Senior High School

Earth Science
First Semester - Quarter 2
Earth’s History: Geologic Time Scale
S11ES-IIj-39
Earth Science – Grade 11
Alternative Delivery Mode
First Semester - Quarter 2 - Earth’s History: Geologic Time Scale
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education - Region III

Secretary : Leonor M Briones
Undersecretary : Diosdado M. San Antonio

Development Team of the Module

Author: Donato C. Libunao, Jr.

Language Reviewer: Joselito G. Milan
Content Editor: Marciano V. Cruz, Jr.
Cherilyn R. Goyena, PhD
Illustrator: Donato C. Libunao, Jr.
Layout Artist: Donato C. Libunao, Jr.
Management Team
Gregorio C. Quinto, Jr., EdD
Chief, Curriculum Implementation Division
Rainelda M. Blanco, PhD
Education Program Supervisor - LRMDS
Agnes R. Bernardo, PhD
EPS-Division ADM Coordinator
Marinella P. Garcia Sy, PhD
EPS – Science
Glenda S. Constantino
Project Development Officer II
Joannarie C. Gracia
Librarian II

Department of Education, Schools Division of Bulacan

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Email address: [email protected]
 Senior High School

Earth Science
First Semester - Quarter 2
Earth’s History: Geologic Time Scale
S11ES-IIj-39
 Introductory Message
For the facilitator:
Welcome to the Earth Science Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Earth’s History:
Geologic Time Scale.

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by educators from
public institutions to assist you, the teacher or facilitator, in helping the learners meet the
standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum while overcoming their personal, social, and
economic constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent learning
activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help learners acquire
the needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration their needs and
circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of the
module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that will
help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator, you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module. You also
need to keep track of the learners’ progress while allowing them to manage their own
learning. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist the learners as they do
the tasks included in the module.

For the learner:

Welcome to the Earth Science Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Earth’s History:
Geologic Time Scale.
This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities for guided
and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be enabled to process the
contents of the learning resource while being an active learner.
This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

This will give you an idea of the skills or

What I Need to Know competencies you are expected to learn in the
module.

This part includes an activity that aims to check

what you already know about the lesson to take. If
What I Know
you get all the answers correct (100%), you may
decide to skip this module.

1
 This is a brief drill or review to help you link the
What’s In
current lesson with the previous one.

In this portion, the new lesson will be introduced to

What’s New you in various ways; a story, a song, a poem, a
problem opener, an activity or a situation.
This section provides a brief discussion of the
What is It lesson. This aims to help you discover and
understand new concepts and skills.
This comprises activities for independent practice to
solidify your understanding and skills of the topic.
What’s More
You may check the answers to the exercises using
the Answer Key at the end of the module.
This includes questions or blank sentence/
What I Have Learned paragraph to be filled in to process what you learned
from the lesson.
This section provides an activity which will help you
What Can I Do transfer your new knowledge or skill into real life
situations or concerns.

This is a task which aims to evaluate your level of

Assessment
mastery in achieving the learning competency.

In this portion, another activity will be given to you to

Additional Activities
enrich your knowledge or skill of the lesson learned.

Answer Key This contains answers to all activities in the module.

At the end of this module you will also find:

References - This is a list of all sources used in developing this module.
The following are some reminders in using this module:
1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of the
module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not hesitate to
consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are not alone.
We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning and gain deep
understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!
2
 What I Need to Know

This module provides a variety of learning activities that will help you
describe the history of the earth through geologic time. It will also help you
understand the development of Earth through the significant events in each
geologic time subdivisions.

At the end of the module, you are expected to:

 identify the different time subdivisions of the Earth’s geologic time;

 enumerate significant events during each time subdivision;

 understand the development of primitive Earth and its plant and animal
species; and

 appreciate the vast history of the Earth

What I Know

Directions: Read each question carefully. Choose the letter that corresponds
to the BEST answer from the given options. Write your answers on the space
provided before every number.

