UNIT 3

HOW OLD IS OLD?

Objectives:
Students will understand that the word old is a relative term.
Students will begin to understand the chronology of the major events
in the earths history.
Students will comprehend that their life can be visualized in a
chronological timeline.
Students will discover that many native cultures think of time in terms
of cycles.
Subjects: Science, ath.
Suggested time: !hree class periods. "or #ctivity $, it would be very
helpful to have another adult or older student to assist.
Materials:
%opy for students& Earth History Timeline student information sheet
'( ) *+, How Old Is Old? student activity sheet '( ) ,$+.
"rom the trunk& -eologic timeline rope and cards.
"rom the teacher& "or each student& ,. colored paper strips clipped
together, scotch tape or stapler, pencil.
"or the teacher& Earth History Timeline teacher resource sheet '( ) /+.
Vcabular!:
"m#$ibia% & 'am0"120ee0an+ vertebrate animal that lives part of its
life in the water and lays its eggs in the water.
'$r%lg! ( an arrangement of events in the order in which they
occurred.
'el#$!sis ( 'S3340o0"530sis+, was the first dinosaur and its bones
were discovered at -host 6anch.
'!clical ( moving in a spiral or circular path.
)vlve ( to change slowly or develop something new, often related to
a changing climate.
)*ti%cti% ( the dying out of a species.
I%vertebrate ( animal without a backbone.
Li%ear ( moving in a straight line.
Timeli%e ( a visual model of the events in chronological order.
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Vertebrate ( animal with a backbone.
+ac,gru%d:
esa 8rieta is three million years old. !hat sounds very old until you
realize that the dinosaurs went e9tinct :; million years ago and the earth is
believed to be <.; billion years old. # geologic timeline will help put this
concept of old into perspective.
any indigenous cultures and various religions have stories and
e9planations for how the 3arth was formed, how humans came to be and
when these events happened. 1f you have students who are bothered by the
idea of the geologic timeline, you may want to e9plain that this is the
scientists e9planation of the chronology of the 3arth. !he ideas and dates
that we are using may change in the future as more fossils are discovered
and technology improves.
%reating a personal timeline will further develop the students concept
of chronology and will introduce the concept of a cyclical timeline.
"ctivit! -: Setti%g t$e Stage
=ave a brainstorming session on the >uestion =ow ?ld 1s ?ld@ and
write student answers on the board. #fter a few minutes, have the students
guide you in the placing of all the answers on a timeline that you create on
the board. #s each word is placed on the timeline, erase it from the list.
Aiscuss how the word old is relative.
4ead a class discussion about different beliefs concerning how the
3arth was formed and how life came to be. Aifferent cultures and religions
have different beliefs, stories and myths about this. !oday we will be
learning how the scientists e9plain these concepts by studying fossils and
different rock formations. "rom this evidence they develop hypotheses
'educated guesses or predictions+ and theories 'using available evidence, it is
the best e9planation of how or why something is the way it is.+ Bhen new
7nit ( 0 $
Seashell fossils in an ancient sandstone beach
evidence is discovered, theories usually change.
"ctivit! .: /elgic Timeli%e
,. Aefine chronology and discuss why it is
important to establish chronological order when
studying the past.
$. 39plain to the students that they will be
using a ,.. foot rope to represent the
<.: billion years that most scientists
believe is the age of the earth. #s the
class slowly walks alongside the rope, the students will be reading
cards that e9plain what was happening at that time. Students
should listen carefully to the student reading the card.
(. 8ass out the cardsC for the -eologic !imeline
and review any words that are hard to
pronounce or for which the meaning is not
clear to the students. !hen take them
into the hall or outside. 7nwind the
geologic timeline. 3veryone should stand at
the end '. inches+ that represents the birth of
the 3arth. !he student with card , reads
what it says. !hen everyone moves to the
ne9t number and the student with that card
reads it aloud. !his process continues until
you reach number <. #t this point the
numbers get very close together. =ave the
students look back to where they began and
then continue. #fter all students have read their cards, have them
look back at the beginning of the rope and think about the fact that
the last part of the timeline has most of
the cards. =ave one student collect the
cards and an assistant roll up the rope.
