Beach Ball Earth	
Purpose:

•	To introduce students to the diversity of places with tectonic significance.
•	To provide students with the opportunity to reflect on how tectonic forces shape their community’s history and landscape.
•	To provide students an opportunity to ask questions about plate tectonics.

Duration:	45 minutes

Materials required:

•	Tectonic beach ball (in the Traveling Trunk)
•	15 stick-on arrows per beach ball (in the Traveling Trunk)
•	Tectonic decal reference sheets (in the Traveling Trunk)
•	World atlas or dictionary with geographic entries
•	Our Dynamic Earth map (USGS 1-2800), displayed in classroom (with the Traveling Trunk)

Directions:

Divide the class into small working groups. Give each group two or three of the tectonic travel decal reference sheets. For each decal, ask group members to provide:

1.	The geographic location of each decal
2.	An interesting fact about the place depicted on the decal.
3.	How plate tectonics has affected the place on the decal.
4.	A question about the place depicted on the decal.

Ask each small group to mark the locations of the decals on the globe with the stick-on arrows. Have each group share with the rest of the class something about the decal location that interested them.

Make sure the entire class has a chance to view the beach ball with all of the arrows in place.

In small groups or as a class discussion, ask the following questions:

1.	What do the white (or black) lines on the beach ball represent?
2.	What geologic events occur near the lines?
3.	Can tectonic events occur away from the lines?
4.	How has plate tectonics impacted the decal locations you examined?
5.	How is plate tectonics a part of your community’s history or landscape?
6.	How have geologic processes shaped communities?
7.	what questions do you have about plate tectonics?