Investigating Geologic Time – Building a Geologic Timescale

5E Lesson Plan, Author: Matt Jenkins, Yakima WATERS Project, CWU, Fall 2010

Grade Level: 9th, plus or minus one year.

Time required: One class period plus homework.

In this exercise students will create a 460-foot long geologic timescale in a nearby hallway or gym.
By making each foot section represent 100 million years and placing a series of Earth history events
along the way, students get an idea for how long 4.6 billion years really is, and how insignificant our
lives are within that history.

Standards

Washington State Educational Standards 9-11 ES3A, 9-11 ES3C.

9-11 ES3A: Interactions among the solid Earth, the oceans, the atmosphere, and organisms have resulted in
the ongoing evolution of the Earth system. We can observe changes such as earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions on a human time scale, but many processes such as mountain building and plate movements take
place over hundreds of millions of years.
9-11 ES3B: Evidence for one-celled forms of life—the bacteria—extends back billions of years. The
appearance of life on Earth caused dramatic changes in the composition of Earth's atmosphere, which did not
originally contain oxygen.

Outcomes

Knowledge: After completing this exercise, students should know how old the Earth is, how
scientists know this, timing and duration of major events in Earth History, timing of significant
events in the evolution of the Yakima watershed, and how comparatively small the human time
period is.

Skills: During class time students will work on their teamwork skills and communication skills as
they construct the timelines and answer questions in a group about the timelines and the evolution
of life on Earth. The homework will stretch the students to make connections between things of
different scale, comparing a large timeline to a very short TV episode or something. Students will
need to use ratios to determine at what point in their new timescale will something happen.

Materials and Equipment

Per group of 3-4 students:

Blank Geologic Timescale (pdf)
Measuring Tape (~50 ft.)
Masking tape (~50 ft.)
Colored “Significant Events” tags (see attached)
- Transformations (Yellow)
- Extinctions (Red)
- Geologic Changes (Blue)
Markers
Homework handout (see attached)
Prior Knowledge

The assumption is that students have some idea that the Earth is very old. Depending on their
middle school education they may have a very good idea, or they may be completely lost. The
expectation is also that they may incorrectly assume that human history represents a
disproportionally large piece of geologic time. Preconceptions are assessed by a short engage
activity asking them to place a limited number of events on a blank timescale.

Safety

There will be minimal safety concerns in this exercise. Students will be using scissors to cut paper,
markers, and measuring tapes. Important that care is taken with measuring tapes, and not allowed
to “snap-back” into the holder. Students will be working in hallways and will require supervision.

Engage (10 min)

To assess students’ preconceptions, as well as introduce students to the geologic time scale,
distribute one blank geologic time scale to each group of 3-4 students. As a team, have them place
several key events where they think they occurred in Earth’s history. Events (actual dates listed in
parentheses): Oldest Rocks Found on Earth (4,400 million years ago [ma]), First Evidence of Life
(3,850 ma), Dinosaurs Become Extinct (65 ma), Modern Humans (100,000 years ago). Interesting
trivia: a book with one page for every year would be 145 miles long and take you 17,500 years to
read.

Explore (30 min)

Students now will create their own time scales in their groups. (Optional depending on class size:
combine students into three groups to complete three time scales, one for events, one for
extinctions, and one for geologic changes). In a nearby hallway, gym, or other appropriate location,
use the measuring tape and masking tape to mark a line 46 feet in length on the floor. Use markers
to divide the line into 46 one-foot sections, each representing 100 million years. Label “Today” at
the top (or left), “4,600 ma” at the bottom (or right), and some of the 100 ma marks for easy
reference (every 500 ma). Then, cut out the printed events and arrange these events along your
time scale according to their date.

Explain (10-15 min)

Students will be given a short in-class assignment to complete asking them questions about their
timescales and the activity. Give each group one question to report their answers to the class and
discuss the answers in the last minutes of class.
Questions to answer:
1) In what ways do evolutionary events correspond to other types of events during the history
of life?
2) How might extinctions affect the evolution of organisms that survive the event?
3) In what ways have geologic changes influenced evolutionary events and/or extinctions?
4) How does the length of the history of life help to explain the evolutionary events of single-
celled organisms to complex multicellular organisms like mammals?
Elaborate (Homework)

To encourage students to apply their knowledge to a new scenario, students will be given a
homework assignment, due at the end of the week. The assignment (attached), will guide them in
creating their own geologic timescale within the time frame of something else. For example, a
calendar year, a football game, a typical TV show, etc. Students will be told in-class that they need to
choose ten events that they will incorporate in their timescales.