_____ 1. The Earth’s history is so immense that geologists decided to divide it

into several time subdivisions. Which of the following time interval is
considered to be the largest?

a. Era b. period c. eon d. epoch

_____ 2. It is said that the age of the Earth is approximately ___________.

a. 1-2 billion years old c. 4 billion years old

b. 3 billion years old d. greater than 5 billion years

_____ 3. Which of the following has been the basis for identifying the age of the
Earth?

a. Radioactive isotopic dating of rocks

b. Radioactive isotopic dating of meteorites

c. Radioactive isotopic dating of dinosaur bones

d. Approximation from observation of oldest rock strata

3
_____ 4. A German Geologist who made one of the first attempts to subdivide rock
records to units of time such as Primary, Secondary, Tertiary and Quaternary.

a. Arthur Holmes c. Nicholas Steno

b. Abraham Gottlob Werner d. William Smith

_____ 5. Early life forms of earth have most likely adapted to anoxic conditions. This
statement implies that life forms strived in an environment with ______________.

a. no freshwater c. atmosphere filled with nitrogen

b. limited sunlight penetration d. very limited amount of oxygen

_____ 6. The history of the Earth is recorded in rocks but the rock record is inherently
incomplete. What is the reason behind this?

a. Some of the geologic events do not leave a record.

b. Some evidences from geologic events are not preserved

c. Some of the rock record may have also been lost through the recycling of
rock

d. All of the above

_____ 7. Which among the following geologic time subdivision stood the longest?

a. Pre Cambrian c. Mesozoic

b. Paleozoic d. Cenozoic

_____ 8. Which of the following eons of the geologic is characterized by chaotic events
such as meteorite bombardment?

a. Hadean c. Proterozoic

b. Archaean d. Phanerozoic

_____ 9. The formation of the Earth’s protective ozone layer occurred during which
particular eon in the geologic time scale?

a. Hadean c. Proterozoic

b. Archaean d. Phanerozoic

_____ 10. Which of the time division of the geologic time scale is also called as the
“age of the ancient life”?

a. Pre Cambrian c. Mesozoic

b. Paleozoic d. Cenozoic

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_____ 11. The following are periods under the Mesozoic Era EXCEPT

a. Cretaceous c. Jurassic

b. Permian d. Triassic

_____ 12. Which of the following periods under the Paleozoic Era is marked by the
appearance of air-breathing scorpions and millipedes?

a. Silurian Period c. Devonian Period

b. Ordovician Period d. Carboniferous Period

_____ 13. Which of the following is a significant event under the Cambrian Period of
the Paleozoic Era?

a. The appearance of the jawless fish

b. Flourishing of vegetation and forests

c. The appearance of the first amphibians

d. Development of organisms having the ability of shell formation

_____ 14. The dominance of the reptiles was evident in which particular time division of
the geologic time scale?

a. Pre-Cambrian Time c. Mesozoic Era

b. Paleozoic Era d. Cenozoic Era

_____ 15. The age of mammals occurred after the extinction of dinosaurs. This time
division is known as the ______________.

a. Pre-Cambrian Time c. Mesozoic Era

b. Paleozoic Era d. Cenozoic Era

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 What’s In

In the previous lesson, you have learned how important index fossils are in deter-
mining the different time divisions of the geologic time scale and describing events in
these time intervals. These knowledge will be of great benefit in understanding new topic
for this module.

To ensure maximum retention from previous lesson, try to answer the following
questions from the previous module.

Directions: Identify the missing word that corresponds to the given description by
rearranging the letters given below. Write your answers on the space provided.

1. L S F O S I

Number of letters: 6
Description: Defined as preserved remains of plants and animals.
Answer _____________________________________________________________

2. R P A O R I T Y

H S T B G A I O

Number of letters: 15
Description: A sub-discipline of stratigraphy which deals with the use of fossils in cor-
relation and establishing the relative ages of rocks.
Answer _____________________________________________________________

3. L S N E S I

I D F O X B

Number of letters: 11
Description: This is also called marker fossil and is used to define a specific period in
the geologic time.
Answer _____________________________________________________________

4. L S N E S I

I D F O X B

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 Number of letters: 11
Description: This is a type of fossilization that serves as indirect evidence of prehistoric
life such as traces of footprints, holes on petrified woods etc.
Answer _____________________________________________________________

5. E T I R E R

N M A D Y S

Number of letters: 11
Description: The type of rock where fossils are being deposited.
Answer _____________________________________________________________

In the previous lesson, you have learned that fossils are used to define time
units of the geologic time. It is also used to determine certain conditions like the type of
environment/climate and the present plants and animals of the time division that they
represent.

Your knowledge from the previous lesson will be significant in understanding

this module. Now, let us proceed to the next part of this module.

What’s New

The Earth has an immense history of billions of years far before the existence
of humans. Geologists and scientists have found their way of studying the primitive
Earth and the early life forms. One of the major description of it was called the
Geologic Time Scale.

