Our Changing Earth
Part 3: The Geologic Time Scale
PURPOSE: To understand how scientists use the geologic time scale to study the history of the Earth.
GOAL / OBJECTIVE:
Goal 1: The learner will design and conduct investigations to demonstrate an understanding of scientific inquiry.
Objectives 1.01, 1.05, 1.08, 1.09, 1.10
Goal 5: The learner will conduct investigations and utilize appropriate technologies and information systems to build an understanding of evidence of evolution in organisms and landforms.
Objective 5.01. 5.02, 5.03
Language (ELD) Objective: The learner will
-ENGAGE: Family History Collage
Ask the students to make a collage of 10 events in their family history to share with the class. In their groups, ask the students to share their collage. Then, ask the students to discuss the following questions as a group. Have the students record both their own responses as well as the responses of at least one other group member:
1. During which time in your life did most of these events occur? Why do you think this is so?
2. Did any of the collages show happy events? Why do we as humans tend to remember these events?
3. Did any collages show tragic events? Why do we as humans tend to also remember these events?
4. What evidence is present in your collage that shows a change in your family? 5. How could you use your collage to make a timeline of these events?
EXPLORE: Model of Geologic Time
Give students the copy of the page with the 2000 @ symbols and the handout with directions. Students should work in groups of 2 or individually. The students will need the @ symbol page, colored pencils, a ream of paper for a visual, and a calculator. This activity will allow students to get a visual concept of the geologic time scale. This
See student handout.
EXPLAIN:
Give the students the attached cards with events from the geologic and biological
evolution of the Earth. Give the students the chart with the 4 major divisions of geologic time. Ask the students to organize these events into the 4 major divisions of time for the Earth. Have the students glue the events in the appropriate columns once the teacher has verified the students’ accuracy. Go over the events together to make sure they have their events organized correctly using the transparency provided.
See student handout.
ELABORATE:
Option 1: “Take a Journey Back in Time”
The students will research a time period of geologic time and create a travel brochure. The students will need internet access and access to research materials. A student handout with a detailed description of expectations and information that must be included is provided as is a rubric.
Option 2: “Scenes from the Past”
Assign each group a time period to research. Ask the groups to make a diorama of their time period. Then, ask the students to share their diorama with the class and display the dioramas in order. Depending on the size of your class, divide your students in groups of 2-3. Use the attached rubric to aid students in their research and creation of the diorama. Use the time periods listed below:
Precambrian Paleozoic: Cambrian Ordovician Silurian Devonian Carboniferous Permian Mesozoic: Triassic Jurassic Cretaceous Cenozoic: Tertiary Quaternary
Future (100 million years from now)
EVALUATE Technological Evolution
provided, but you can also allow students to make suggestions.) The final product will be a poster or visual timeline to show how it has changed over time and will include at least 8 changes. Tell the students to include a picture, the date, a description of the change, and how it affected humans.
TOPICS LISTED BY CATEGORY: Transportation
Cars Trains Planes Trucks Boats Bicycles Motorcycles
Clothing
Hats Shoes
Women’s Clothing Men’s Clothing
Office Equipment
Calculator Copier
Communication
Mail / Email Telephone Newspaper
Entertainment
Music Players Cameras Game systems TV / VCR / DVD
Military
Weapons Tanks Aviation Sea Travel
Other
Medical equipment Farm Equipment School
ENGAGE, Part 3 Name ___________________________________
Handout Date ____________________________________
Family History Collage
1. During which time in your life did most of these events occur? Why do you think this is so?
Your Response Group Member’s Response
2. Did any of the collages show happy events? Why do we as humans tend to remember these events?
Your Response Group Member’s Response
3. Did any collages show tragic events? Why do we as humans tend to also remember these events?
Your Response Group Member’s Response
4. What evidence is present in your collage that shows a change in your family?
Your Response Group Member’s Response
5. How could you use your collage to make a timeline of these events?
EXPLORE, Part 3 Name ___________________________________ Handout Date ____________________________________
Modeling Geologic Time, Part 1
Purpose: To create a model of geologic time and develop an understanding of “millions of years.”
