| Lesson Title: | Geologic Timeline | ||
| Curriculum Area: | Science | ||
| Technology Strand: | Societal Issues | ||
| Grade Level: | 8 | ||
| Essential Question: | What are the important events from the periods in the Earth's geologic history? |
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Activity Summary | Students will utilize Timeliner software to create a geologic timeline from the Cenozoic Era (Quaternary period - 1.6 million years ago) to the Precambrian Era (4600 million years ago). Included on the timeline will be pictures, graphics, and information on pivotal events from each era/period. |
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Curriculum |
Science 5.01 Interpret ways in which rocks, fossils, and ice cores record Earth's geologic history and the evolution of life including:
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Technology |
Societal Issues 3.01 Select and use a variety of technology tools to collect, analyze, and present information. |
| Activating Strategies |
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The First Word 1. Distribute a worksheet to each group with the word "FOSSIL" written vertically down the left-hand side (First_Word.doc). 2. Working in small groups, students should generate a short phrase or sentence that begins with each letter of the vertical word and offers important information or key characteristics about geologic time. 3. Students can illustrate their "First Words" for posting around the classroom. Sharing "First Words" will allow students to identify important concepts that may have been left out of their own work. 4. Share some student ideas with the class. Sample First Word: Fossilized tracks are called trace fossils Original remains of woolly mammoths have been found frozen Scientists known as paleontologists study fossils Sedimentary rock is where most fossils are found Index fossils are used to tell the age of rock layers Limestone rock is an example of sedimentary rock |
| Technology Vocabulary: Societal Issues Vocabulary |
| Detailed Technology Instructions: |
| Cognitive Teaching Strategies |
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1. Download links.doc and save it for students to access in the computer lab. 2. Divide the class into five (5) groups. Assign each group one of the geological eras to research and develop a timeline (Cenozoic including Quaternary and Tertiary periods, Mesozoic including Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic periods, Paleozoic including Permian, Pennsylvanian and Mississippian periods, Paleozoic including Devonian, Silurian, Ordovician and Cambrian periods, and the Precambrian era). Each group should compile information on the plants and animals found in their time period/era, the geology and climate during their time period/era and how their era ended (if applicable). Assist students in dividing up the workload for their timeline (ex. one student can research animals, one can research plants, one can create the timeline; or students can choose periods within the era to research, then join their information to create one timeline). 3. Open up Timeliner software and begin a new timeline. The timeline can also be created in Word using Draw tools. 4. For "Choose Time Line Type", select "Geologic". 5. Click on "Format" and then "Date Format". Select the "1 MYA" option. 6. Add dates under the "When" column and facts under the "What" column for the assigned eras. 7. Utilize the following websites as a starting point for gathering information about the time periods and eras from the geologic time scale (links.doc):
8. Select the vertical view banner style. 9. Add pictures and graphics to the timeline. 10. Print out the timelines. 11. Groups should then work collaboratively to tape or paste the five (5) different sections of the timeline together chronologically to display as one class geologic timeline. |
| Summary Strategies |
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Walk Around Survey 1. Download and print Walk_Around_Survey.doc and make one copy per student. 2. Assign a topic for the Walk Around Survey. In this lesson, the topic of course is geologic time - plants and animals, geology and climate and the ending (if applicable) of each of the time periods/eras. 3. Pass out a survey form to each student in the class. 4. Allow students an allotted amount of time to survey four classmates (informers) on the geological time periods/eras. Students should survey one informer from each of the geological time periods/eras they did not research. 5. When students are completing the survey form, the soliciting student should write the name of the informer on his/her worksheet in the left-hand column. He/she will then record three facts from the student informer on the worksheet in the three empty blocks -
5. Have students return to their seats and complete the Survey Summary. |
| Resources Click for directions on how to download files on a Windows computer. |
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Microsoft Word Documents First_Word.doc Links.doc Walk_Around_Survey.doc newsletter.doc Other Science Voyages text book - Unit 3 (Change Through Time) - Chapter 7 "Clues to Earth's Past" and Chapter 8 "Change Through Time" pp. 180 - 235 or other reading material on fossil evidence for evolution |
| Re-teaching and Enrichment Activities |
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As an extension to the timeline activity, students will pretend to be a writer for a prehistoric newspaper and create a newsletter using Microsoft Word that highlights the pivotal events from their assigned geologic timeline era. 1. Download newsletter.doc and save in a location for students to access in the computer lab. 2. Have students open newsletter template in Microsoft Word. 3. Students will first choose a title for their newsletter (for example "The Prehistoric Times") and follow the prompt in the title text box to insert their title. This will include the date which should be written as "MYA" for millions of years ago. For example, if a student is a reporter from the Jurassic period of the Mesozoic era, their date should be written as "146 MYA". 4. Students will then follow the prompts to insert 3 articles with clip art. Each article should be given a title that summarizes the information found within it. Highlight and delete directions in text box and clip art box before inserting text/pictures. The first column on the left hand side is reserved for the students to insert information about animals and plants found in their time period/era. The second column on the right hand side is reserved for the students to insert information regarding the geology and climate during their time period/era. The third section at the bottom is reserved for students to insert information regarding the ending of their time period/era (if applicable). If any of the articles is too long for any of the text boxes in the template, students may format them to fit by either decreasing font size of the text or clicking and dragging on the actual box to enlarge it. 5. Print newsletters and display on classroom bulletin board, etc. |
| Shanna Dowd |
| Allen Middle, Data last modified: 12/26/2006 |