20 The History of the Earth: Supplemental Guide 1A | Our Home, Earth

Note: Introducing the Read-Aloud may have activity options that

exceed the time allocated for this part of the lesson. To remain

within the time periods allocated for this portion of the lesson,

you will need to make conscious choices about which activities to

include based on the needs of your students.

Introducing the Read-Aloud 10 minutes

Domain Introduction 5 minutes

Tell students that this domain is titled “The History of the Earth.”

Review with students that history refers to things that happened

in the past, and Earth is the planet where we live. Explain that

scientists know that the planet Earth has existed for many, many

years. Tell students that many scientists believe the planet Earth is

billions of years old. Explain to students that a billion is a very, very

long number, which means that Earth is very, very old. Emphasize

that scientists are always discovering new things about the earth,

and our universe. The history of the earth tells of the fascinating

things that are or have been a part of the earth since its beginning.

Tell students that they will be learning about rocks and minerals,

fossils, volcanoes, and geysers.

Where Are We? 10 minutes

Show students a globe, and tell them that it is a model, or a small

copy, of the earth. We use models to learn about things that are

too big or too far away to study in the classroom. Tell students

that you will use the globe to help them learn about the earth, the

planet where we live.

Review with students details about where they live. Point to the

appropriate location on the globe as you say the following:

• You live in (your city)


• (Your city) is in the state of (your state)

OOur Home, Earthur Home, Earth

1 A

Yo u

City

State

Country

Continent

Plant

Solar System