Students will be able to develop and use models to organize Earth's history (including, era, period, and epoch) according to the geologic time scale using evidence from rock layers. 8.E.6A.1
Content Knowledge Support
- Read and compete interactive science workbook pages 500-507.
Discussion Topics
1. 😵If you could travel back in geologic time to any eon, era, period, or epoch where would you go? Explain why using 3 or more specific details and/or events from the content knowledge resources from this module. 😱What eon, era, period, or epoch would you never want to experience? Explain why using at least one specific detail from the content knowledge resources from this module.
2. What is the best geologic time scale you can find that organizes Earth's history? Link the best resource you can find such as a website or image to your response and describe using 5 or more specific details from the content knowledge resource(s) provided during this module why the resource you included is the very best for organizing Earth's history.
2. What is the best geologic time scale you can find that organizes Earth's history? Link the best resource you can find such as a website or image to your response and describe using 5 or more specific details from the content knowledge resource(s) provided during this module why the resource you included is the very best for organizing Earth's history.
Recommended Exercises
(Level 2) Application
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(Level 4) Evaluation
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Additional Exercises & Extensions
(Level 1) Comprehension
- Use the geologic time scale on this website to order the following units of geologic time from smallest to largest (era, epoch, eon, period).
- Carefully complete Earth History Exploration Google Form.
- Create a Dinosaur one-pager using this assignment TEMPLATE.
(Level 2) Application
1. Escape Geologic Time (escape room). The year is 2020 and the destruction of the Earth is imminent! Humanity just uncovered the ability to travel back in time and begins colonizing the distant past. You must travel back in time in a attempt to end mass extinctions and alter Earth’s history forever! Can you save the dinosaurs from extinction? Or the human race?....
1. Escape Geologic Time (escape room). The year is 2020 and the destruction of the Earth is imminent! Humanity just uncovered the ability to travel back in time and begins colonizing the distant past. You must travel back in time in a attempt to end mass extinctions and alter Earth’s history forever! Can you save the dinosaurs from extinction? Or the human race?....
- Escape Geologic Time Google Slides
- Escape Geologic Time Google Form
- During what eon was the origin of life according to this geologic time scale?
- During what epoch did modern humans first appear according to this geologic time scale?
- During what period did early primates first appear according to this geologic time scale?
- During what era were dinosaurs most diverse and abundant according to this geologic time scale?
(Level 3) Analysis
- Use the geologic time scale on this website to determine which of the following events occurred first according to this geologic time scale:
- simple multicellular organisms or complex multicellular organisms
- first amphibians or first reptiles
- spread of grassy ecosystems or flowering plants
- early primates or modern humans
- age of reptiles or age of mammals
(Level 4) Evaluation
- Find the worst geologic time scale you can possibly find and add it to a Google Doc and describe why this geologic time scale is so poor in terms of understanding events in Earth's history using at least 5 specific details from the content knowledge resource(s) provided during this module.
(Level 5) Creation
- Open this Google Slides Template and follow the directions carefully to create your own digital geologic time scale.
- Complete Time For Change SEPUP modeling activity and analysis using this Lab TEMPLATE.
Additional Explorations
- With a more complete fossil record available, the periods of the Cenozoic era are subdivided further into epochs. Research the various epochs as well as the events and organisms that evolved during these time spans.
- What is the current period and epoch of Earth's history? How long has it lasted? How long do you think it will last? How will it end?
- About 95 percent of marine species and 70 percent of land animals were wiped out after the Permian mass extinction. It is suspected that periods of rapid global warming and cooling that happened so quickly most organisms were not able to adjust. Research the effects that this extinction had on the evolution of species on Earth's history.
- Research additional geologic events, such as periods of increased volcanism and the effect on world-wide climate, mountain formation, climate changes and ice ages, large scale impacts of asteroids and meteorites, and the effect of rising and falling sea levels on early human migrations.
Future Learning Connections (Grades 9-12)
- Develop and use models of various dating methods including fossils, ordering of rock layers, and radiometric dating to estimate geologic time.
English Language Learners
Module Review Resources
Vocabulary Practice
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