'!his takes about ,. min.+
<. 2ack in the classroom, discuss what they
have learned from this activity. =ow
does the timeline help the students
understand the chronology of life on
earth and how the earth has changed@ #
simple way to remember the concept of the age of the earth
compared to humans on earth is to have the students e9tend one
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arm. !his represents the age of the earth. Bhere on your arm is
when people began living in what is now Dew e9ico@ 'The
answer is the tip of your fingernail.+
C"or some of the numbers on the timeline there is more than one card.
!his allows for different size classes. #djust the cards to the number
of students present by eliminating some of the duplicate numbers but
be sure that all $, numbers are used. 5ou may want to give students
more than one card if your class is small.
CC!o make your own geologic timeline, please see Directi%s 0r Ma,i%g a
/elgic Timeli%e at the end of this unit, at (0,<.
"ssessme%t:
8ass out the student handouts Earth History Timeline student activity
sheet and How Old Is Old student activity sheet. 5ou may want students to
work individually, in groups or as a whole class. 7sing the timeline, math
skills and inference, have the students answer the >uestions. !he students
may also make up problems for each other.
"%s1ers t assessme%t s$eet:
,. =ow long did it take for life to begin on 3arth@ '1 billion years+
$. =ow long did the age of dinosaurs last@ '16 million years+
(. =ow long ago did amphibians move onto land@ '!"# million years
ago+
<. Aid people live during the time of dinosaurs@ =ow do you know@
'7se the timeline.+ '$inosaurs went e%tinct 6# million years ago and
people arri&ed in what is present day 'ew (e%ico about 1!, years
ago)+
;. Aid people live during the time of the ice age@ =ow do you know@
'*es, the ice age ended about 1, years ago but people arri&ed in
'ew (e%ico earlier)+
:. Aid %oelophysis eat flowers@ =ow do you know@ ''o, flowers
didn+t e&ol&e until after ,oelophysis went e%tinct) It was a predator)+
*. =ow long ago did the dinosaurs go e9tinct@ '6# million years ago)+
E. Aid the first amphibians eat insects@ Bhy or why not? -*es,
amphibians e&ol&ed after small insects)+
/. Bhat large predator hunted Seismosaurus@ =ow do you know@
'.robably /llosaurus, because it li&ed at the same time as
Seismosaurus and was the largest predator of its time)+
7nit ( 0 <
,.. Bas Aimetrodon a dinosaur@ =ow do you know@ ''o, it li&ed
before dinosaurs e&ol&ed and its legs went out to its sides)+
"ctivit! 3: 2ers%al Timeli%e
Teac$er #re#arati%: 3ither you or the students cut enough , inch
by < inch colored strips so that each student has enough strips for hisFher
years of age. !hey may be multiple colors or just two different colors. 1t is
helpful if each student has his or her own Scotch tape or stapler.
I%trducti%: Aiscuss how the concept of timeline could be used to
show an individual life. 5ou may wish to ask students to bring in photos of
themselves at different ages. #sk the students to think of special events that
happened each year of their lives. ake the beginning of your own timeline
to show the students. 1f they have trouble thinking of events for each year,
they could use the names of their teachers.
,. 8ass out ,. 'or more depending on the age of your students+ four
inch long strips of different colored papers 'or two alternating
colors+ to each student. 1t would be helpful to have fastened the
sets of strips together with paper clips.
!eacher may wish to draw an e9ample on the board. ?n the
first strip have the student write hisFher name on the back of the
strip. !hen write birth at the left side. 7nder it, have students
write their birth dates. !ape or staple the second strip to the first
strip, end to end, with the tape on the back. ?n the left side of the
second strip, write ,
st
birthday. %ontinue in this way until there
is a strip for each year. Dow have the students go back and write
an event that happened that year such as first tooth, first bike, etc.
$. #ll of the strips should now be taped or stapled together end to end
in chronological order. !hese can be displayed on a bulletin board
or sent home.
(. Aiscuss the term linear timeline that implies that time unfolds in
a straight line. 39plain that in many cultures, time is visualized as a
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spiraling cycle. !his may be represented as a cyclical timeline.
Bhat does cycle mean@ Dame some cycles that you know about.
'moon phases, day0night, months in a year, life cycles, tires, etc)+
=ow can you turn your personal timeline into a cyclical timeline@
=ave students bend their first year strip into a circle and clip it.
!hen wind the timeline around this circle that represents one year.
#fter it is all rolled up, put the paper clip on the timeline to hold it
as a circle.
# slinky is another good way to illustrate a cyclical
timeline. 3ach coil can represent a year in someones life such as a
grandparent, parent, aunt or uncle. 8aper clips with small cards can
be placed on the coils where special events occurred such as
graduated from school, got married, birth of children, etc.
