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Types of Plate Boundaries

Written by Adi Ackerman, Head Teacher

"Types of Plate Boundaries" is written for 6th Grade (Ages 11-12). If your student is a year younger but already steady on Earth science, the page still works. You may just need to read the instructions out loud. And if they are older and Earth's layers and plate tectonics never quite stuck, this is a short review rather than busywork.

Popular with 6th Grade teachers · Downloaded 437 times
Types of Plate Boundaries
Types of Plate Boundaries

6th grade science worksheet: name divergent, convergent and transform boundaries, then classify the Andes and San Andreas Fault. Answer key included. Part of our Earth's layers and plate tectonics collection.

How do I use this worksheet?

Work through the sheets in order so students know the layers before they meet moving plates. Have them mark the matching fossils on the map before they write about the evidence.

What students will practice

  • Students will write the boundary type under diagrams of divergent, convergent and transform boundaries.
  • Students will match features such as a rift valley, trench and fault to the correct boundary.
  • Students will classify places such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the Himalayas by boundary type.


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FAQ

How do I use this Earth's layers and plate tectonics worksheet?

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Work through the sheets in order so students know the layers before they meet moving plates. Have them mark the matching fossils on the map before they write about the evidence.

What does this worksheet teach?

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Name divergent, convergent and transform boundaries, then classify the Andes and San Andreas Fault. The directions on the page read: Read the text. Write the boundary type under each diagram and write a feature from the word bank in each box. Then write the boundary type for each real place. An answer key is included.

Can I use this Earth's layers and plate tectonics worksheet for homeschool or classroom?

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Yes, both. We made it for 6th Grade Earth science, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens with Earth's layers and plate tectonics. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

What are the three types of plate boundaries?

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At a divergent boundary two plates move apart, at a convergent boundary two plates push together, and at a transform boundary two plates slide past each other. Students classify real places such as the Andes Mountains and the San Andreas Fault.

Why did scientists reject Wegener's idea at first?

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Most scientists rejected it because he could not explain what force moved the continents. In the 1950s and 1960s, mapping of the ocean floor found ridges and seafloor spreading, which showed how continents could move.

Why is the inner core solid if it is the hottest layer?

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The layers above press on it so hard that the metal cannot melt. The sheet lists the inner core at about 5,000 to 6,000 °C.

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Worksheet Details

Grade6th Grade
SubjectScience
TopicEarth Science
Pages1 page
DifficultyMedium

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