Geologic Time Scale is also referred to as the timeline of the history of the
Earth. It is primarily based on radioactive isotopic dating records of rocks. The geologic
time is divided into different time intervals. The largest among these time intervals is
the eon, followed by era, period, and epoch respectively. The transition from one
subdivision to another is dictated by several significant events such as flourishing of
different species and even mass extinction.

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 Let us now try to arrange these major geologic time subdivisions from the oldest to
the youngest.
Directions: Put the names of the major geologic time subdivisions in the ladder.
Arrange them in order from oldest to youngest. Choose from the boxes below.

Pre-Cambrian
Mesozoic Era Paleozoic Era Cenozoic Era
Time

MODERN

PRIMITIVE

You are probably correct if you arranged the ladder in this order (from bottom to
top of the ladder); Pre Cambrian Time, Paleozoic Era, Mesozoic Era and Cenozoic Era.
Now let us try to understand more about the Earth’s history by answering the next
activity.
Directions: Observe the illustrations shown below.

Figure 1. Pictures showing comparison between primitive and modern Earth.

8
 How can you describe the pictures? How do these pictures differ from each
another? What are the similarities shared by the two pictures?

The two illustrations show the comparison between the primitive and the modern
Earth. The illustration also depicts how the terrain changes as well the flourishing of
earth’s flora and fauna (plant and animals). This shows that the primitive earth has
certain conditions that limit the animal species. Only those species who can survive
extreme conditions and the lack of oxygen were able to strive during the ancient times.
As time progresses, photosynthetic organisms helped increase the oxygen level in the
atmosphere, thus allowing more complex oxygen-dependent plant and animal species
to evolve from simple unicellular organisms.

EARTH’S
HISTORY Geologic Time Scale

What is It

The planet Earth holds billions of years of history starting from the moment
it was formed. With this great figure, it will be quite difficult to describe the entirety of
Earth’s immense history. That’s why it will be a lot easier for us to understand the
history of the Earth if we divide it into several portions and segments. The
chronology of events from the past was shown in the Earth’s timeline commonly
called as the Geologic Time Scale.

It is said that the Earth is approximately

4.6 billion years old. This figure is based on the
radioisotopic dating of meteorites. Radioisotopic
dating also called radiometric dating, is a
method of determining the age of fossils and rocks
by comparing the ratio of radioactive isotopes
present in it to its decay product, also taking into
consideration the half-life value (time required for
an isotope to lose half of its radioactivity) of the
Figure 2. A specie of a Pre-
isotope. historic fish

The history of the Earth is recorded in rocks but the rock record is inherently
incomplete. Some ‘events’ do not leave a record or are not preserved. Some of the
rock record may have also been lost through the recycling of rocks (rock cycle). The
oldest known fossils are simple single-celled organisms found in rocks that are 3.8

9
billion years old. The first multi-cellular organism evolved around 600 million years ago.

GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE

The Geologic Time Scale is the timeline of the history of the Earth. It is divided into
different time intervals. The largest of which is the eon, followed by era, period and
epoch respectively. Each time subdivision marks different significant events.

The figure below shows the different time subdivisions of the Geologic Time Scale.

Figure 3. The Geologic Time Scale Timeline

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 Some personalities who contributed in the development of the Geologic Time
Scale

Nicholas Steno (1638-1686)

He is one of the first to recognize the correspondence
between rocks and time. He proposed the principles of
superposition, original horizontality, lateral continuity and
cross-cutting relationships which are collectively called the
steno principles and became the foundation of stratigraphy.

Figure 4. Nicholas Steno

Abraham Gottlob Werner (1749-1817)

He is considered as the Father of German Geology and is the
proponent of Neptunism. An idea stating that all of the Earth’s
rocks were formed from an all-encompassing ocean. He also
made one of the earliest attempts to subdivide the rock record
into units of time. He applied the Principle of Superposition and
was able to divide rock record into rock-time units namely pri-
mary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary arranged from oldest
to youngest.
Figure 5. Abraham Werner

William ‘Strata’ Smith (1769-1839)

While working in a coal mine, he observed that each layer
or strata of sedimentary rock contains a distinct
assemblage of fossils, which can be used to establish
equivalence (correlation) between rock units separated by
long distances. Moreover, he observed that these fossils
succeed each other vertically in a
definite order.
Figure 6. William Smith

Charles Lyell (1797-1875)

In contrast to William Smith, who primarily used fossils to
identify rock layers, Charles Lyell (1797-1875), a British lawyer
and geologist, recognized the utility of fossils in subdividing
geologic time on the basis of fossils. He was able to subdivide
the tertiary by examining the proportion of living vs. extinct
fossils in the rocks.
Figure 7. Charles Lyell
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Related terminologies:

Biostratigraphy - is a sub-discipline of stratigraphy, which deals with the use of fossils

in the correlation and establishments of the relative ages of rocks.

