Key Ideas
Level 1

• Earth has gone through times when many living things died at once.
• The Great Dying was the biggest extinction in Earth’s history.
• Huge volcanoes released gases into the air.
• One of these gases was carbon dioxide.
• Too much carbon dioxide made Earth very hot.
• Plants and animals could not survive the changes.
• Life on Earth changed forever after this event.

Level 2

• The Great Dying happened at the end of the Permian Period, about 252 million years ago.
• Massive volcanic eruptions released enormous amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
• Rising carbon dioxide caused rapid global warming.
• Warmer oceans lost oxygen and became more acidic.
• Many organisms could not adapt fast enough to the changing conditions.
• Around 90% of marine species and 70% of land species went extinct.
• This extinction reshaped ecosystems and opened the door for new life forms in the Triassic Period.

Schedule

Day One	Day Two	Day Three	Day Four
Main Lesson and/or Story	Spine Reading	Literature Extension	Extension Videos or Books
Hands On Activity	Art Extension		Try something for "Other Activities"
Narration Page or Coloring Page	Notetaking Extension Pick out a long sentence and work together to shorten it to 3–5 key words or phrases.	ELA: Sentence Expansion	ELA Page: Choose Another One

Hands-On Activity
Making Carbon Dioxide

Materials

• Baking soda
• Vinegar
• 1 empty plastic bottle (small works best)
• 1 balloon
• Funnel or rolled paper (optional)
• Spoon or measuring cup
• Tray or towel (for spills)

Timeline Entries
c. 252 million years ago
Volcanic eruptions in the Siberian Traps causing massive, long-lasting eruptions release enormous amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases, triggering rapid climate change across Earth.

Discussion Questions
Level 1

1. What is an extinction?
   An extinction is when a kind of plant or animal dies out and no longer exists.
2. Why is the Great Dying important?
   It was the biggest extinction ever and changed life on Earth.
3. What caused the Great Dying?
   Huge volcanoes released gases into the air.
4. Why was too much carbon dioxide a problem?
   It made Earth too hot for many living things to survive.
5. Did all life disappear?
   No. Some life survived and later new kinds of life appeared.
   
   

Level 2 

1. What role did volcanoes play in the Great Dying?
   They released massive amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere.
2. How did carbon dioxide change Earth’s climate?
   It trapped heat, causing global temperatures to rise quickly.
3. Why were oceans especially affected?
   Warmer water holds less oxygen, and extra carbon dioxide made the oceans more acidic.
4. Why couldn’t most organisms survive these changes?
   The changes happened too fast for many species to adapt.
5. How did the Great Dying shape future life on Earth?
   It cleared many ecosystems, allowing new species to evolve and dominate later periods.