Teacher: Rachel Valiquette Date: April 17th/18th, 2017

School: Conrad Ball Middle School Grade Level: 6th grade Content Area: Geology
Title: Absolute Dating Lesson #: 1 of

Content Standard(s) addressed by this lesson: (Write Content Standards directly from the standard)
Next Generation Science Standards:
ESS1-4: Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used
to organize Earths 4.6 billion year old history.
LS4-1: Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and
change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in
the past.

Understandings: (Big Ideas)

1. Students will compare the different events that occur throughout Earths history. (Blooms analyze)
2. Students will discover the time scale of various events throughout Earths history. (Blooms apply)
3. Students will compose their own time scale of various events throughout Earths history. (Blooms create)
4. Students will order the timeline of evolution on Earth. (Blooms evaluate)
5. Students will identify various major events throughout Earths history. (Blooms understand)

Inquiry Questions: (Essential questions relating knowledge at end of the unit of instruction, select applicable
questions from standard)
1. Can you identify major events throughout Earths history?
2. Can you put major historical events in chronological order?
3. How will you put various events in Earths history in the correct order?

Evidence Outcomes: (Learning Targets)

Every student will be able to: Use their prior knowledge of Earths history to place major historical events in an
accurate chronological order.
This means I can: Determine the order of historical events in Earths history.

Planned Lesson Activities

Name and Absolute Dating
Purpose of
Lesson The purpose of this lesson is to serve as an introductory lesson for the geology unit. In this lesson
students will receive a set of cards dictating various historical events in which they are to work
together as a team to place them in the correct chronological order.

Approx. Time Materials: students iPad, absolute dating worksheet, absolute dating notecards
and Materials
Approximate time:
 0-5 minutes: Do Now
5-8 minutes: Agenda, Standard, and Learning Target
8-20 minutes: Order Absolute Dating Notecards
20-50 minutes: Absolute Dating Research
50-54 minutes: Replace of Absolute Dating Notecards

Anticipatory The students follow a routine each morning in which they answer a Do Now question. This
Set questions is typically a simple question in which students will have a variety of answers all
revolving around a similar idea. Using this routine helps students to make connections to what
they learned in the previous day and help them connect those ideas to what they will be learning
about in following lessons. For this Do Now, I will have the students answer the question, When
do you think the first mammals appeared on Earth? I came up with this question because I
wanted to see what students already knew about Earths geologic time scale. I feel as though
most students know that the Earth is approximately 4.6 billion years old. I felt as though asking
this question would challenge students just enough to get them thinking about when all of this
Earth stuff actually began. By knowing where the students are starting with the information for the
project, the easier it will be to help guide students through work and help them choose a resource
they are interested in learning about. They will complete this task in their Do Now folder on their
iPads. If a students does not have their iPad present in class, they are expected to problem solve
and use a paper and pencil.