Index fossils - are marker fossils used to define periods of geologic time. Ideally, index
fossils are distinctive (can easily be identified and distinguished from other fossils),
widespread (distribution is not confined to a few locality), and have limited geologic time
range.

GEOLOGIC TIME DIVISIONS – MAJOR EVENTS IN

THE EARTH’S PAST

The Precambrian Time

This time division is also called Cryptozoic Era sometimes called the eon of hidden
life due to lack of records showing life. Why do you think was there very little record of
life during this time?

The Earth’s primitive atmosphere contains traces of oxygen only but is rich with water
vapour. Gases from the primitive atmosphere was brought by volcanic eruptions.
Photosynthetic microorganisms helped slowly increase oxygen concentration in the
atmosphere and led to the formation of the protective ozone layer, thus providing a more
favourable condition for living.

Hadean Eon (4.56 - 3.8 Ga)

 From “Haedes”, Greek god of the
underworld
 Chaotic time because of several
meteorite bombardment
 Atmosphere reduction (methane,
ammonia, carbon dioxide)
 Start of the hydrologic cycle and
the formation of the world oceans
 Life emerged in this “hostile”
environment
Figure 8. The picture depicts the chaotic
environment during the Hadean Eon .

12
Archean Eon (3.8 - 2.5 Ga)
Anaerobic (lack of oxygen)

 No ozone

 Photosynthetic prokaryotes (blue green algae) emerged and started releasing

oxygen to the atmosphere.
 Life forms are still limited to single-celled organisms without nuclei (prokaryotes)
until 2.7 Ga when Eukaryotes emerged.
Proterozoic Eon (2.5 Ga - 540 Ma)
 Oxygen level reaches ~3% of the atmosphere

 Rise of multicellular organisms represented by the Vendian fauna

 Formation of the protective ozone layer

Phanerozoic Eon (540 Ma - present)

 Eon of “visible life”

 Diversification of life

 Many life forms are represented in fossil records (with preservable hard parts).
Reference: Commission on Higher Education in collaboration with Philippine Normal University Earth
Science (Manila: Commission on Higher Education, 2016), 346-347.

Paleozoic Era (540 - 245 Ma)

This era is also called the “age of the ancient life”. This era lasted to about 300 million
years. In this particular era, the flourishing of marine life begun. It is divided into six major
periods.

 Cambrian Period – In this period variety of

marine organisms came into existence. One of
the major event from this period is the
development of organisms having the ability to
form shells through the secretion of calcium
carbonate and calcium phosphate.

 Ordovician Period – This period was best

known for its marine invertebrates. This period
also marks the earliest appearance of the
jawless fish known as the agnatha. It is also
Figure 9. The jawless fish—
marked by the appearance of first vertebrates.
agnatha

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  Silurian Period – This period brought
about the emergence of terrestrial life. This
period is also known for the development of
plants with well-structured vascular system.
Some of the common organisms during this
period are the air-breathing scorpions and
millipedes.

 Devonian Period – This period is known

as the “age of fishes”. The Devonian
Period was a time of extensive reef building Figure 10. Air-breathing scorpions from
in the shallow water. Cartilaginous fish such the Silurian Period of Paleozoic Era
as sharks and rays were common by the
late Devonian. Amphibians made their appearance during this period.

 Carboniferous Period – The climate during this period was described to be tropical
and humid. The plant life during this period resembles the plants that live in tropical
and mildly temperate areas today. Rapid evolution and diversification of insects
begun leading to the appearance of giant cockroaches and dragonflies.

 Permian Period – The environment during this period was well-suited for reptiles.
During this period the two groups of reptiles dominated the earth. These are the
diapsids (a group of amniote tetrapods reptiles that gave rise to dinosaurs) and
synapsids (a group of large terrestrial vertebrates which is the major group of reptiles
that gave rise to mammals).

Other significant events during this era includes:

Rapid diversification of life as represented by the Cambrian fauna

Dominance of marine invertebrates

Plants colonize land by 480 Ma

Animals colonize land by 450 Ma

Oxygen level in the atmosphere approaches present day concentration

Massive extinction at the end (end of Permian extinction)

Reference: Commission on Higher Education in collaboration with Philippine Normal University

Earth Science (Manila: Commission on Higher Education, 2016), 346-347.