I%0rmal "ssessme%t:
!he following >uestions or similar ones can be used as a class
review or as a written assignment.
1. =ow many years old are you@ Bhere is it represented on
your timeline@
2. =ow many years ago where you born@
3. Bhat was special about your ;
th
year@
4. =ow many years ago was your (
rd
birthday@
7nit ( 0 :
/ birthday pi1ata2
Dame GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG Aate GGGGGGGGGG
U%it 33 H1 Old is Old?
)"4TH HISTO45 TIM)LIN) Stude%t I%0rmati% S$eet
,. 3arths crust hardened& 3)6 billion
!here was no life, no water, and no atmosphere. years ago
$. 2lue green algae& !his first life on earth was microscopic !)# billion
and lived in the sea. !oday we call it Spirulina. years ago
(. "ish& !hese animals were the first vertebrates in the sea. # million
!here was no life on land. years ago
<. "irst plants on land& !hese were simple plants like 33 million
mosses and ferns. Small insects crawled onto land. years ago
;. #mphibians& 'am0"120ee0ans+ !hese were the first !"# million
vertebrates to live on land, but returned to the water years ago
to lay eggs. !hey were related to frogs and salamanders.
:. 1nsects& Aragonflies were some of the first insects to fly. !3# million
!heir wingspan was (. inches. 1nsects were everywhereH years ago
*. Aimetrodon& 'dye033!0row0don+ !his large reptile had
a huge fin on its back and looked like a dinosaur, but it wasnt. 45 million
1ts legs were bent out from its sides like an alligator, while a years ago
dinosaurs legs were attached under its body like an elephant.
1ts tracks were found in the red rocks at present day Iemez 8ueblo.

E. %oelophysis& 'S3340o0"530sis+ !his was one of the first 44# million
dinosaurs and its fossil bones were discovered at -host 6anch. years ago
1t was a predator the size of a turkey and is the D State Ainosaur.
/. Seismosaurus& 'S1J30mo0S?630us+ !his was the longest 4 million
dinosaur in the world and its bones were found south of Iemez years ago
8ueblo. 1t was related to the long0necks. 'sauropods+
,.. #llosaurus& '#40o0S?630us+ !his predator was 4 million
the ancestor of !yrannosaurus. years ago
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,,. !yrannosaurus re9& !his was the largest carnivore 1!# million
and its bones were found in southern Dew e9ico. years ago
,$. "irst flowers& %olorful flowers and insect pollinators 1!# million
developed together. !his is called co0evolution. years ago
,(. Ainosaurs went e9tinct& Scientists think that an asteroid 6# million
crashed into the -ulf of e9ico causing dust to darken the sky, years ago
killing the plants and eventually all the dinosaurs and many other
animals.
,<& "irst horse& !hese early mammals developed in # million
Dorth #merica and were the size of a fo9. years ago
,;. %amels& !hey lived in the valley west of the Sangre de 4# million
%risto ountains with larger horses and giant bison. years ago
,:. Shield volcanoes erupted west of Kuesta& !he lava ! million
flowed down to %hamita, forming the cap rock of esa 8rieta. years ago
,*. Boolly mammoths& !hese huge elephants stayed warm 1)6 million
during the ice ages with their long hair and they grazed on years ago
grass.
,E. Iemez volcano erupted& !his created the Lalles %aldera. 1)3 million
1t was ,. times larger than ount St. =elens and sent years ago
volcanic ash as far as Mansas.
,/. 6io -rande began to flow& !his new river followed 4#,
the 6io -rande 6ift, creating the 3spaNola Lalley. years ago
$.. 8aleo01ndians& !he first people to live in Dew e9ico 1!,
were nomads who hunted large 1ce #ge mammals and years ago
gathered berries, seeds and roots.
$,. 4ast 1ce #ge ended& any of the megafauna went 1,
e9tinct in Dew e9ico, including the horse, the camel and the years ago
woolly mammoth.
7nit ( 0 E
U%it 33 H1 Old is Old?
)"4TH HISTO45 TIM)LIN) Teac$er I%0rmati% S$eet
,. 3arths crust hardened& 3)6 billion
!here was no life, no water, and no atmosphere. years ago
$. 2lue green algae& !his first life on earth was microscopic !)# billion
and lived in the sea. !oday we call it Spirulina. years ago
(. !rilobites& '!650loh0bites+ Dow the seas were full of 6 million
invertebrates like shells, crinoids, years ago
sponges, jellyfish
and giant trilobites.
