Over the coming several weeks students will be preparing a research project for our fourth grade Earth Fair.
The following text and images are a sample of the ways students will be sharing their research. Each student will be responsible for completing a written explanation outlining the form, cause and changes of their subject, as well as a labeled diagram and a model or experiment that demonstrates the force they’re exploring.
Please use the examples below as a rough guide of the sort of research expected.
DIAGRAM
MODEL
East African Rift Valley: Form
Over 30 million years ago, an amazing change in the earth formed what we now call the East African Rift Valley. This valley stretches from Kenya to Mozambique. In this valley are some of the deepest lakes in the world; Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika. Mountains and volcanoes, such as Mt. Meru, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and Elgon, frame the Rift Valley. This change from so many years ago, has produced the amazing diverse scenery called the Rift Valley.
East African Rift Valley: Causation
Moving plates caused the East African Rift Valley to form. The Nubian and Somalian plates moved away from each other. When these divergent plates moved apart, the earth in between sunk and melted into magma leaving the depression of the Rift Valley. The magma then resurfaced slowly building layer upon layer. This is what created the mountains. Those mountains that still have magma are the active volcanoes. This movement of tectonic plates, which has been happening for years, has created the beautiful East African Rift Valley.
East African Rift Valley: Change
Scientists have studied the patterns of movement of the tectonic plates for many years. Using this data, scientists make predictions of future changes. Scientists continue to measure the small movements each year and plot these patterns. They predict that the Nubian and Somalian tectonic plates will continue to separate over time. Movement of tectonic plates is important to track to plan for the future.
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