PhET
Radioactive Dating Game
Uranium 235 has a half-life of over 700 million years and is the fuel used in the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. Pupils see the half-lives and decay rates of Carbon-14 and Uranium-238. They also take measurements of these two...
Virginia Department of Education
Determining Absolute Age
How can radioactive decay help date old objects? Learners explore half-life and radioactive decay by conducting an experiment using pennies to represent atoms. Young scientists graph data from the experiment to identify radioactive decay...
Science 4 Inquiry
Layers and Laws: The Law of Superposition and Index Fossils
What can layers of rock teach us about the climate? Young scientists solve a mystery about who stole a cookie by applying the law of superposition. Then, they apply the same concept to solve a more difficult mystery, trying to determine...
Columbus City Schools
The Mystery of Earth’s History
Every living creature can leave a fossil record, yet most fossils belong to extinct organisms rather than ones currently living. Scholars learn about dating rock layers, fossils, and the environment of the past. Pupils understand that...
Curated OER
Determining the Age of Fossils
Students examine the concept of radioactive dating. In this radioactive dating lesson, students investigate how to determine the ages of fossils and rocks as they learn about half-life radioactive decay.
Curated OER
Math in Science-Radioactive Decay and Half-Life
In this radioactive decay and half-life worksheet, learners use given half-lifes to calculate the amount of time it will take for certain amounts of elements to decay. They also find the age of samples and determine how many grams of...
Curated OER
Finding the Ages of Rocks and Fossils
Students practice dating fossils. They learn the concept of "deep time"--that earth was formed billions of years ago. They experience excellent hand-outs and virtual age tutorial links.
Curated OER
Absolute Ages of Rocks
In this age of rocks worksheet, students answer five matching questions about terms related to the decay of atoms. They use a strip of paper to simulate half life of atoms and determine the total amount of time it took to deplete the paper.
Curated OER
Absolute Ages of Rocks
In this ages of rock worksheet, students review the processes involved with determining the ages of rocks which includes the radioactive decay of carbon-14. This worksheet has 5 matching and 5 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Who Was Here First? Relative Dating
Learners read about and complete question activities for the topic of relative dating. In this relative dating lesson, students read information for the topic and then complete two activities to further their understanding of geologic...
Curated OER
Determining Age Of Rocks And Fossils
Young scholars discuss together how to determine the relative age of each of the rock units in the block diagram (Figure 1). After students have decided how to establish the relative age of each rock unit, they should list them under the...
Curated OER
Date a Rock!
Students figure the number of half-lives since the sample solidified, and therefore the "age" of the sample rocks.
Curated OER
Rock of Ages
Students use a video, the Internet and hands-on activities to explore how to determine the age of rocks and fossils based on radioactive decay data.
Curated OER
Measuring Absolute Time
In this absolute time worksheet, students answer eleven questions about ways to measure the age of fossils. They define half-life, answer questions about radioactive dating, tree rings and varves.
Curated OER
Absolute Ages of Rocks
In this rocks worksheet, students review the process of absolute dating of rocks and compare it to the relative dating process. This worksheet has 16 fill in the blank questions.
Curated OER
Effects and Applications of Nuclear Chemistry
In this nuclear chemistry worksheet, students determine the biological effects and the applications of nuclear chemistry. Then students use Einstein's theory of special relativity to complete 3 problems.
Curated OER
Earth's Age: The Dating Game
Students conduct a simulation to determine radioactive decay and half-life. Using pennies, dice or sugar cubes as isotopes placed in shoe boxes simulating rocks, they hold five trials representing 1000 years each to find the theoretical...
Curated OER
Earth System Science
Students investigate the age of the earth by using accepted scientific methods. They conduct research about the use of radioactive dating and there is a simulation activity of the process. Finally, students measure the radioactive decay...
Curated OER
Dating Popcorn
Young scholars simulate the dating process with popcorn. In this geology activity, students discuss how geologist find the age of rocks by gauging the amount of decay of radioactive elements. They have 6 bags of popcorn and each group...
Curated OER
A Phylogenetic Perspective for the Cladistically Challenged
Students use M&Ms to simulate radioactive decay of elements.
Curated OER
Fossil Inferences
Fourth graders use their knowledge about fossils to arrange fossil pictures in sequence from oldest to youngest. They explain how fossils can be used to make inferences about past life, climate, geology, and environments and discover...
Curated OER
Geologic Time: Relative and Absolute Dating
Young scholars investigate relative and absolute dating; determine the difference between the two dating systems; and apply this knowledge by creating a geologic timetable of their own.
Curated OER
Assessment & Evaluation
Seventh graders study elapsed time, radioactive decay and half-life. In this time machine lesson students complete several activities and view a presentation.
Curated OER
M&M Science and Math
A series of math and science activities feature M&M's® as manipulatives to help kids work through equations. The resource includes exercises on finding averages, percent of compositions, moles in chemical reactions, genotypes and...