Geologic Time

Throughout time, the Earth has undergone numerous physical changes and has hosted millions of different life forms. Fossil evidence tells us that 99% of all things that have been alive at one time are now extinct! When major organisms die suddenly or new ones suddenly appear it is usually the result of a climate change. Climate changes occur due to changes at the Earth’s surface. These changes have all led to the world we live in today. Scientists have divided Earth’s history into Eras and Periods based on these major occurrences. The geologic time scale is an outline of the major divisions in Earth’s history.

Task

You and your partner have been given a section of Earth’s history to research. You will present your findings in a powerpoint presentation.

Your group should put together a slide show for the period of time that you are assigned. The slideshow should contain slides that include the following info.

* A cover page telling us the period and the time span that your period represents (i.e. 200 million years ago to 150 million years ago) What era is it in? (Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Paleozoic or Precambrian)

* A page with a picture of what the world (globe) looked like at that time. Tell us where to find North America. What is the approximate latitude?

* A slide telling us about the major life forms that lived at that time (invertebrates, birds, humans etc….) and any “firsts” to appear in this period. There are specific things I am looking for here, so look at a couple of sites before moving on.

* Pick two of the major life forms and give some info on the organisms. For instance, if you are doing the period that includes dinosaurs, you should pick two specific dinos, like T-rex, and give us some (at least five) interesting facts. Interesting facts could include size, diet, color, tooth size. Anything you find interesting. Have some pictures of the organism to go with the explanation.

* Pictures of fossils from that period. They must be identified.

* What was it like in North America (tropical? Glaciers? , swampy?, oceans?) during this time?

Helpful websites

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/help/timeform.html

http://www.es-designs.com/geol105/timescale/

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

http://www.scotese.com/earth.htm

http://www.nmnh.si.edu/paleo/geotime/main/

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

At home check out this site

http://www.lifethroughtime.com/

Geologic Time Rubric

Cover page with Period and time span………………………. 5 points

Correct era indicated ……………………………………............……5 points

Picture of globe ……………………………………………….................5 points

Indication of North America’s position and approx. latitude…5 points

Major life forms included, “firsts” included ………………… 5 points

Familiar with each type of life form if asked …………………3 points

All partners worked together…………………………………..2 points

Life form #1 picked

· Picture included……………………… yes 5 points no 0 points

· Facts about Life form #1 (5 points lots of interesting facts, 3 points for few, mediocre facts, 2 points for only one fact 0 points for no fact)

Life form number 2 picked

· Picture included ………………………yes 5 points no 0 points

· Facts about Life form #2 (5 points lots of interesting facts, 3 points for few, mediocre facts, 2 points for only one fact 0 points for no fact)

Picture of identified fossils included 5 points

What was it like in NA during the Period. 5 points

Creativity of Powerpoint

· Very creative, lots of pictures, interesting backgrounds, sounds………5 points

· Creative, but few added features ……………………………………........................…4 points

· Bland, little other than required info…………………………..........................………2 points

Accuracy

· All info given is accurate including grammar and spelling……………5 points

· One or two minor mistakes, including spelling ....…………………..........4 points

· Several mistakes ………………………………………………………..............................2 points

Total 70 points Group Grade…………….