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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth Science Lesson Plans on Geologic Time

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Springboard your fourth and fifth graders into the study geologic time. They will complete 7 activities to learn about geologic time and the topics most often associated with it: astronomy, creation, planet formation, volcanology,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geologic Time Scale Analogy

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students examine geologic time to scale. In this geologic time lesson, students create a time-scale metaphor that shows some of the Earth's important events. Students present their metaphor to the class.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossils and Geologic Time

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the development of the geologic time scale. They examine the major time periods in earth's history. Students discuss the role fossils play in helping us understand history.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making The Geologic Time Scale Real

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students construct a geologic timeline the size of a football field. They work in small groups to calculate the yardage for significant events in the Earth's history and then as a class pace out all of the events.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science NetLinks: Fossils and Geologic Time

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars investigate the development of the geologic time scale. Also, to introduce them to the major time periods in earth's history, as well as to the role fossils play in helping us understand this history.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making The Geologic Time Scale Real

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students are assigned significant geologic events in Earth's history. They convert the date of the events into distances and then space themselves (on an outside playing field) away from other groups, to represent time between various...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Time Machine: Evolution, Geology

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students are taken on a simulated "voyage" backward in time, to the beginning of our planet. They "witness" that beginning, the origin of life, and a number of key events from then to the present.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Time - Lesson Plan

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers discuss time, organize events like geologists do, become familiar with format of time scale used to organize information about Earth history, create list of 20 major events in their lifetimes, and add information about...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Timeline

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students develop a timeline that depicts geologic development and the history of life. They write an interpretive analysis essay that discusses and reflects on their observations.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Assessment & Evaluation

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders study elapsed time, radioactive decay and half-life.  In this time machine lesson students complete several activities and view a presentation. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Desalination: Creating a Solar Still

For Teachers 4th - 6th
To better understand how solar power can aid in creating desalinated drinking water, the class creates a model still. They will build a model of a solar still, make observations, and discuss how the process works. While the idea behind...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

No bones About It -A Mosasaur

For Teachers 3rd - 10th
Learners model a paleontologist's activities. They identify dinosaur bones and reassemble them into a skeleton of an extinct reptile.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Half Life Lab

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders model radioactive decay using pennies, collect data from their model, apply scientific visualization techniques to their data and create animated models explaining the concept of radioactive half-life.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating the Biosphere With Planetary Models

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create a biosphere using the computer program SImEarth. They work in small groups to create "Daisyworld" in which they model aspects of the Gaia hypothesis. They form a question to answer and choose variables to investigate in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Date a Rock!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students figure the number of half-lives since the sample solidified, and therefore the "age" of the sample rocks.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating the Biosphere with Planetary Models

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students model the biosphere and manipulate variables affecting change and plan their experiments with the help of others. They describe their question, hypothesis, and methods of investigation.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Giants of the Protozoa

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students describe and define xenophyophores.  In this protozoa lesson students divide into groups and complete a lab activity.