Natural Science - Year II
Unit 41: Plate Tectonics
Parents Guide for Unit 41
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For 2026: Please note that units are considered "under revision" until two weeks before the class date, and page content, web assignments, and exercises may change before that deadline.
Parent's Notes to Unit 41: Wegener and Plate Tectonics
Preparation
Below are notes on the main points of each assignment.
- History Web Lecture: We look at Alfred Wegener's theory of plate tectonics. Our history web lecture focuses on the available evidence and why Wegener's theory wasn't accepted when it was first proposed in 1911, and the conditions and discoveries that eventually led to its acceptance in the 1960s. Students should be encouraged to think about what criteria are necessary for theory acceptance, and what constitutes sufficient supporting evidence in the face of cultural opposition or a prevailing counter-theory.
Please discuss with your student the study questions at the end of the web lecture.
- Science Web Lecture: Geological Forces
The science weblecture focusses on several processes that support the idea of plate tectonics:
- Sea floor spreading at the mid-Atlantic ridge
- The prevalence of volcanoes and earthquake events along plate edges
In particular, we look at the quake of February 28, 2001, that struck the Nisqually Valley in Washington (which the teacher personally experienced), and how geologists explained the occurrence in terms of plate tectonics.
- Homework:
Since the only player in today's lecture is Wegener, and the Moodle essay addresses the acceptance of his theory, the Mastery exercise questions focus on key concepts students should understand as a result of the reading and discussion. Make sure that the student reads and attempts to answer the mastery exercise before chat, so that he can identify questions that need to be discussed in chat.
- Discussion: Our Chat discussion will the development of evidence used to support the current plate tectonic theory, including direct observational evidence from satellite measurements of continental motion.
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