Our Moving Earth

Part 1
Ask questions and make predictions
Part 2
Plan and investigate
Part 3
Record and analyse data
Part 4
Evaluate the information
Part 5
Communicate and share ideas

Information for Teachers

Curriculum links

Australian Science Standards

ESS (ACSSU075) Earth’s surface changes over time as a result of natural process and human activity

ESS (ACSSU075) Rocks and fossils show evidence of changes in Earth’s surface features

ESS (ACSSU075) Natural processes create changed or different landforms

New Zealand Science Achievement Objectives

PEB: The composition structures and features of the geosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere

PW: The effect of forces (contact and non-contact) on the motion of objects

Helpful websites

You may want to direct your students to websites to help with their investigations.

Students may want to learn more about one type of moving earth hazard. They can do a search for the name of the moving earth hazard (e.g. earthquake)+trouble+spots or earthquake+hotspots. They can search each moving earth hazard this way.

Or they may want to learn more about the effects of this hazard by searching earthquake+effects.

Other search topics could be volcanoes+affect+people

How to search the internet

1 Keep your request short

Fewer words will give a more accurate search.

2 Choose exactly what you want

For example: Arctic Circle Climate

3 Use quotes

Double quotes around a set of words tell the search engine to consider those exact words in that exact order without any change. For example: “Arctic Circle Climate”

4 Use the plus sign (+)

If you add a plus sign (+) between words, the internet will search for all the words. For example: migrate+birds+whales+mammal

5 Use the minus sign (–) to say what you don’t want

Use a minus sign (–) to show words you do not want to appear in your results. For example: if you search for burrowing animals and do not want mammals in your search,  –mammals will exclude mammals. Note that you need to put a space before the minus sign for the word to be excluded.

6 Be very clear about what you don’t want

Part 1
Ask questions and make predictions

After reading Our Moving Earth, you may have many questions about how our earth moves and what happens when it moves.

List your questions.

  • Compare your list with questions that others have.
  • Choose a question you would like to investigate.
  • You can work alone, with a partner, or in a small group.

You may want to choose one or more of these questions to investigate

Q1. What makes up the inner structure of the earth?

Q2. How does the rock in the earth’s crust move?

Q3. What happens when the earth’s crust changes?

Q4. How are scientists trying to predict natural hazards caused by the earth’s movements?

Go to Part 2 Plan and investigate →