Wakemup Pluton part of GET Spatial Learning:Teaching Activities
Basil Tikoff, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Students work through a set of questions about a geologic map of an igneous intrusion and surrounding rock units. These questions focus students' attention on the topography, geomorphology, lithology, and ...

Relative and Absolute Geologic Time with Maps and Spreadsheets part of Introductory Courses:Activities
Eileen Herrstrom, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
This activity takes place in a laboratory setting and takes ~1.5-2 hours to complete. Students apply stratigraphic principles for relative dating and basic equations of isotopic systems for absolute dating and ...

3D Model of a Geologic Map part of GET Spatial Learning:Teaching Activities
Basil Tikoff, University of Wisconsin-Madison Naomi Barshi, University of Wisconsin-Madison Carol Ormand, SERC, Carleton College
Students analyze a geologic map of an angular unconformity that truncates a pair of dikes, with some topography. When students have deciphered the map and constructed a cross-section, I show them a Play-Doh model ...

Biostratigraphy for fun and profit part of Oceanography:Activities
David Watkins, University of Nebraska at Lincoln
Students use the evolutionary distribution of oceanic phytoplankton fossils to date the age of pelagic and hemipelagic sedimentary rocks. They correlate this section to another as an exercise in oil prospecting.

A LONG, LONG time ago: geologic timescales part of Introductory Courses:Activities
Elizabeth Johnson, James Madison University
Students compare their pre-conceived impressions of events on the geologic time with the actual positions of these events on a 45.5' geologic timescale.

Help a geochronologist part of Geoscience in Two-year Colleges:Activities
Pete Berquist, Virginia Peninsula Community College
This activity allows students to better understand radiometric dating and absolute dating techniques by calculating radiometric ages of zircon crystals. Their calculated ages then serve as tools to practice creating graphs, interpret analytic data, and reconstruct geologic events.

Observations and Measurements in Geology part of Introductory Courses:Activities
Stacey Cochiara, New Jersey City University
This exercise gives students an introduction to topics they will encounter throughout the semester, and future course work. It covers plate tectonics, weathering, and basic rock descriptions.

Rock-Tectonics synthesis lab part of Introductory Courses:Activities
Dori Farthing, SUNY College at Geneseo
This lab aims to draw together rock identification and plate tectonics as well as relative age relationships. It gets students to "be" geologists...looking at rock suites and trying to see how they fit ...

Ordering Geologic Events and Interpreting Geologic History: The Grand Canyon part of Introductory Courses:Activities
Jennifer Wenner, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
This activity is designed to have students re-examine rocks they looked at earlier in the semester and use them to interpret some of the geologic history of the Grand Canyon.

Jurassic Park Debate part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Role Playing:Examples
Rebecca Teed, Wright State University-Main Campus
This role-playing exercise casts students as scientific specialists, assigned to a group either supporting or opposing the cloning of dinosaurs. Each group researches and presents its argument. -