Evaluate (30 min)

Evaluation will be based on in-class work, appropriate use of time, teamwork, and completion of the
homework assignment. In-class work will be graded primarily on completion of the questions
asked, and discussion/input of all team members. Responses will be graded on their thoroughness
and demonstrated ability to incorporate a variety of ideas. Class time is given for the students to
construct their timescales according to the directions supplied, as well as for the students to
complete the pre-test, post questions, and discuss each. Students will be graded on appropriate use
of this time. One of the most important pieces of assessing students on this lesson is how well they
can work together to construct their timescale, place the appropriate events, and discuss the
questions after. The homework assignment establishes a link between information learned in the
classroom exercises and encourages students to apply their knowledge in a new way.

Performance Rubric

Element Excellent Good In Needs Not Scorable

(5 pts) (4 pts) Development Rethinking (1 pt)
(3 pts) (2 pts)
On-task Student is on- Student is on-task Student Student is idle Student does
time task ~100%, ~90% of time, participates in class, does not participate,
can manage to working minimally, is on- not distract is a distraction
(30%) keep others on positively task ~75% of others but does to others. On-
task as well. towards class time. not participate. task ~25% of
completion of On-task ~50% time.
assignments. of time.
Teamwork Student works Student works Student Student Student does
(25%) to a “good” well with team, provides some provides not provide
level but team completes input to minimal input, input to the
actively seeks tasks on time and questions, but only helps with group. Copies
out input from tasks are shared only simplistic physical tasks, answers, does
teammates by equally. Student answers, often does not not help
asking discusses not on task. OR provide input to construct
questions, questions with student questions in the timescale, does
delegating team and makes completes all pre-test or the not provide
tasks, and connections to tasks without in-class input to
willing to have timescale. listening to assignment. discussions.
tasks delegated input of others.
to them.
In-class Questions are Students answer Students Students Students
questions answered all questions fully answer all answer almost provide minimal
correctly, and correctly. questions, all questions, responses, some
(15%) completely, and Connections may responses are but not questions
grammatically be made, but not minimal, some complete unanswered.
correct. solid, obvious connections are sentences,
Students have they thought made, poor connections are
discussed with about answers, english/gramm not made,
group and all some grammar ar, responses answers
 correct ideas errors/incomplet demonstrate demonstrate
are present. e answers. mediocre effort. they have not
Solid Answer lack thought about
connections are depth but exist. the questions,
made between merely trying to
events. finish.
Homework Student uses Timescale is Timescale is Timescale is Student does
(30%) original complete, neat, complete, mostly not complete
timescale, is and all dates are student applies complete but timescale,
neat and correct and timeline to lacks creativity. timescale is
complete. placed something Obvious that copied from
Student places appropriately on other than student put in another source,
all dates the student’s calendar year, minimal effort. timescale does
correctly on timescale. Lacks but maybe uses Dates for events not
timescale. creativity of a 5 in class are wrong or demonstrate
Student point response, example. Dates interpolated any creativity.
demonstrates maybe uses in are mostly wrong onto new
they went class examples. correct and timescale.
above and applied
beyond with correctly.
creativity.

Teacher Background Info

Scientists have determined with great confidence that the Earth is 4.54 billion years old. This is
based on radiometric dating of meteorites (particularly one found in Arizona) and agrees well with
ages determined from dating lunar samples, estimating cooling rates, studies of our sun, and host of
other methods. The oldest rocks on Earth are in the Jack Hills of Western Australia and were dated
to 4.4 billion years by dating tiny minerals called zircons. The majority of ages we have for any
types of events are determined by the radioactive decay of certain isotopes. Depending on how old
something is, different methods can be used. A lot of assumptions are made when using
radiometric dating, such as that decay rates remain constant over time, but in general the science
behind dating methods is very sound. This Wikipedia article contains much of the above
information (in more detail) and an excellent description of radiometric dating.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_the_Earth

Resources
This lesson was adapted from the lesson found here:
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.div.lp_divdeeptime/

Interesting facts about how long earth history is:

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/explorations/tours/geotime/gtpage1.html

Blank geologic time scale:

http://serc.carleton.edu/files/introgeo/interactive/examples/bgeotime.pdf

Wikipedia article on Age of the Earth:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_the_Earth
Events:

Evolutionary events (Light Blue):

First evidence of life (3,850 million years ago [ma])
Oldest fossils (3,500 ma)
First evidence of soft-bodied animals (900 ma)
The Cambrian Explosion (530 ma)
First land plants and fish (480 ma)
First reptiles (350 ma)
First mammals and dinosaurs (220 ma)
First birds (150 ma)
First hominids (5.2 ma)
Modern humans (0.1 ma)

