Summary
<p>Are you ready for a hike? Mountains are one of the four basic types of landforms, and they might be the most spectacular. Aside from their grandeur, they have a major impact on their environment: they form natural barriers and can affect climate and weather. Mountains form when sections of Earth’s crust called tectonic plates shift, pull apart, or push together. You can tell how a mountain formed by its features. Fold mountains form when tectonic plates push against each other. Fault-block mountains occur at large cracks in Earth’s crust. Upwarped, or dome, mountains form when magma pushes up layers of rock but doesn’t break through. Sometimes, magma erupts through the surface, forming volcanic mountains. The longest mountain belt in the world is made up of this type of mountain. Press “play” for a peak experience! </p>
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
A few questions to talk through after watching Mountains:
- What is one new thing you learned about mountains?
- Can you explain it to a partner in your own words?
- Where might you see this in the real world?
- What is one question you still have?
Quick work-a-long
Try it:
- Write one sentence explaining mountains.
- Draw or give one example of your own.