My Science Box

Getting Ready

1. Make photocopies of the Geologic Time Scale.
2. Cut adding tape into 54 cm long strips, enough for one per student with a few extras for mess-ups.
3. Cut one strip of adding tape 4.6 meters long to show all 4 eons. On this strip, measure off the first 54 cm to represent the Phanerozoic eon, the next 2 meters to represent the Paleozoic eon, the next 1.3 meters to represent the Archean eon, and the last 80 cm represents the Hadean eon. Label each section accordingly. Roll the strip up again so that the most recent events are on the outside of the roll (start rolling from the Hadean eon end) and secure with a rubber band or paper clip.
4. On the board, draw a line across its entire length. Label the left end “The Earth and solar system form”. Label the right end “Today”. Below this write “Draw an arrow on the timeline where you think dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Draw a dot on the timeline where you think humans first appeared.”
5. Measure the line across the board and approximate where the Mesozoic era would be (65-250 mya = dinosaurs) and where the Neogene period began (23 mya = first hominids). Don’t label these places, just remember where they are approximately for later in the class.