Mesozoic Era (245 - 65 Ma)

During the Mesozoic, or "Middle Life" Era, life diversified rapidly and giant reptiles, dinosaurs
and other monstrous beasts roamed the Earth. The period, which spans from about 252 million

14
years ago to about 66 million years ago,
was also known as the age of reptiles or the
age of dinosaurs. It is divided into three
major periods namely; Jurassic, Triassic
and Cretaceous. (Ghose, Tia. 2015.
“Mesozoic Era: Age of the Dinosaurs.” Live
Science, January 8, 2015)

A famous Jurassic deposit is the

Morrison Formation. It is a distinctive
sequence of Upper Jurassic sedimentary Figure 11. The Mesozoic Era was a period
rock found in the western United States known for the dominance of giant reptiles called
dinosaurs.
which has been the most fertile source of
dinosaur fossils in North America. (Foster, J. 2007. “Jurassic West: The Dinosaurs of the
Morrison Formation and Their World.” Indiana University Press. 389pp.)

This period also marks the rapid spread of true pines and redwoods. The appearance
of flowering plants during this period hastens the evolution of insects.

Other significant events during this period

includes:

Pangaea starts to break-apart by 200 MA

Early mammals (220 Ma)

First birds (150 Ma)

First flowering plants (130 Ma)

Mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous

Figure 12. The supercontinent Pangaea
started to broke-off during the Mesozoic (65 Ma)
Era.

Cenozoic Era (65 Ma - present)

This era is known as the “age of mammals” or the “age of recent life” because of the
dominance of mammals upon the extinction of dinosaurs at the end of Mesozoic Era. It is
also sometimes called the “age of flowering plants” because angiosperms replaced
gymnosperms as the dominant land plants.

15
 This era is divided into two periods
and seven epochs. The first period is
the Tertiary Period which is divided into
five epochs namely; Palaeocene,
Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene and
Pliocene. The other period is called the
Quaternary period and is divided into
two epochs, the Pleistocene and the
Holocene.

Temperature during this era

dropped leading to the ice age. Also
during this period, sea water level
lowered resulting to the formation of Figure 13. The first hominids made their first
appearance during the Cenozoic Era.
land bridges that enabled human
migration.

Other significant events during this period

includes:

 Radiation of modern birds

 Early primates (60 Ma)

 Continents near present-day positions (40

Ma)

 First hominids (5.2 Ma)

 Modern humans (0.2 Ma)

 Global ice ages begin (2 Ma)

Figure 14. Early forms of marine life

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 What’s More

INDEPENDENT ACTIVITY 1 : CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Directions: Complete the crossword puzzle by filling it with the words

related to the topic. Clues are given below. Write your answers in capital
letters.
1 2

3 4

5 6
7

8
9

10

Note: You may use pencil first to avoid too much erasure.

CLUES

Horizontal

1. The process by which organisms manufacture their own food through the help of sunlight
and carbon dioxide. This is also a process that helped increase the oxygen level in the
primitive atmosphere.

3. A period under the Paleozoic era which marked the earliest appearance of vertebrates.

5. One of the two group of reptiles existed during the Paleozoic era which is believed to
give rise to modern mammals.

7. The name of the supercontinent that started to broke apart during the Mesozoic era.

9. A period under Mesozoic era which ended through the mass extinction of dinosaurs.

10. A period under Paleozoic era when the dominance of two major groups of reptiles
started.

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Vertical

2. A name given to the large colony of primitive photosynthetic organisms that helped
increased oxygen level in the atmosphere.

4. Name of a primitive creature existed during the paleozoic era and is described as the
“jawless fish”

6. A period under Paleozoic era described as the “age of fishes” and when amphibians
made their appearance.

8. A period under Mesozoic era marked by the earliest existence and appearance of
dinosaurs.

INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT 1 : MODIFIED TRUE OR FALSE

Directions: Write TRUE if the statement is correct. If the statement is

incorrect, write FALSE on the first line and the word/s that must replace the italicized word
to make the statement correct on the second line. Write your answers on the space
provided before every number.

_______________ 1. Relative dating of meteorites enabled scientists and geologists to

_______________ identify the age of the Earth.

_______________ 2. In the four hierarchical intervals used in the geologic time scale,
_______________ period is considered the smallest.

_______________ 3. The Geologic Time Scale is divided into three major eons.

_______________

_______________4. Groups of photosynthesizing microorganisms like the stromatolites

_______________ helped increased the oxygen concentration in the primitive

atmosphere.
_______________ 5. The Earth’s protective ozone layer was formed during the Proterozoic
_______________ Eon.

