5. Geologic TIme on the Web - Going Further

Going Further

1. Have students create timelines from the Geologic Time Scale that represent each of the eons, eras and periods of geologic time and the major biodiversity changes that occurred in each timeframe. See Geologic Timeline activity.
2. Teach students how radiometric dating occurs. The classic activity involves flipping 100 pennies or M&Ms in a shoebox and counting the “radioactive decay” of the parent isotope (pennium or eminemium) by counting and removing any that turn up heads. See this write up by Frank McKinney from UCMP. For a variation where data is acquired from the class collectively, see this lesson plan from the Kentucky Geological Survey.