Extinctions (Red):
Some single-celled animals and soft-bodied animals (Vendian 543 ma)
Reef-builders and other shallow-water organisms (Cambrian 520 ma)
Ninety percent of all species (End Permian 250 ma)
Dinosaurs and 60 to 80 percent of all species (End Cretaceous 65 ma)
Foraminifera, gastropods, and sea urchins (Late Eocene 33 ma)
Many woodland, plant-eating herbivores (Miocene 9 ma)
Nearly all mammals and birds over 45 lbs. (Late Pleistocene 0.1 ma)

Geologic Events (Yellow):

Formation of the great oceans (4,200 ma)
Continents begin shifting (3,100 ma)
Rodinia supercontinent breaks up (700 ma)
Gondwana forms (500 ma)
Great mountain ranges form (425 ma)
Formation of Pangaea supercontinent (280 ma)
Pangaea supercontinent breaks up (200 ma)
Mt. Stuart and the Stuart Range is formed (96 ma)
Ancestral Cascade Mountains form (37 ma)
Inland seas dry up (20 ma)
Columbia River Basalts (forming most of the bedrock of Eastern WA) (17 ma)
Global ice ages begin (2 Ma)
 Constructing a Geologic Timescale

Introduction:
When most of you think of ancient history, we think of Greece, Ancient Rome, maybe even
the Egyptians. However, these civilizations are only thousands of years old, whereas scientists have
determined that Earth history is BILLIONS of years old. To put this in perspective, if you were to
write a book using one page for every year of Earth history, the book would have 4,600,000,000
pages, be a 145 miles thick, and take 17,500 years to read! In class today we will investigate
another way to investigate the concept of “deep time” by creating a to-scale geologic timescale. In
your table group, collect the following supplies:

Materials:
One measuring tape
One roll of masking tape
One bag of “events”
Markers

Procedure:
With your group, measure out a line of masking tape 46 feet long. Using the markers, divide
the tape into 46 one-foot sections. These sections each represent 100 million years of Earth history.
Label the top (or left side) “Today,” and the bottom (or right side) “4,600 ma.” Ma stands for “mega
annum” which means million years. You may want to label some of the 100 million year marks for
reference.
You also have a plastic bag full of cut-out events in Earth’s history. Mark a line on your
timescale and place the title of the event at the appropriate date.
Place each of the events in the appropriate location on your timescale and then answer the
following questions:

1) What patterns do you notice about events of a similar color? Give each color group a name
based upon the patterns you observe.
a. Blue:

b. Red:

c. Yellow:

2) How might extinctions affect the evolution of organisms that survive the event?

3) In what ways have geologic changes influenced evolutionary events and/or extinctions?
 4) How does the length of the history of life help to explain the evolution of single-celled
organisms to complex organisms like mammals?

Once you’ve answered all the questions, clean up your timescales placing the events back in the
bags, tape in the garbage, and returning the other supplies to the front of the classroom.
 Create Your Own Geologic Timescale

DUE:

Task:
On Wednesday, we created large-scale geologic timescales in your table groups. For
homework, due at the end of the week, you will be required to create one of your own, set
within the timeframe of something else. For example, the geologic timescale set within a
regular calendar year, or the length of one day. So, at exactly dawn, the Earth is formed,
somewhere in the evening the dinosaurs go extinct, and just seconds before midnight
modern humans evolve. To calculate when a particular event should happen in YOUR
timescale, you need to figure out at what FRACTION of time it happened in Earth History.
For example, the first reptiles appeared 350 million years ago. 350 million/4600 million
(age of the Earth) = 0.076. So, if you were to use the example of one day, you would find the
number of seconds in a day (24 hours x 60 minutes x 60 seconds = 86,400 seconds in one
day). Now, multiply 86,400 seconds by 0.076 = 6,566 seconds before present, or 109
minutes, or 10:11 pm. BE CREATIVE!

Create Your Own Geologic Timescale

DUE:

Task:
On Wednesday, we created large-scale geologic timescales in your table groups. For
homework, due at the end of the week, you will be required to create one of your own, set
within the timeframe of something else. For example, the geologic timescale set within a
regular calendar year, or the length of one day. So, at exactly dawn, the Earth is formed,
somewhere in the evening the dinosaurs go extinct, and just seconds before midnight
modern humans evolve. To calculate when a particular event should happen in YOUR
timescale, you need to figure out at what FRACTION of time it happened in Earth History.
For example, the first reptiles appeared 350 million years ago. 350 million/4600 million
(age of the Earth) = 0.076. So, if you were to use the example of one day, you would find the
number of seconds in a day (24 hours x 60 minutes x 60 seconds = 86,400 seconds in one
day). Now, multiply 86,400 seconds by 0.076 = 6,566 seconds before present, or 109
minutes, or 10:11 pm. BE CREATIVE!