<. "ish& !hese animals were the first vertebrates in the sea. # million
!here was no life on land. years ago
;. "irst plants on land& !hese were simple plants like 33 million
mosses and ferns. Small insects crawled onto land. years ago
:. #mphibians& 'am0"120ee0ans+ !hese were the first !"# million
vertebrates to live on land, but returned to the water years ago
to lay eggs. !hey were related to frogs and salamanders.
*. 6eptiles& !hese animals laid eggs on land and had scales !3# million
covering their bodies. years ago
E. 1nsects& Aragonflies were some of the first insects to fly. !3# million
!heir wingspan was (. inches. 1nsects were everywhereH years ago
/. -iant tree ferns& !he land was covered with lush, green !3# million
vegetation like the rain forests of today. years ago
,.. Shallow sea covered most of what is now Dew e9ico. ! million
!he water was warm. years ago
7nit ( 0 /
,,. Aimetrodon& 'dye033!0row0don+ !his large reptile had
a huge fin on its back and looked like a dinosaur, but it wasnt. 45 million
1ts legs were bent out from its sides like an alligator, while a years ago
dinosaurs legs were attached under its body like an elephant.
1ts tracks were found in the red rocks at present day Iemez 8ueblo.
,$. %onifers& !hese evergreen trees had cones, like pine cones, 45 million
with seeds. !he earlier plants reproduced with spores that did years ago
not have male and female parts.

,(. %oelophysis& 'S3340o0"530sis+ !his was one of the first 44# million
dinosaurs and its fossil bones were discovered at -host 6anch. years ago
1t was a predator the size of a turkey and is the D State Ainosaur.
,<. Seismosaurus& 'S1J30mo0S?630us+ !his was the longest 4 million
dinosaur in the world and its bones were found south of Iemez years ago
8ueblo. 1t was related to the long0necks. 'sauropods+
,;. #rchaeoptery9& 'ar0kee0?80ter0iks+ !his was the first bird 4 million
and it was related to dinosaurs. #bout three feet long, it had years ago
feathers and sharp teeth. Scientists are not sure if it flew or glided.
,:. #llosaurus& '#40o0S?630us+ !his ,; foot high predator 4 million
was the ancestor of !yrannosaurus. years ago
,*. Stegosaurus& 'S!3-0o0S#760us+ !his was an herbivore 4 million
with bony plates along its back, spikes on its tail. 1t had a years ago
tiny brain.
,E. !yrannosaurus re9& !his was the largest carnivore 1!# million
and its bones were found in southern Dew e9ico. years ago
,/. "irst flowers& %olorful flowers and insect pollinators 1!# million
developed together. !his is called co0evolution. years ago
$.. !riceratops& 'try0S#560a0tops+ !his three horned dinosaur 1!# million
was an herbivore. 1t was hunted by !yrannosaurus re9. years ago
$,. Ainosaurs went e9tinct& Scientists think that an asteroid 6# million
crashed into the -ulf of e9ico causing dust to darken the sky, years ago
7nit ( 0 ,.
killing the plants and eventually all the dinosaurs and many other
animals.
$$. "irst horse& !hese early mammals developed in # million
Dorth #merica and were the size of a fo9. years ago
$(. 6ocky ountain uplift& 8ressure from inside the 3arth 3 million
pushed up the 6ocky ountains. years ago
$<. 6io -rande 6ift& !he 3arthOs crust began to pull apart. !his
caused a huge canyon five miles deep to form from %olorado ! million
to e9ico that is filled today with sediment from the Sangre de years ago
%risto ountains. 1t is still spreading two centimeters per year,
which is about the size of the length of your thumbnail.
$;. %amels& !hey lived in the valley west of the Sangre de 4# million
%risto ountains with larger horses and giant bison. years ago
$:. astodon& '#S!0o0don+ # huge, stocky elephant that 4# million
had long hair and browsed on tree leaves in the hills. years ago
$*. Shield volcanoes erupted west of Kuesta& !he lava ! million
flowed down to %hamita, forming the cap rock of esa 8rieta. years ago
$E. Smilodon 'S530loh0don+ !his large saber0toothed cat 1)6 million
hunted megafauna 'large 8leistocene animals+ years ago
$/. Boolly mammoths& !heir long hair kept these huge 1)6 million
elephants warm during the 1ce #ge and they grazed on grass. years ago
(.. Iemez volcano erupted& !his created the Lalles %aldera. 1)3 million
1t was ,. times larger than ount St. =elens and sent years ago
volcanic ash as far as Mansas.
