Plate Tectonic Shuffle Song

As Seen at CAST 2014!

This is a recorded version of the Tectonic Shuffle that so many people have asked for to help teach Tectonic plate boundaries. The powerpoint can be downloaded for free with a link to the karaoke version of the "Cupid Shuffle" that I use in my classroom. That download is titled Kreating a Kinesthetic Klassroom, which also contains instructions for the dance and other activities we presented at CAST.

This download is of me singing the Tectonic Shuffle for you to use in your classroom.

I needed a way to get my kids to remember how tectonic plates move and what they made. I came up with this song that parodies the Cupid Shuffle and a dance to go with it. Here is a recorded version of the song for those of you who don't want to try and sing it on your own.

Lyrics:

When the plates diverge they make new ocean floor
When the plates converge they make mountains grown some more
When the plates transform they cause the earth to quake
When the plates subduct they leave volcanoes in their wake

We got a brand new dance gotta move your muscle
Brand new dance called tectonic shuffle
Wegner said that the plates move slow
We gonna show you how they go

Diverge (X4)
Converge (X4)
Transform (X4)
Subduct underneath, subduct underneath

and repeat.

Have students stand in two lines that represent plate boundaries, the two lines will take 4 steps away from each other (in rhythm) to represent divergent movement, then the two lines will come back together in 4 steps to represent two convergent boundaries.

To represent transform boundaries, one line will take two steps forward then two steps backwards while the other line takes two steps backwards then two steps forward.

for subduction one line of students spreads their arms out shoulder to shoulder while the other line of students steps through the opening made by the line of students spreading out their arms.

Once one line has gone under the arms of the other, students are able to continue the dance in their switched places.