_______________ 6. The marine invertebrates started to dominate during the early

_______________ Mesozoic Era.

_______________ 7. Early primates and mammals started to dominate during the

_______________ Cenozoic Era after the extinction of dinosaurs.

18
_______________8. Organisms having the ability of shell formation first appeared during

_______________ the Devonian Period of Paleozoic Era.

_______________ 9. Fossils or the preserved remains of organisms from the past helped

_______________ geologist and scientist to describe certain conditions from the

primitive Earth.

_______________ 10. The Geologic Time Scale is used to describe major events and

_______________ transition from one time subdivision to another.

INDEPENDENT ACTIVITY 2 : LOOP-A-WORD

Directions: Find the words that correspond to the descriptions on the

table below. Loop/encircle/line/highlight the words that you find. Write the words on the
space provided beside their descriptions.

Note: Do it as legibly as possible. If you prefer to highlight the words, use light-coloured
highlighters. Descriptors are located on the next page.

P A L E T I V M Y C V R W Q A
A E D K E R T U P Y L O B X A
P H R T R E E S A A P L M E O
S X I I V O I C L E A S E F T
Y R O A O I E D E S R C S I R
E H K V E D O F O I C D O A O
B E F O E D S U Z N H D Z I S
V J G E R T G N O I A L O L A
N M M E T E O R I T E Y I U P
B I T A K E K Z C C A E C E R
S Y M D N R M I C I N S N A O
E A L F C O M O S I G I B S T
M Y O L N E Z B N D C N L E E
T R C E N O Z O I C S S E L R
S U T F R T H I S C E H A D O
J A C E O I S E H A D E A N Z
T R E C A T R E I P N K S I O
A C V E P O C H S U O A S T I
B O U R P H A N E R O Z O I C
A Y T S I A E L P S E G A W I

19
 WORDS DEFINITION / DESCRIPTION
The smallest of the time intervals used in the
1.
geologic time scale
The second smallest in the hierarchical time
2.
intervals used in the geologic time scale
The age of the earth was determined by the
3.
radioactive isotopic dating of this material.
An eon marked by the rise of multicellular
4. organisms represented by the Vendian fauna and
the formation of the protective ozone layer.
An eon described to have lack of oxygen and the
5.
absence of ozone.
An eon named after the Greek god of the
6. underworld and is marked by the formation of the
world’s ocean
7. Also called as the “eon of visible life”
8. Also called as the age of “ancient life”
An era also known as the age of reptiles and
9.
dinosaurs.
Known as the era of the dominance of mammals
10.
and the appearance of early primates.

INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT 2 : “THE RIGHT TIME”

Directions: Identify whether the following situations occurred during Paleozoic Era,
Mesozoic Era or Cenozoic Era. Write PE for Paleozoic Era, ME for Mesozoic Era and CE
for Cenozoic Era. Write your answers on the space provided before every number.
_____ 6. First flowering plants and birds
_____ 1. Dominance of dinosaurs
appeared
_____ 2. Existence of early primates _____ 7. Beginning of the global ice age

_____ 3. Appearance of first hominids _____ 8. Dominance of marine invertebrates

_____ 4. Rapid diversification of insects and _____ 9. Occurrence of the largest mass
the existence of giant cockroaches and extinction

_____ 5. Formation of the supercontinent _____ 10. Breaking-off of the supercontinent

Pangaea Pangaea begun

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 INDEPENDENT ACTIVITY 3 : MATCHING TYPE

Directions: Match Column A which contains the words with Column B

which contains the descriptors. Choose the letter that corresponds to the correct descriptor.
Write your answers on the space provided before every number.

COLUMN A COLUMN B

_____ 1. Radiometric Dating A. The era of the ancient life

B. This is a group of amniote tetrapods reptiles that
_____ 2. Index Fossils
gave rise to dinosaurs.

C. It is a distinctive sequence of Upper Jurassic

sedimentary rock found in the western United States
_____ 3. Diapsid
which has been the most fertile source of dinosaur
fossils in North America.

D. A method of determining the age of a rock or a

fossil by comparing the amount of a certain
_____ 4. Synapsid
radioactive isotope (with specific half-life value) to its
decay material.

