Earth’s Internal Forces

Overview

In lesson 2 of the 12-lesson unit Shaping Earth’s Landscapes, students investigate how Earth’s internal structure and tectonic plate movement shape landforms. Working in groups of four or five, they model divergent, convergent and transform boundaries, then connect each movement to real surface features.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• Identify Earth’s crust, mantle, outer core and inner core.
• Explain that tectonic plates move over the mantle.
• Model three types of plate boundary movement.
• Connect plate movement with landforms and geological events.

Success criteria

• I can identify and describe Earth’s main layers.
• I can use arrows and a model to show how plates move.
• I can distinguish between divergent, convergent and transform boundaries.
• I can explain how one type of plate movement forms a surface feature.

Curriculum links

• Understanding Earth’s structure and the processes that shape Earth’s surface.
• Investigating the relationship between natural processes and landforms.
• Representing scientific ideas using labelled diagrams, physical models and explanations.
• Communicating observations and conclusions using appropriate scientific vocabulary.

Biblical Perspective on Landform Creation

Some Christians understand biblical passages as offering a faith-based perspective on the creation and shaping of the earth, alongside scientific explanations based on geology and evidence:

• Genesis 1:9–10: Describes dry land appearing as the seas are gathered together.
• Psalm 95:4–5: Refers to the depths of the earth and the sea as belonging to God.
• Psalm 104:5–9: Describes the earth’s foundations, the boundaries of the waters, and the relationship between mountains, valleys and seas.

Christians interpret these passages in different ways, including literal and figurative readings. This perspective is presented alongside, not as a replacement for, the scientific explanation of landform creation through processes such as plate movement, erosion and volcanic activity.

Classroom note: Encourage respectful comparison of beliefs and evidence, recognising that people may interpret religious texts and scientific explanations differently.

Discussion question: “How is a biblical explanation different from a scientific explanation of landform creation?”

Biblical Flood Accounts and Changing Landscapes

The biblical flood story, especially in Genesis 6–9, describes a catastrophic flood and its effects on land, living things and people. It is a religious and cultural account, interpreted differently by different communities, rather than direct scientific evidence about how landscapes change.

Students can connect this account with Earth’s internal and external forces by distinguishing among processes that reshape landscapes:

• Flooding, erosion and sediment deposition: Moving water can remove soil and rock, transport sediment and deposit it in new locations.
• Landslides: Gravity can move rock and soil downslope, sometimes after heavy rain or earthquakes.
• Earthquakes and volcanic activity: Internal forces can rapidly alter the land by shaking, uplifting, fracturing or building new rock.

Respectful comparison activity: In pairs, students identify similarities and differences between the Genesis flood account and scientific explanations of how floods can reshape landscapes. They may note that both describe water affecting land and people, while scientific explanations use observation, measurements and evidence to explain erosion, deposition and other processes. Students should also recognise that the accounts have different purposes and types of authority.

Teacher guidance: Present the topic neutrally. Do not ask students to prove or disprove a religious belief, and respect diverse beliefs, non-religious perspectives and different interpretations of religious texts. Emphasise that comparing accounts is not the same as treating them as equivalent forms of scientific evidence.

Discussion questions:

• What similarities and differences do you notice between the Genesis flood account and scientific explanations of flood-related landscape change?
• Which processes can explain how a flood may reshape land: erosion, sediment deposition, landslides or internal forces?
• Why is it important to distinguish a religious or cultural account from scientific evidence while discussing both respectfully?

Formative check: Students complete an exit slip with two columns: “Flood-related landscape change” and “Internal-force landscape change.” They list one process in each column and write one sentence explaining how the Genesis account differs in purpose from a scientific explanation.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–3 minutes – Engage: What moves beneath our feet? Open with the opening question and Earth image. Display a striking image of a mountain range, volcano or ocean trench and ask: “How could a solid-looking landscape change over millions of years?” Students make a quick prediction with a partner.

2. 3–8 minutes – Build background knowledge Use the Earth layers diagram to introduce the crust, mantle, outer core and inner core. Emphasize that the crust and uppermost mantle form rigid tectonic plates, which move slowly over softer, hotter material below. Students label the layers on the Earth layers and plate movement worksheet.

3. 8–12 minutes – Teach the three boundaries Return to the three boundary animations and diagrams. Demonstrate:

• Divergent: plates move apart, forming new crust, ridges or rift valleys.
• Convergent: plates move together, forming mountains, volcanoes or deep ocean trenches.
• Transform: plates slide past one another, producing earthquakes.

Students use hand movements to rehearse each boundary and add arrows to their worksheet diagrams.

4. 12–21 minutes – Group plate-boundary models Organize 25 students into five groups of five. Give each group two stiff paper sheets or books to represent plates. Display the modelling instructions. Groups model all three boundaries, drawing arrows and recording the movement and likely landform for each. Encourage students to explain what would happen at the boundary rather than simply memorizing labels.

5. 21–26 minutes – Compare accounts and landscape processes Use the “Biblical Flood Accounts and Changing Landscapes” comparison activity. In pairs, students identify similarities and differences between the Genesis flood account and scientific explanations of how floods reshape landscapes through erosion and sediment deposition. They then distinguish these external processes from landslides, earthquakes and volcanic activity, identifying which are linked to internal forces. Present the topic neutrally and invite respectful responses from students with diverse beliefs and perspectives.

6. 26–30 minutes – Consolidate and assess Display the exit questions. Students complete the final section of the Earth layers and plate movement worksheet and the formative check:

• Name one Earth layer and describe it.
• Draw arrows for one plate boundary.
• Explain one landform or event caused by that movement.
• List one flood-related process and one internal-force process, and state one difference between a religious account and a scientific explanation.

Collect worksheets and exit slips as students leave and preview that the next lesson will examine evidence for moving plates.

Resources

• Projector or interactive display.
• the complete Earth’s Internal Forces slide deck.
• the Earth layers and plate movement worksheet.
• Five pairs of stiff paper sheets, books or cardboard pieces.
• Coloured pencils or markers.
• Sticky notes or mini whiteboards.
• Board space for the class comparison table.
• Optional photographs of mountains, volcanoes, trenches and fault zones.

Assessment

• Observe group models and questioning: Can students show the correct direction of movement and use the terms accurately?
• Check worksheet diagrams and explanations for correctly labelled layers, boundary arrows and links to landforms.
• Review the Biblical Flood Accounts and Changing Landscapes comparison and exit slip for accurate distinction between flooding, erosion, sediment deposition and landslides, and between internal processes such as earthquakes and volcanic activity.
• Use the final written response to identify students needing reteaching of layers, boundary types, cause-and-effect relationships or the distinction between religious/cultural accounts and scientific evidence.

Differentiation

• Provide a word bank and partially labelled Earth diagram for students who need support. Use consistent arrows and colour coding for each boundary type.
• Pair students strategically and assign roles such as model builder, recorder, vocabulary checker, reporter and timekeeper.
• For EAL learners, provide visual examples, gestures, sentence frames such as “At a ___ boundary, plates ___, which can form ___,” and allow oral explanations before writing.
• Extend students by asking them to compare two convergent settings, such as continent–continent and oceanic–continental, and predict how their landforms differ.