Many students in my class do NOT believe me when I tell them that dinosaurs disappeared 62 million years before humans appeared. Maybe they have watched too many B movies with caveman and dinosaurs! Or perhaps Barney and Fred Flintstone have played a role in their skepticism.

Even if they do comprehend the fact that dinosaurs were extinct before humans inhabited the Earth, sixty-two million years is an extremely fuzzy concept for sixth grade students to fathom. (It's probably a fuzzy concept for most adults too. I know I have trouble thinking about that amount of time!)

Here's a terrific timeline activity that really helps my students better visualize the gigantic time span between humans and dinosaurs and is guaranteed to keep the students' attention:

PART 1
When I introduce Unit 2, I ask the question, "What do we know about Early Man." I write the question with a marker on a large sheet of butcher paper which I put on the front board of the classroom. Students discuss this question in small cooperative groups and a recorder in each group writes down their responses.

The class then comes back as a group. Each group tells one "fact" and I record their responses on the butcher paper (cluster or mind map). I write each response on the butcher paper even if I know it to be false. We continue around the room until there are no more responses.

I explain to the class that we are going to study Early Man in the next few weeks to find out if what we know about them is factual and to learn even more. (Note: I use the word "we" because I see myself not only as the teacher, but also as a learner. I learn more about history every year on my own and from my students.)

PART 2
I write the word DINOSAURS on the butcher paper. I ask the students if dinosaurs were on the Earth at the same time as Early Man. I facilitate a short discussion.

I explain to the students that dinosaurs and man did NOT live on Earth at the same time. In fact, they lived millions and millions of years apart. I hold up a picture of a dinosaur with the words, "DINOSAURS-- Extinct 65 million years ago". I also hold up a picture of Early Man which has the words, "EARLY MAN--Appeared 3 million years ago."

I tell them that we are going to do a timeline with special "Scientific Paper" so that they can better understand the amount of years involved. I take the roll of toilet tissue from a bag and announce that this is my "Scientific Paper". (At this point, the students are astonished, involved, and laughing. I wait until they settle down and continue in a serious and professional tone.)

I tear off one square and tell the students that one square represents one million years. I tear off 65 squares and pass out two per student since I have over 30 students in my classroom.

I have the students stand in a line around the room holding the two sheets of tissue paper. (The line circles the room in my classroom. If I want a straight line, I use the playground or our multipurpose room.) I put the card with 1997 at one end of the line. I pin or tape the card or I have a extra student hold it. The class counts back 65 "Scientific Papers" (65,000,000 years) and we place the "DINOSAURS Extinct" sign there. The class counts back 3 "Scientific Papers" (3,000,000 years) from today's date and we place "EARLY MAN Appeared" sign.

I explain to the students that written language has been used for only a relatively short time. I then tear off a tiny piece from the most current tissue paper . I explain that this piece of paper represents all written history. I facilitate a class discussion and then the students write in their Learning Log about what they learned.

FOLLOW-UP
Students could glue the "Scientific Papers" on a long piece of butcher paper for a permanent timeline. They could make a longer timeline to depict when dinosaurs, starfish, and sharks appeared on Earth (See Understanding Chronology on page 87 of the Teachers' Edition). They could also do further research on dinosaurs.

This is a fun activity for both the students and myself. It definitely appeals to 6th grade humor. I feel that it is appropriate because it allows students to visualize an abstract concept in concrete terms that they can understand.

Extensions
Visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum (http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/) Web site. This museum is located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and is the largest museum in the world devoted only to Paleontology. The web page is an excellent resource for information about dinosaurs and other ancient life forms. Students love the graphics from this website. Also, this is a terrific place for students to look for answers to their questions about dinosaurs (no matter how obscure).

The American Museum of Natural History (http://www.amnh.org/) is a world-renowned museum located in New York City. The entire website is outstanding and worth visiting again and again. You should definately visit the special section called Timelines (http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/Fossil_Halls/Timelines/index.html). Here students can travel back electronically to different time periods in the history of the earth to see animals and ecosystems. This contains text and graphics.

Timeliner (TM) 4.0 by Tom Snyder Productions (Mac and PC) is an outstanding computer software program which is suitable for grades K-12. Students (either individually or in groups) can easily design a timeline which will print on banner paper.