Wisconsin Ice Age Lesson Plan

Grades: 8 - 12
Length of Program: 45 minutes
Time of Year: Year round
Preferred Adult/ Student Ratio: 1/10

Summary:

How do we know there was an Ice Age and what evidence tells the story? This program is offered as an outdoor interpretive program or indoor presentation to help students understand the most recent geological event which shaped our land.

Teacher Preparation:

Review the ice age time line including climate change and major ice form features (kames, kettles, eskers, etc.)

Academic Standards Addressed:

Science
E.8.2 Describe underlying structures of the earth that cause changes in the earth s surface
E.8.5 Analyze the geologic and life history of the earth including change over time

Special Instructions:

None

Materials:

• Bedrock samples of Niagara limestone with fossils and striations
• Topographic maps
• Wisconsin sand and gravel deposits map
• Two Creeks buried spruce forest wood samples

Procedure:

Through an indoor, classroom-style presentation or outdoor discussion, outline the ice age timeline during the last four glaciations. Include in discussions the formation of the Niagara Escarpment and its influence on the ice advance in eastern Wisconsin. Emphasize the formation of the Horicon Basin in relation to other major ice age landforms in eastern Wisconsin, such as Lake Winnebago and the Kettle Moraine.

Wrap-up:

Discuss the retreat of the Wisconsin glacier and formation of Glacial Lake Horicon and how the underlying topography shapes the marsh of today.

Contact Information

Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area
N7725 Hwy 28
Horicon, WI 53032
(920) 387-7860

Questions for Wildlife Management