Learning target: I can find the errors in another student's explanation of Earth's history, explain what went wrong in each one, and rewrite the statements so they are accurate.
Dario wrote the text and the timeline below for a hallway exhibit called 'Earth: The Whole Story.' Some of his sentences are correct; most contain an error. Read everything once. Then complete the error table (q1) before you rewrite anything. For each rewrite, do two things: say what went wrong (the misunderstanding, not just 'it is wrong'), and write the corrected sentence in your own words. You may use any worksheet from this chapter.
You will need: This worksheet, Pencil, Calculator, Worksheets 1, 2, 5 and 6 (optional reference)
S1. Earth is about 4.6 billion years old; scientists measured this from the oldest rock ever found on Earth. S2. The Phanerozoic Eon takes up most of the chart on our classroom wall, so it covers most of Earth's history. S3. Volcanoes gave Earth its first atmosphere, which was full of oxygen because volcanoes release oxygen. S4. Scientists decided where to put the boundaries between eras by splitting Earth's history into equal lengths of time. S5. The dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago, and the first humans appeared soon after, so our early ancestors saw the last dinosaurs. S6. The ice age ended 11,700 years ago, which is why there is no ice at the poles today. S7. The same rock layer can be found in canyons far apart because a layer of sediment spreads sideways as a sheet. S8. Every rock layer takes about the same amount of time to form, so a layer that is twice as thick represents twice as much time.
| Correct or error? | What is wrong, in a few words (leave blank if correct) |
|---|---|
| S1 | |
| S2 | |
| S3 | |
| S4 | |
| S5 | |
| S6 | |
| S7 | |
| S8 |
| What is wrong | Corrected entry (date and event) |
|---|---|
| Entry: 3.5 Ga oxygen fills the air | |
| Entry: 539 Ma life begins | |
| Entry: 252 Ma Pangaea breaks apart |
For every rewrite, use three sentences. Move 1, the misunderstanding: 'Dario thinks ___.' Move 2, the evidence: 'But ___ shows ___' (use a number or a fact from the chapter). Move 3, the correction: 'A correct sentence would say: ___.' If you are stuck on where to find the facts, S1 and S2 are in Worksheets 1 and 5, S3 and the timeline are in the presentation, S4 and S8 are in Worksheet 6, and S5 and S6 are in Worksheet 2.
Using your corrected sentences and your corrected timeline, write a 120- to 150-word exhibit panel titled 'Earth: The Whole Story' for a hallway audience of sixth graders. It must include one number that shows how little of Earth's history humans have been part of, one sentence about where the age of Earth comes from, and one sentence about how the boundaries of the time scale are chosen. Then add one 'honest uncertainty' sentence: something about Earth's history that scientists are still working out (for example, exactly when oxygen-producing microbes first appeared).