Materials:
Copy of Page with 2,000 @ Symbols Colored Pencils
A Ream of Paper (visual) Calculator
Chart of Historical Events Chart of Geologic Events
Procedure: Historical Events
You will use the paper with 2,000 @ symbols to model specified historical events that have occurred in our country/hemisphere. Each @ symbol represents one year. The first @ symbol represents a year ago. Circle the @ symbol with the color designated in the chart that corresponds to the event in the table below and determine the number of years ago that the event occurred.
Event Color Date # Years Ago
You were born. Red
Your teacher was born. Grey
Your school was built. Orange
US sent a space shuttle into space.
Yellow 1981
US astronaut Armstrong walks on the moon.
Pink 1969
WWI ends. Brown 1918
Civil War ends. Blue 1865
Salem witch trials Purple 1692
Columbus sails the ocean blue. Black 1492
EXPLORE, Part 3 Name ___________________________________ Handout Date ____________________________________
Modeling Geologic Time, Part 2 Procedure: Geologic Events
A ream of paper contains 500 sheets of paper. If each paper has 2,000 @ symbols representing 2,000 years, then a ream would have 1,000,000 @ symbols. A ream would represent 1 million years. Using this information and a calculator, complete the chart below.
Geologic Events
Event # of Years Ago Reams of Sheets of Paper
Last ice age ended. 10,000
Whales evolved. 50 million
Pangaea began to split and drift apart.
225 million
Vertebrates appeared. 530 million
Algae developed. 1 billion
Unicellular organisms appeared. 3.5 billion
Oldest rocks formed. 4.0 billion
Earth formed. 4.6 billion
Analysis:
1. When you tell someone that something happened a long time ago, how does your version of a long time ago compare to the Earth’s geologic time?
2. How does the time humans have spent on Earth compare to geologic time as a whole? Have we been here a long portion of geologic time or only a minute period of time? Justify your answer.
EXPLORE, Part 3 Name ___________________________________
Handout Date ____________________________________
Modeling Geologic Time
EXPLAIN, Part 3 Name ___________________________________ Handout Date ____________________________________
Major Biological and Geological Events in Earth’s History
Mammals, flowering plants, and insects
dominate the land
Pangaea splits Bacteria appear Pangaea forms
Oceans form and cover the Earth
First grasses appear
Humans appear Largest dinosaurs thrive
Widespread volcanic activity
Soft-bodied multi-cellular organisms appear
First reptiles appear Trilobites become extinct
Continental glaciers cover Antartica
Earth began Dinosaurs appear Hot, dry conditions dominate Pangaea
Rocky Mountains and Himalayas form
Seas rise and fall over North America
Great explosion of invertebrates in the
sea
Dinosaurs become extinct
Trilobites appear Ice age ends Appalachian
mountains form
Insects and spiders appear
EXPLAIN, Part 3 Name ___________________________________ Handout Date ____________________________________
Major Biological and Geological Events Organizer
Precambrian Paleozoic Mesozoic Cenozoic
Geological Geological Geological Geological
EXPLAIN, Part 3 Name ___________________________________ Transparency Date ____________________________________
Major Biological and Geological Events Organizer
Precambrian Paleozoic Mesozoic Cenozoic
Geological
Earth began
Oceans form and cover the Earth
Biological Bacteria appear Soft-bodied multi-cellular organisms appear Geological
Shallow seas cover much of the land
Coral reefs develop
Seas rise and fall over North America
Appalachian mountains form
Pangaea forms
Biological
Great explosion of invertebrates in the
sea
Trilobites appear
Land plants appear
Insects and spiders appear
Age of fish begins
First reptiles appear
Trilobites become extinct
Geological
Hot, dry conditions dominate Pangaea Pangaea splits Widespread volcanic activity Biological Dinosaurs appear Largest dinosaurs thrive Dinosaurs become extinct Geological Rocky Mountains and Himalayas form
Continental glaciers cover Antarctica
Ice age ends
Biological
First grasses appear
Humans appear
Mammals, flowering plants, and insects
ELABORATE, Part 3 Name ___________________________
Handout Date ____________________________
Take a Journey Back in Time
TASK: You work for a travel agency that has a special time machine that can take tourists back in time millions or billions of years ago. Your tourists can see plants,
animals, and continents that were much different from anything they can see today. You have been assigned the task of designing a travel brochure for the travel agency.
