Sample Unit Curriculum Revision Project

Curriculum Revision Proposal
Understanding By Design Sample Unit Plan: Geologic Time
9th Grade Integrated Science
Time Frame: 2-3 Weeks
Established Goals:
Understandings: Students will understand that…
· Fossils are the keys to understanding Earth’s past.
· Rock layers can identify major changes in climate and the atmosphere.
· Several mass extinctions occurred in Earth’s history.
Essential Questions:
· How do scientists organize major events of Earth’s past?
· How do the Precambrian and Paleozoic Era differ?
· What are the major events of the Mesozoic Era?
· Why did scientists create the geologic time scale? Why is it important today?
· Where do humans fit into the time scale?
Students will know…
· Key facts about each transition within the time scale
· Geologic time vocabulary
Students will be able to…
· Recognize, define, and use geologic time vocabulary in context.
· Use research skills to identify which period a set of fossils belongs
· Describe orally some physical and biological changes that have occurred on Earth in the Holocene epoch (today).
Performance Tasks:
· You are a geologist and have just uncovered a fossil bed. Identify which period the fossils originated and how they were deposited. What can that tell you about the climate in that region at the time? Prepare a news broadcast explaining your findings.
· Online Lab: How Has Life Changed Over Geologic Time? ES3002 www.classzone.com
Other Evidence:
· Oral and written responses to essential questions.
· Multiple choice test

Learning Activities:
· Geologic Time Sorting Activity
· Index Fossil Identification Lab Activity
· Fossil photo album: Students will use the web to create a mashup photo-album of the index fossils identified in the lab activity.
· Create a timeline of the North American Rock record.