of the layers of the Earth

Indirect:   Listening to directions

                Strategy

                Sportsmanship

                Communication

 

Physical skills practiced: 

·      Running and evading a pursuer

·      Running in pursuit of someone

 

Control Of Error: 

The instructor will not be able to see every tag, so sportsmanship should be emphasized for fun and fair play. If there is a dispute that cannot be resolved, something like “rock, paper, and scissors” can be used to decide the outcome of someone challenging a tag. The cones and/or pillows will show how many tags there have been.

 

Points of Interest: Younger students are still working on pacing, and frequently run themselves into exhaustion. When they get tagged, they get to imagine themselves as an erupting volcano leaving the crust.

 

Age: 6-9 and 9-12