In order for students to gain an appreciation of the role geological time plays in evolution, it is nescessary to get them thinking about the vast amounts of time involved. This prac is a fantastic way in which to do so. A ten metre long strip of black duct tape is laid out in a straight line along the length of the classroom (or corridor, etc). This represents the history of the Earth, from formation to the present day. Students are given (in pairs) a card with an evolutionary event written on it, mainly the first appearences of organisms or types of organisms, eg. Algae, hominids, fungi, eurkaryotic cells, dinosaurs, birds, tree ferns. Students are given a few minutes to place their cards at the point of the Earths' history which they believe the event corresponds to- all the help they are given is limited to telling them which end is the present day.Then, once all students have placed their cards down, one by one the actual dates of the cards are read out, and all other cards shifted accordingly, until everything is in the correct chronological order. This activity is an extremely eye-opening excersise, for it shows rather graphically not only that life has an extremely old history on earth, but that the first appearance of humans is only an insignificant amount of time ago. Also, at this ten metre scale the first appearance of homo sapiens coresponds nicely to being about the thickness of a coat of paint on the present-day wall.
Assessment: Class discussion Rather than students submitting written prac reports for this activity, it is expected that immediately following this prac there will be a general class discussion about geological time. This way any questions about this important topic can be either answered or acknowledged immediately.
CURRICULUM MAP (Links to VCE Biology Study Design)
Learning Activity
Skills
Assessment
Geological Timescale in the Classroom
'Analyse issues and implications relating to scientific and technological developments; analyse and synthesise data; draw conclusions consistent with the question under investigation and the evidence obtained'
See Above
Area of Study
Key Knowledge
Learning Outcomes
2 - Change Over Time
'geological timscale; relative and actual dating techniques'
'...analyse and evaluate evidence for evolutionary relationships'
Geological Timescale in the Classroom
In order for students to gain an appreciation of the role geological time plays in evolution, it is nescessary to get them thinking about the vast amounts of time involved. This prac is a fantastic way in which to do so.A ten metre long strip of black duct tape is laid out in a straight line along the length of the classroom (or corridor, etc). This represents the history of the Earth, from formation to the present day. Students are given (in pairs) a card with an evolutionary event written on it, mainly the first appearences of organisms or types of organisms, eg. Algae, hominids, fungi, eurkaryotic cells, dinosaurs, birds, tree ferns. Students are given a few minutes to place their cards at the point of the Earths' history which they believe the event corresponds to- all the help they are given is limited to telling them which end is the present day.Then, once all students have placed their cards down, one by one the actual dates of the cards are read out, and all other cards shifted accordingly, until everything is in the correct chronological order. This activity is an extremely eye-opening excersise, for it shows rather graphically not only that life has an extremely old history on earth, but that the first appearance of humans is only an insignificant amount of time ago. Also, at this ten metre scale the first appearance of homo sapiens coresponds nicely to being about the thickness of a coat of paint on the present-day wall.
Assessment: Class discussion
Rather than students submitting written prac reports for this activity, it is expected that immediately following this prac there will be a general class discussion about geological time. This way any questions about this important topic can be either answered or acknowledged immediately.
CURRICULUM MAP (Links to VCE Biology Study Design)