Science

Grade 8

Unit 6 Fossil History of the Earth

Activity 5: What Came First? (SI GLEs: 3, 13, 16, 39, 40; ESS GLEs: 30, 34, 35)

CC: Student understanding of the process should be advanced through discussion, asking what clues scientists would look for when examining actual fossils and tracing fossils found scattered in different locations.

Have the students make a comparison of this activity to the geologic timeline. Ask the students how scientists determine the order of life from evolution found on the geologic timeline?

Students should explain how this activity is similar to that of determining the relative ages of rock layers. You may have students research how current technology plays a role in determining the dating and ages of rocks.

Geologic timelines:

Important Dates and Cool Creatures in Earth History

http://www.uky.edu/KGS/education/timeline2.htm

Mr. Hartzog's Fossil Project

http://www.starsandseas.com/SAS%20Evolution/SAS%20fossils/fossil_proj/fossil_project.htm 

CBC News: Hardy Arctic fossils shift time lines for life on land

http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2002/09/24/plants_arctic020924

Geological Time Line

http://www.bobainsworth.com/fossil/timeline.htm

Geology Wing

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibit/geology.html

USGS - FOSSILS, ROCKS, AND TIME

http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/fossils/contents.html

Earth Floor: Geologic Time

http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/geotime.html

Enchanted Learning

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/Geologictime.html

History of Life

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/G/GeoEras.html

Evolutionary and Geological Timelines 

http://www.talkorigins.org/origins/geo_timeline.html

The Passage of Time Teacher Activity Page

http://www.oneplaneteducation.com/canyons/geol_tim_tp.html

Earth's Geologic Time Line

http://www.dinosaur.org/timeline.htm