Procedures Teacher Actions Student Actions

0-5 minutes: Do Now 0-5 minutes: During the first few

During the first 5 mes of class I will have the students minutes of class, students are
complete a Do Now activity that they are used to seeing in expected to be critically thinking
their everyday practice. This Do Now question will involve about the Do Now question that
students answering the question, When do you think the first will be displayed on the board.
mammals appeared on Earth? The Do Now will be Typically the students complete
displayed on the projector and will also be available in a the Do Now question on their
folder that students can locate on their iPads. After I have ipads, but they always have the
assessed that the students have completed the Do Now, I option to complete it on paper as
will ask some of the students to share out their answers and well.
we will have an open discussion about them as a class. I like
to give the students an opportunity to jot down thoughts that
they have in regards to the prompt and then see them make
those clarifying connections when we hold the class
discussion.
Check for understanding - Ask some of the students to share
their answers for the Do Now question on molecules.
(Intrapersonal, interpersonal, verbal/linguistic, visual/spatial)
True Colors: Blue (verbal) Gold (routine) Green (logical)
5-8 minutes: During this section
5-8 minutes: Agenda, Standard, and Learning Target of the lesson I would expect that
I will explain to the students the agenda for the day. The students are listening and asking
agenda will be as follows: questions when appropriate about
Complete the Do Now activity which asks the where the day is headed and
question, When do you think the first mammals what is to be expected of them.
appeared on Earth?
 Discuss the learning target for the day which will be,
Every student will be able to: Use their prior
knowledge of Earths history to place major historical
events in an accurate chronological order.
This means I can: Determine the order of historical
events in Earths history.
Order absolute dating cards in their table groups
Complete accurate absolute dating research given
the links posted on schoology and on their absolute
dating worksheet
Quick replacement of absolute dating notecards at a
TOD
It is important that I show the students what the assignment
looks like and the important steps they need to remember in
order to prevent taking too much time with individual students
to clarify the procedure.
(verbal/linguistic) 8-20 minutes: Students are
True Colors: Blue (verbal) Gold (routine) Green (logical) expected to be working in groups
in order to place their cards in
8-20 minutes: Order Absolute Dating Notecards chronological order on the board.
The students will be divided into 6 groups with approximately
3-4 students each. Each group will be given identical set of
absolute dating notecards with the following card titles:
formation of planet Earth, first oceans and continents, first
evidence of life, rise of atmospheric oxygen, first eukaryote,
first animals, first land plants, animals move onto land,
Permo-Triassic mass extinction, first mammals, opening of
the Atlantic ocean, extinction of dinosaurs, rise of the
Himalayan mountains, first human, and extinction of wooly
mammoth. The students first task will be to spread out the
notecards on their table and to place them in an order that
they think they belong in. The teacher should be monitoring
each table group making sure that each student is playing an
equal role in helping to determine the order of the cards.
Once the students have what they believe to be the correct
order of the cards, I will have them come up to the board
where I have drawn out a simple time scale of Earths history
and the students will place their cards on the board near the
correct dates. This is an introductory activity and is just for
students to realize how little they know about Earths
geological time scale. I will determine which color group was
the closest to the actual order and dates.
Check for understanding within the group
(verbal/linguistic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, visual/spatial,
bodily/kinesthetic, mathematical/logical, existential, 20-50 minutes: Students are
naturalist) expected to use their resources
True Colors: Blue (verbal) Gold (routine) Green (logical) and sources given to find the
Orange (bodily kinesthetic) correct dates for the major
historical events they were given.
20-50 minutes: Absolute Dating Research This is expected to be an
 During the absolute dating research, students will be using individual activity with slight
the following websites: built-in group work where they will
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/history_of_the_earth check their answers with their
http://academictips.org/blogs/timeline-of-life-evolution-on-eart group.
h/
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17453-timeline-the-ev
olution-of-life/
http://www.ck12.org/life-science/Timeline-of-Evolution-in-Life-
Science/lesson/Timeline-of-Evolution-MS-LS/
As well as their absolute dating worksheet to research the
accurate times for each historical event. The absolute dating
research is important because it will allows the students to
discover about when the historical events actually happened
and how they could have placed them in the wrong order or
during the wrong time period. I believe this will be a valuable
introductory activity to geology and when events happened in 50-54 minutes: During the closure
history. of the lesson students are
Check for understanding during research expected to use their research to
(interpersonal, intrapersonal, mathematical/logical) replace their historical cards on
True Colors: Blue (verbal) Green (logical) the board.

50-54 minutes: Replace of Absolute Dating Notecards

During the end of the period, students will spend time
replacing their notecards on the board based on the research
they completed. I think that this will really bring the lesson to
a close and students will realize how relatively new mammals
and humans are compared to the historical timeline.
Check for understanding
(verbal/linguistic, interpersonal, visual/spatial, intrapersonal,
bodily/kinesthetic, mathematical/logical)
True Colors: Blue (verbal) Green (logical) Orange (bodily
kinesthetic)

Closure The closure of todays lesson will be during the last few minutes when students are working in
their groups again to replace their absolute dating cards in chronological order. The absolute
dating cards should be in the order:
Formation of planet Earth 4.6 billion years ago
First Oceans and Continents 4.4 billion years ago
First Evidence of Life 3.7 billion years ago
Rise of Atmospheric Oxygen 2.7-3.5 billion years ago
First Eukaryote 1.5 billion years ago
First Animals 550 million years ago
First Land Plants 480 million years ago
Animals move onto land 440 million years ago
Permo-Triassic Mass Extinction 250 million years ago
First Mammals 220 million years ago
Opening of the Atlantic Ocean 140 million years ago
Extinction of Dinosaurs 65 million years ago
Rise of the Himalayan Mountains 50 million years ago
First Human 2.5 million years ago
 Extinction of Wooly Mammoth 4,000 years ago

Differentiation Do Now: During the Do Now, students are allowed to use their notes to answer the prompt.
There are several modes of accessing the daily prompt, such as it is projected on the screen as
well as accessible through their iPads. The students are also encouraged to answer the prompt
using whatever creative outlet they choose.

Absolute Dating: During this lesson students will have multiple opportunities to work with other
students at their own pace to complete activities.

Assessment Do Now: The Do Now is a basic post-lesson assessment that students complete each morning
to help their understanding of prior knowledge and how they can connect that knowledge to the
days lesson.

Checks for Understanding X4: Throughout the lesson I check in on the students understanding of
the content and assignment and expectations for the day in order to guide each student
individually, or as a whole group, towards what is best for their learning progression.