This document provides instructions for modeling the three types of plate boundary movements using various materials. Students use icing to represent magma and graham crackers or cookies to represent tectonic plates. Through pushing and pulling the plate models, students observe how convergent boundaries result in one plate subducting under another and producing a mountain range, divergent boundaries result in plates moving apart and new crust forming in between, and transform boundaries result in plates sliding past one another horizontally. Diagrams are drawn to illustrate each type of boundary.

1.
Modeling
Plate
Movements
You
are
going
to
model
the
three
ways
that
plates
move
at
the
plate
boundaries.
Materials:
A
piece
of
aluminum
foil,
red
icing,
plastic
knife,
plastic
spoon,
one
piece
of
graham
cracker,
one
rectangular
chocolate
covered
cookies.
Which
of
your
materials
will
be
a
model
for
each
of
the
following:
a.
the
magma
__________________________
b.
an
oceanic
plate
________________________
c.
a
continental
plate
_______________________
First
we
will
model
one
type
of
movement
at
a
convergent
boundary-­-­
where
a
.oceanic
plate
is
moving
into
a
continental
plate.
1. Place
a
large
spoonful
of
icing
on
the
aluminum
foil.
2. Place
the
piece
of
graham
cracker
and
the
chocolate
covered
cookie
touching
side
by
side.
Push
gently
down
on
the
graham
cracker
and
push
it
towards
the
chocolate
cookie.
3. What
do
you
see
happening?
________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
4. What
does
this
model
represent
in
the
real
world?
_________________
____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Draw
a
picture
of
what
happens
when
an
oceanic
plate
move
into
a
continental
plate
at
a
convergent
boundary.
Be
sure
to
label
your
diagram.

2. Materials:
A
piece
of
aluminum
foil,
red
icing,
plastic
knife,
a
plastic
spoon,
two
rectangular
pieces
of
a
snickerdoodle
cookie.
Which
of
your
materials
will
be
a
model
for
each
of
the
following:
a.
the
magma
__________________________
b.
a
continental
plate
________________________
Now
you
will
model
the
second
type
of
movement
at
a
divergent
boundary
where
a
continental
plate
moves
into
another
continental
plate.
1. Place
a
large
spoonful
of
icing
on
the
aluminum
foil
and
with
your
knife
smooth
it
out
flat.
2. Pick
up
the
two
pieces
of
graham
cracker
and
lay
them
on
top
of
the
icing
next
to
one
another
touching.
3. Press
down
gently
on
the
graham
crackers.
4. Slowly
move
the
graham
crackers
a
few
millimeters
apart
while
pushing
down
on
them
gently.
5.
What
do
you
see
happening?
________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
6. What
does
this
model
represent
in
the
real
world?
_________________
____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Draw
a
picture
of
what
happens
when
one
continental
plate
moves
into
another
continental
plate
at
a
convergent
boundary.
Be
sure
to
label
your
diagram.

3. Materials:
A
piece
of
aluminum
foil,
red
icing,
plastic
knife,
a
plastic
spoon,
two
pieces
of
graham
cracker.
Which
of
your
materials
will
be
a
model
for
each
of
the
following:
a.
the
magma
__________________________
b.
an
oceanic
plate
________________________
Now
you
will
model
how
the
movement
at
a
divergent
boundary
where
two
oceanic
plates
are
moving
apart.
1.
With
your
knife,
smooth
out
the
icing.
2. Pick
up
the
two
pieces
of
graham
cracker
and
lay
them
on
top
of
the
icing
next
to
one
another
touching.
3. Press
down
gently
on
the
graham
crackers.
4. Gradually
move
the
graham
crackers
a
few
millimeters
apart
while
pushing
down
on
them
gently.
5.
What
do
you
see
happening?
________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
6. What
does
this
model
represent
in
the
real
world?
_________________
____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Draw
a
picture
of
what
happens
when
two
oceanic
plates
move
apart
at
a
divergent
boundary.
Be
sure
to
label
your
diagram.

4. Materials:
A
piece
of
aluminum
foil,
red
icing,
plastic
knife,
a
plastic
spoon,
two
pieces
of
sugar
wafer
cookies.
The
sugar
wafer
cookie
will
represent
either
a
continental
plate
or
an
oceanic
plate.
Now
you
will
model
the
movement
at
a
transform
boundary
where
two
oceanic
plates
or
two
continental
plates
are
moving
side
by
side.
1.
With
your
knife,
smooth
out
the
icing.
2. Pick
up
the
two
pieces
of
sugar
wafer
cookie
and
lay
them
on
top
of
the
icing
next
to
one
another
touching.
3. Press
the
two
cookies
together
firmly
at
the
same
time
as
you
push
one
and
pull
the
other
in
the
opposite
direction.
Apply
pressure
to
the
point
that
something
gives.
4. What
do
you
see
happen?
____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
5. What
does
this
model
represent
in
the
real
world?
_________________
____________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Draw
a
picture
of
what
happens
when
two
plates
(either
continental
or
oceanic)mmove
side
by
side
at
a
transform
boundary.
Be
sure
to
label
your
diagram.