PURPOSE: To demonstrate your knowledge of a particular period of geologic time.
PROCEDURE:
1. Select geologic time period about which you will become an expert. Complete Worksheet #1.
2. Use books, magazine articles, and/or internet resources to gather information about your time period. You must use a minimum of 2 resources. As you study the information available, look at the animals and plants that were living during the time period as well as the surface of the earth and the climate.
3. Make a travel brochure that gives an accurate idea of your geologic time period using text and images. Your images can be clipart, cartoons, realistic pictures, or your own drawings. Use Worksheet #2 to help you organize your information for the brochure.
RUBRIC:
Criteria Points
Possible
Points
Received
Brochure Text
• accurate, well written, and interesting
• includes major events regarding plants, animals, earth’s surface, and climate of the time period
30
Brochure Images
• accurate to the time period
• includes plants, animals, earth’s surface, and climate
30
Brochure Design
• well-designed and appealing to travelers
• shows planning
20
Creativity
• Travel information (price, things to bring, etc.)
• Contact Information for travel agency
20
ELABORATE, Part 3 continued
Take a Journey Back in Time, Worksheet 1
As you work to become an expert on a geologic time period, use this worksheet to help you focus you research. If you need more space, use a separate sheet of paper.
QUESTION RESOURCE INFORMATION GATHERED
Which geologic time period will you research?
What were the major geologic events of that time period?
What did the earth’s surface look like?
What was the climate like?
What were the dominate organisms living at that time?
ELABORATE, Part 3 continued
Take a Journey Back in Time, Worksheet 2
Use this worksheet to help you plan your travel brochure.
QUESTION RESOURCE INFORMATION GATHERED
Your geologic time period
What are the main things travelers might like to see?
What should travelers pack for comfort, fun, and safety?
What dangers might travelers encounter?
How will you encourage tourists to choose your time period to visit?
Information about your travel agency
ELABORATE, Part 3 Name ___________________________________ Handout Date ____________________________________
Diorama of a Period in Geologic Time
You and your team members are part of a research team given the task of gathering information about a specific period of geologic time. You have then been assigned the task of creating a diorama as part of a museum display. Your diorama must include the predominant life forms, both animal and plant, that lived during your chosen period, the major changes in the Earth (geological evolution) that occurred during your chosen time period, and any major climatic changes that occurred during your time period. You will be graded using the rubric below.
Description Possible Points Points Earned
Inclusion of predominant life forms characteristic of this period—include list of animals and plants as well
as pictures or replicas
30
Inclusion of any major geologic changes that occurred during this period—include list of events as well as pictures
or replicas
30
Inclusion of any major climatic changes that
occurred during this period—include a list of events as well as pictures
or replicas
30
Neatness and Creativity of the diorama—lists should be typed, pictures in color,
and replicas painted or in color
10
Total Points:____________/100
Comments:____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
EVALUATE, Part 3 Name ___________________________________ Handout Date ____________________________________
Technological Evolution
PURPOSE: To demonstrate your knowledge of the technological evolution of a device, system, or idea.
PROCEDURE:
1. Select a type of transportation, a device, a form of clothing or other “artifact” from your daily life .
2. Use books, magazines, and/or internet resources to gather information about your topic. You must use a minimum of 2 resources. As you study the information available, look at how it has changed throughout time from discovery or invention to the present. How do you think it will change in the future?
3. Create a poster or visual timeline to share what you have learned. 4. Complete the analysis questions.
ANALYSIS:
1. Examine the changes that have taken place throughout history in the development and use of device or artifact. Discuss it “evolution” to its present form.
2. What are the similarities and differences that you see over time? 3. Why have the changes in your device or artifact occurred?
4. How are the processes of the evolution of things or ideas different from the process of evolution for organisms? How are the processes similar?
5. How do you think your device or artifact will change in the next 25-50 years?
RUBRIC:
Criteria Points Possible
Points Received Written Information on Device or Artifact
• Accurate and interesting
• includes major changes in the development over time with dates (at least 8 changes)
40
Images or Pictures of Device or Artifact
• accurate to the time indicated
• includes
40
Future of the Device or Artifact
• shows thought and creativity
• Includes description, explanation, and picture
