Earths History in Geologic Time

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Earths History in Geologic Time

• By Dan Cyre, Robert Daub, and Beth Lang

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Enduring Understandings

• Geologic time is not uniform.
• Earths history is preserved in rock.

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Essential Question

• How is the Earth different today than in the past?

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Standards Addressed

• GR5-7 4.2.1 understands that earth processes
  observed today (including movement of
  lithospheric plates and changes in atmospheric
  conditions) are similar to those that occurred in
  the past earth history is also influenced by
  occasional catastrophes, such as the impact of a
  comet or asteroid
• GR8-12 4.2.1 understands geological time is used
  to understand the earths past

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Sequence

• Pre-test
• Essential Question Whiteboard Discussion
• Geologic Time Scale Activity
• Fossils Activity
• Fossils Worksheet
• Introduction to Relative and Absolute Dating

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Sequence Cont.

• Relative Dating Worksheet
• Review
• Post-test

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Time Line (50 min. class)

• Day 1 Pre-test, Bell Work (Whiteboard Essential
  Question, Geologic Time Scale Activity Research
• Day 2 Construct Geologic Time Scale, Whiteboard
  Discussion, Earth Year Calendar
• Day 3 Fossil Inquiry samples, Interactive
  Fossil Museum, Fossils WS

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Time Line (cont.)

• Day 4 Fossils Whiteboard Discussion, Introduce
  Relative and Absolute Dating, Relative Dating
  Worksheet
• Day 5 Relative Dating Whiteboard Discussion,
  Test Review
• Day 6 Post-test

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Bell Work

• Introduce students to Essential Question
• Have students whiteboard answers
• Share with class
• Check for background knowledge

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Geologic Time Scale Activity

• Students research Web sites to find
  characteristics specific to geologic time
  periods.
• Scale is discussed with studentsrelationship
  with million
• Students will construct a time scale on adding
  machine tape.

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Geologic Time Scale Activity (cont.)

• Students will whiteboard findings from
  activityrefer back to bell work whiteboard
  discussion
• Extension Activity Students will relate
  findings from geologic time scale to project the
  timeline to an earth calendar year. (Jan.
  1Earth formed, Dec. 31 115958.47-Establishment
  of US)

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Fossils Activity

• Students examine fossil samplesdiscuss the type
  of organisms the fossils represent and conditions
  of formation
• Further inquiry with Interactive Fossil Museum

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Fossils Worksheet

• Students read through material to discover
  formation of fossils, specific fossil types, and
  fossil record
• Lab groups will each take a section of questions
  and whiteboard answers
• Class discussion using whiteboard answers

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Introduction to Relative and Absolute Dating

• Read through How Old is that Rock?
• Check for understandingask students to give
  examples of relative and absolute age know term
  half-life

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Relative Dating Worksheet

• Students will read through Relative Dating
  selection class discussion for key science
  concepts (law of superposition, extrusion,
  intrusion, unconformity, etc.)
• Students will work on questions in lab groups
  whiteboard response
• Class discussion with whiteboard answers

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Test Review

• Crossword for vocabulary terms
• Classroom Performance System quiz format for
  other questions