Earthquake and Types of Plate Boundaries

By: Zhuoer Chen

Activity Objective: Students will be able to define three types of plate boundaries (convergent,
divergent, and transform) and determine the direction of plate movements through the help of
earthquake dance.
Grade Level: 5th grade
Time: 8-10 minutes
Michigan Academic Standard (embedded link): I did not find a specific standards related to
my lesson activity, although I think it is related to Michigan K-12 Standard Science 5th grade
earth’s system 5-ESS2
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Source Materials: I was inspired by one of the YouTubers about the earthquake dance. I found
it very vivid and interesting, I feel like I could use some of these movements in my own teaching
and teach children about some geography concepts.

Teaching Materials: I need a whiteboard and markers to teach students the concepts of plate
boundaries. I need a space that students could move around and dance safely. I also need a
projector and music player to provide background music and videos for students to learn the
related movements.
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Activity Directions:
1. Before the activity started, I will do a head check to make sure students are sitting at
their seats. I will have students raise their hands if they are ready for the lesson today.
(gather their attention)
2. I will ask students open-ended questions to trigger their interest in learning about
earthquakes dance and the three types of plate boundaries. For example: has anyone
experienced earthquakes before? If so, how did it feel like? Then, I will introduce that the
ground shaking you experienced is the result of plate colliding, dividing, and sliding.
(build background knowledge)
3. Teach the concept...and check for understanding. I will have a volunteer come up and
show us how each plate boundary moves by doing a sketch on the whiteboard and use a
word to describe the movement process. For example: convergent (collide) →← ,
divergent (divide)<-- -->, and transform(slide) ←
-->
4. I will talk about safety measures like be aware of your surrounding, don’t trip over
anything, and keep personal space. When I say go, I need you to stand up, move your
chair and other personal belongings away, and find a partner. As soon as you find your
 group, put your elbows together, and face each other to signal me that you are ready for
the activity.
5. Introduce tectonic plate dance, demonstrate the dance movement corresponding to each
word, ask students to raise their hand, or clap to stop me if they have any questions. -
Converge- imagine you and your partner are two plates colliding toward each other. Lift
your arm high, take a step closer to your partner, and build a “bridge” between each
other.
Diverge- Return to your original position and face your partner. Imagine you are two
plates dividing/separating from each other. Reach out your hands to hold your partner’s
hands. When you touch your partner, release both hands, and take a step back.
Transform- Return to your original position and face your partner. Imagine you and your
partner are two plates sliding past each other. Take one step to the right, then take three
steps forward and clap your hands, turn around and walk three times, back to the original
position. Finally, do the earthquake shake twice.
6. I will read the script below to instruct students about the movement (two times, practice
first) - Tectonic plates, they are on the move! With mountains, volcanoes, and
earthquakes too! (stand up and walk on the spot) Diverge, converge, and transform...do
the earthquake shake; transform...do the earthquake shake.
7. Ask students to join: If you want, you can read the script with me. Let’s repeat the dance
at a faster pace.

Internal Assessment: Before the activity, I will ask students questions to make sure I am
teaching at a good speed and they are on the same page with me. During the dance activity, I will
keep an eye on the students to see if they perform the movements correctly. I will also check for
student’s understanding frequently. For example, thumb up or clap to signal me/stop me if you
have questions.

Grouping: Students will have elbow partners and dance together.

After the Activity, Students Could: At the end of the lesson, students will gain a better
understanding of the earthquake and the three plate boundaries. Students will practice physical
movement according to three plate boundaries that we learned in class. Students will learn the
earthquake dance and be able to teach their friends and family.