Geologic Time Scale Activity
Original Lesson Plan (from Allison Winward, High School Science Teacher in Washington)
Be sure to really know the goal and divide the goal into all the parts.
For this UDL makeover, we divided the initial goal into 2 parts - part 1 and part 2
Part 1
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Original |
UDL Makeover |
Before and After
 Goal #1 |
Objectives:
- To identify and understand the divisions of the geologic time scale.
- To analyze what geological and biological changes have occurred throughout geologic time.
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- Put those goals and objectives right at the top of the activity, so students know from the beginning why they are reading about in the introduction and what they will be learning.
- Note that if this handout is also digitally available, students can have the introduction read aloud, translated, or look up new vocabulary words (UDL Guideline 1 and 2).
- Find a hook- why should students engage or be interested in this goal? How is the geologic time scale important for them? (UDL Guideline 3)
Brainstorm potential barriers to objectives 1 and 2:
- The time scale terminology may be new to students,
- Students might not be able to see or access the text in the table,
- Students may not understand the content related to the biological changes that happened.
- Students don’t have a place to record what they are learning about the different geological times.
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Assessments
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Conclusion Questions:
1. At the beginning of what period did there appear to be a dramatic increase in the number and diversity of life forms?
2. When did plants first appear? How far along the tape is that?
3. When did animals begin to invade the land? How far along the tape is that?
4. What periods were dinosaurs around?
5. Which period do you think is called the “Age of Man”? |
The 5 assessment questions at the end of the worksheet do not get at the rigor of “expert geologists” thinking about the different time scales.
Encourage students to go beyond the 5 questions and develop questions that lead to deeper analysis of the table to get students to think about why the changes happened: how did we arrive with the species we have today? What might happen in the future (i.e., connection opportunity here to climate change)? You could ask a provoking question like, “what conditions might make it possible for dinosaurs to reappear?”
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Methods & Materials
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To achieve the goal of identifying and analyzing the geological time scales:
- Clarify the critical language and vocabulary in the table (UDL Guideline 2). What is critical for student understanding?
- Have a digital copy so the text could be read aloud or formatted (UDL Guideline 1).
- Offer a video or other additional materials that could support students to identify and learn about what happened in the geological time scales. (UDL Guideline 2)
- Offer the opportunity for students to work in partners or on their own to complete this. (UDL Guideline 7)
- Offer a graphic organizer or some way for students to record their learning. (UDL guideline 6)
- Let students draw, record, write, speak, or share their understanding of the geologic time periods and what happens in each with other students. (UDL guideline 5)
- Offer a checklist of key ideas for students to know about from each of the geologic time periods. (UDL Guideline 3)
- Have flexible spaces in the room for students to work, including options to wear headphones if they are working. (UDL guideline 7 and 9)
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Part 2
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Original |
UDL Makeover |
Before and After
Goal #2 |
Objective:
- To create a scale model of the geologic time scale to describe the different eras and periods.
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For this lesson, the goal is for students to create a scale model of the geologic time scale and describe the different eras and periods.
Once the goal is clear:
- Put the goals and objectives at the top of the activity, so students know what they want to achieve (UDL Guideline 8.1).
- Find a hook- why should students engage or be interested in this goal? How is this important for them? (UDL Guideline 7.2)
- Have flexible ways students can achieve the goals (use any of the UDL Guidelines to provide flexible pathways) This goal is flexible, “to create a scale model” can be done in several ways. The key is to measure and assess how students scale the eras and period. Ultimately, we want students to get a sense of geological time.
Brainstorm potential barriers that may block students from achieving the goals:
- the time scale terminology may be new to students (UDL Guideline 2),
- The table may not be able to see or accessed (UDL Guideline 1),
- the content may be new for students (UDL Guideline 3).
- There may not be interest in the topic (UDL Guideline 7)
Once you have identified some barriers in the lesson, you can go to those suggested UDL Guidelines to brainstorm how to design the lesson more flexibly.
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Assessments
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Conclusion Questions:
- At the beginning of what period did there appear to be a dramatic increase in the number and diversity of life forms?
- When did plants first appear? How far along the tape is that?
- When did animals begin to invade the land? How far along the tape is that?
- What periods were dinosaurs around?
- Which period do you think is called the “Age of Man”?
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Make sure the assessment aligns with the targeted learning goals.
Then, make sure the assessment is relevant and that it aligns with what “experts” in the field do.
Note that in this lesson, there were no conclusion questions that related to students being able to develop a scale model. The assessment questions were about students being able to read a geological timeline. If this was the intended goal, then the goal statement should be changed.
If the goal is determined to be that students will create a scale model of the geologic time scale to describe the different eras and periods, then the assessment should align.
The assessment could include:
- Does the scale model accurately represent the geological scale in terms of millimeters?
- Are the different geological and biological events represented in the correct time scale?
There could be additional questions that focus on the goal for this lesson: to develop scale models. This is a skill that “expert scientists” must do and there can be different examples that are shown so students can really start to understand how to use a scale model to represent very long time periods.
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Methods & Materials
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- Obtain 5 meters of paper tape for each lab group.
- For 4.6 billion years to fit on 5 meters of paper, 1 million years = 1 millimeter.
- Using this scale, calculate where each time division will be on the paper tape. Fill out the chart on your datasheet to help you.
- Draw a line (using different colors for each time division) to show the start of each era and period.
- Also, label the lines with the names of each era and period and how many million years ago when each started.
- Illustrate or make brief notes on the paper tape showing the life forms of each time period. Answer the conclusion questions at the end.
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To achieve the goal of creating a scale model of geological time, provide flexible options in the methods and materials for students to be able to achieve this goal. How you do this will vary from classroom to classroom. Some suggestions are to:
- Look for a relevant example students will be interested in to hook their interest to learn how to do this skill, to develop scale models (UDL Guideline 7).
- Have options in how students represent the timescale. One option can be to use this paper tape model, or they could develop a different scale model. Here are 3 examples that could spark student interest to develop a way to visually represent the time (UDL Guideline 5). Here are a few ideas (i.e., a pie chart or “clock”, a game, a linear example). Note how the assessment focused on the scale model and one assessment criteria should be used regardless of the kind of scale model students use).
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