3.2
Pioneering Ideas
VOCABULARY
Continental drift:
the
theory, first advanced by
Alfred Wegener, that
Earth’s continents were
RA T I ONA L E
The people who have shaped our idea of the Earth are pioneers, just as
truly as those who struck out in new directions across its surface. This
idea may be new to students.
F OCU S QU E S T I ON S
Could a person be a pioneer without leaving home?
OB J E C T I V E S
Students will:
1. Read a biographical sketch about a pioneer of earth science.
2. Identify the characteristics of a pioneer.
3. Be able to tell why Wegener, Mohorovicic, and Lehman were
pioneers.
MA T E R I A L S
Q
Student copies of Master 3.2a, Three Pioneers (3 pages)
Q
Master 3.2b, Chronology: The Beginnings of the Seismological Age
Q
Overhead projector and transparencies (
optional
)
Q
Reference books for research (See Unit Resources.)
Q
Paper and pens
P ROC E DUR E
Teacher Preparation
Assemble a classroom reference shelf of biographical encyclopedias,
studies on continental drift and plate tectonics, and books on earth-
quakes. (See Unit Resources.)
A. Introduction
Tell students that you would like them to explore the notion of
pioneer
. Write the word on the chalkboard or overhead projector and
ask the class to brainstorm about the meaning of the word and its
implications. Be prepared to accept any reasonable suggestion. Such
ideas as risk-taker, adventurer, initiator, innovator, frontier person, and
explorer are likely to come forward. You may want to use these terms
to build a concept map.
originally one land mass, split off and
gradually form the continents we
know.
Epitaph:
an inscription on a
tombstone, often intended to sum up
the achievements of a person’s life.
Meteorology:
the study of Earth’s
atmosphere.
Pioneer:
a person who moves into
new and uncharted territory.
Plate tectonics:
the theory that
Earth’s crust and upper mantle (the
lithosphere) are broken into a
number a more or less rigid, but
constantly moving, segments, or
plates.
Seismology:
the scientific study of
earthquakes.
Topography (adj. topographic):
the shape of the land; the contours
and the arrangement of surface
features that characterize a region.
A G U
/
F E M A
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E I S M I C
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L E U T H S