_____ 5. Morrison Formation E. It is also called as the era of the recent life.
F. A period under Paleozoic Era that marks the
_____ 6. Devonian Period
appearance of the jawless fish called agnatha.
G. A group of large terrestrial vertebrates that
_____ 7. Ordovician Period appeared during the Permian period and is the major
group of reptiles that gave rise to mammals

_____ 8. Paleozoic Era H. The era of the dinosaurs

_____ 9. Cenozoic Era I. The period known as the “age of fishes”

J. These are marker fossils used to define periods of

_____ 10. Mesozoic Era
Geologic Time.

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 INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT 3 : SEQUENCING OF EVENTS

Directions: Arrange the given events in their proper sequence. Write A

for the oldest and J for the youngest. Write your answers on the space provided before
every number.

_____ 1. Mass extinction of dinosaurs

_____ 2. The age of fishes

_____ 3. Earliest appearance of vertebrates

_____ 4. Dominance of reptiles and dinosaurs

_____ 5. Emergence of earliest primates

_____ 6. Existence of first hominids

_____ 7. Existence of photosynthesizing bacteria

_____ 8. Development of marine organisms with shells

_____ 9. Emergence of terrestrial plants with well-developed vascular system

_____ 10. Diversification of giant cockroaches and dragonflies

What I Have Learned

Directions: Having gone through all the activities, let us see how well you
understand the lesson by summarizing the history of the Earth in not more than 8
sentences. Write your thoughts below. See attached rubric for scoring on the next page.

22
 SCORING RUBRICS FOR SHORT ESSAY

CRITERIA PERFORMANCE INDICATORS POINTS

Content Provided pieces of evidence, supporting 6 points

details, and factual scenarios
Grammar Used correct grammar, punctuation, 2 points
spelling, and capitalization

Organization Expressed the points in clear and logical 2 points

of Ideas arrangement of ideas in the paragraph

Directions: Part 1. Look around and observe. On the space provided below, list down
and enumerate the things that greatly changed in terms of physical features and wildlife
over the course of the Earth’s history. Describe the change and explain your thoughts
briefly.

Part 2. In three to four sentences, cite some simple ways that you as a youth and as
an individual can do to ensure that there will still be a good Earth environment for the
transition of the future generation, especially for the Filipino people.

Note: The same scoring rubric will be used for scoring this part of the module. See attached
rubric above.

23
 Assessment

PART 1 Directions: Read each question carefully. Choose the letter that corresponds
to the BEST answer from the given options. Write your answers on the space provided
before every number.

_____ 1. He is called as the Father of German Geology and is the proponent of Neptunism.

a. Nicholas Steno c. William “Strata” Smith

b. Abraham Gottlob Werner d. Charles Lyell

_____ 2. Which of the following event occurred during the Mesozoic era?

a. Formation of Pangaea c. Dominance of marine invertebrates

b. Splitting of Pangaea d. Appearance of first hominids

_____ 3. Which of the following is the division also known as the “age of middle life”?

a. Pre-Cambrian Time b. Paleozoic c. Mesozoic d. Cenozoic

_____ 4. All of the following are periods under Paleozoic era EXCEPT:

a. Ordovician b. Triassic c. Silurian d. Carboniferous

_____ 5. Which of the following is NOT an epoch under the Tertiary Period of the Cenozoic
Era?

a. Paleocene b. Oligocene c. Miocene d. Pleistocene

PART 2 Directions: Write TRUE if the statement is a fact, write FALSE if it’s not. Write
your answers on the space provided before every number.

__________ 1. Eocene is an epoch under the Quaternary Period of Cenozoic Era.

__________ 2. The rise of the two major group of reptiles, diapsids and synapsids,
occurred during the Paleozoic Era.

__________ 3. Relative dating is used in determining the age of fossils.

__________ 4. The Mesozoic Era is also called as the “age of flowering plants”.

__________ 5. Charles Lyell recognized the utility of fossils in subdividing geologic time on
the basis of fossils.

24
Part 3 Directions: Identify the corresponding time division for each event. Check on
the space allocated for each time unit.
Pre Cam-
EVENTS Paleozoic Mesozoic Cenozoic
brian

1. Radiation of modern birds

2. Chaotic time characterized by several meteorite

bombardment

3. Aerobic environment

4. Dominance of marine invertebrates

5. Mass extinction of dinosaurs

Directions: Put the following events in their respective rock tablets of the different
timeline divisions of the geologic time scale.