(,. 6io -rande began to flow& !his new river followed 4#,
the 6io -rande 6ift, creating the 3spaNola Lalley. years ago
($. 8aleo01ndians& !he first people to live in Dew e9ico were 1!,
nomads who hunted large 1ce #ge mammals and gathered years ago
berries, seeds and roots.
7nit ( 0 ,,
((. 4ast 1ce #ge ended& any of the megafauna went e9tinct in 1,
Dew e9ico, including the horse, the camel and the mammoth. years ago
Name 6666666666666666666666 Date 6666666666666
U%it 33 H1 Old is Old?
HOW OLD IS OLD? Stude%t "ctivit! S$eet
7sing the Earth History Timeline student information sheet and your math
skills, figure out the answers to these >uestions&
,. =ow long did it take for life to begin on 3arth@ GGGGGGGG
$. =ow long did the age of dinosaurs last@ GGGGGGGG
(. =ow long ago did amphibians move onto land@ GGGGGGGG
<. Aid people live during the time of dinosaurs@ 7sing the timeline,
how do you know@ GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
;. Aid people live during the time of the ice age@ =ow do you know@
66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
6666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
:. Aid %oelophysis eat flowers@ =ow do
you know@
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
7nit ( 0 ,$
GGGGGGGGGGGGG666666666666666666666
6666666666666666666666666666666666
6666666666666666666666666666666666
*. =ow long ago did the dinosaurs go e9tinct@ GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
E. Aid the first
amphibians
eat insects@
Bhy or why not?
66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
66666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666

/. Bhat large predator hunted
Seismosaurus@ =ow do you know@ GGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
,.. Bas Aimetrodon a dinosaur@ =ow do you know@

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
7nit ( 0 ,(
6666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666666
U%it 33 H1 Old is Old?
Directi%s 0r Ma,i%g a /elgic Timeli%e
aterials&
, large wooden rolling pin
,.. feet of clothes line or light rope
,$ inches of yarn
, roll of , inch clear tape
, package of sticky long labels
, black marker
, tape measure ' at least $; feet+
$ discs ( ,F$P in diameter, of corrugated plastic or cardboard,
perforated to fit over the ends of the rolling pin
-orilla -lue or other strong adhesive
8rocedure&
,. %ut holes in plastic or cardboard discs to fit on rolling pin handles.
7sing strong glue, adhere a disc to each end of roller. #llow to cure.
$. !ape one end of the rope to the middle of the rolling pin with strong
tape. !ape the yarn onto the other end of the rope.
(. 4ay out the rope straight in a gym or hallway.
<. 2egin at the rolling pin end. "old a label onto the rope near the rolling
pin. Bith the marker write numeral , on the label. %over both sides of
the label with clear tape.
7nit ( 0 ,<
;. Bith the tape measure and the teacher timeline key, measure the rope
to where numeral $ should be placed. D?!3& 5ou will need to make
your timeline divisions appro9imate because of the length of time the
early periods take up.
!o reflect reality on a ,.. ft. long rope representing a total of <.:
billion years, (.; billion year ago 'event $0 blue green algae+
should occur at the $< ft. mark. 3vent (, fish at ;.. million years
ago, should occur at ,( feet. 3vent <, first plants at <<. million
years ago, should occur at ; feet. !his leaves you with only five
feet in which to fit the other ,* events. !his is patently
impracticable.
Be suggest that you put the (.; billion year mark 'event $+ at ;.
feet, event ( at <. feet and event < at (. feet. "it in events ;0,;
proportionally along the rest of the rope. 3vents ,:0$, will be put
onto the section of yarn at the end.
:. %reate more numbered labels, up to $,.
*. #ttach a label at each event year, proportionally.
E. Bhen you reach the yarn, the scale changes so that those numbers
which should be very close together, are able to be seen. 2e sure to
e9plain to students that the time is Pstretched outP for events ,: 0 $,.
1n the ,. foot scale these would otherwise be clustered on top of each
other.
/. !o store the timeline for future use, carefully roll the rope onto the
rolling pin and tape the end down. 1t is best stored in its own
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protective bo9.
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