EVENTS

PRE-CAMBRIAN TIME PALEOZOIC ERA

MESOZOIC ERA CENOZOIC ERA

25
 COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS
You may freely express your thoughts and recommendations regarding this module. Don’t
hesitate! Write it on the space given below.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

26
 27
PRE-TEST WHAT’S IN
1. C 4. B 7. A 10. B 13. D 1. Fossil 4. Trace Fossil
2. C 5. D 8. A 11. B 14. C 2. Biostratigraphy 5. Sedimentary
3. B 6. D 9. C 12. A 15. D 3. Index Fossil
INDEPENDENT ACTIVITY 1
1. Photosynthesis 3. Ordovician 5. Synapsids 7. Pangaea 9. Cretaceous
2. Stromatolites 4. Agnatha 6. Devonian 8. Jurassic 10. Permian
INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT 1
1. False—Radiometric Dating 4. True 7. True 10. True
2. False—epoch 5. True 8. False—Cambrian
3. False—four 6. False—Paleozoic Era 9. True
P A L E T I V M Y C V R W Q A
INDEPENDENT ACTIVITY 2
A E D K E R T U P Y L O B X A
P H R T R E E S A A P L M E O
1. Epoch 5. Arcahean 8. Paleozoic
S X I I V O I C L E A S E F T
Y R O A O I E D E S R C S I R
2. Period 6. Hadean 9. Mesozoic
E H K V E D O F O I C D O A O
3. Meteorite 7. Phanerozoic 10. Cenozoic B E F O E D S U Z N H D Z I S
V J G E R T G N O I A L O L A
4. Proterozoic N M M E T E O R I T E Y I U P
B I T A K E K Z C C A E C E R
S Y M D N R M I C I N S N A O
E A L F C O M O S I G I B S T
INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT 2 M Y O L N E Z B N D C N L E E
T R C E N O Z O I C S S E L R
1. ME 3. CE 5. PE 7. CE 9. ME S U T F R T H I S C E H A D O
J A C E O I S E H A D E A N Z
2. CE 4. PE 6. ME 8. PE 10. ME T R E C A T R E I P N K S I O
A C V E P O C H S U O A S T I
B O U R P H A N E R O Z O I C
A Y T S I A E L P S E G A W I
INDEPENDENT ACTIVITY 3 INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT 3
1. D 3. B 5. C 7. F 9. E 1. H 3. C 5. I 7. A 9. D
2. J 4. G 6. I 8. A 10. H 2. E 4. G 6. J 8. B 10. H
ASSESSMENT ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Pre Cambrian - Aerobic Environment - Atmosphere Reduction
1. B 1. False 1. Cenozoic - Formation of Ozone Layer - Start of Hydrologic Cycle
2. B 2. True 2. Pre Cambrian Paleozoic Era - Appearance of giant cockroaches
3. C 3. False 3. Pre Cambrian - Appearance of agnatha - Dominance of marine invertebrates
4. B 4. False 4. Paleozoic - Domination of diapsids and synapsids
5. D 5. True 5. Mesozoic Mesozoic Era - Splitting of Pangaea - Appearance of first birds
- Dominance of dinosaurs - Mass extinction of dinosaurs
Cenozoic Era - Appearance of first hominids
- Appearance of early primates - Global ice age
- Appearance of modern humans
Answer Key
References

Bagley, Mary. 2014. “Devonian Period: Climate, Animals & Plants.” Live Science, February
22, 2014
Carroll, Robert L. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. New York: W.H. Freeman &
Co. 1988. p. 397.
Commission on Higher Education in collaboration with Philippine Normal University, Earth
Science Teacher’s Guide (Manila: Commission on Higher Education, 2016), 346-
347.
DIWA Senior High School Series, Earth and Life Science. (DIWA Learning System Inc.,
2016), 58-60
Foster, J. 2007. “Jurassic West: The Dinosaurs of the Morrison Formation and Their
World.” Indiana University Press. 389pp.
Ghose, Tia. 2015. “Mesozoic Era: Age of the Dinosaurs.” Live Science, January 8, 2015
Petersen, James F., Robert E. Gabler, Dorothy Sack, Mike Seeds, Dana Backman, Donald
Hyndman, David Hyndman, Cecie Starr, Ralph Taggart, Christine Evers, Lisa Starr.
Earth and Life Sciences (REX Bookstore, n.d.)
Salandanan, Gloria G., Ruben E. Faltado III. Merle B. Lopez. Earth and Life Sciences For
Senior High School. (Quezon City, Metro Manila: LORIMAR Publishing Inc, 2016)
Schoch, Rainier R., Sues, Hans-Dieter "The diapsid origin of turtles". Zoology. 119 (2016)
159–161.

28
 For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:
Department of Education, Schools Division of Bulacan
Curriculum Implementation Division
Learning Resource Management and Development System (LRMDS)
Capitol Compound, Guinhawa St., City of Malolos, Bulacan
Email address: [email protected]