Prehistoric Times Inquiry

Last week at Open House, I shared an overview of the inquiry process used as a learning tool with the focus being Prehistoric Times this semester. We began with a brainstorming session that included the following questions: How old do you think the Earth is? How did Earth come to be? What were the first forms of life on Earth, and how did they get here? The thought processes of 6- and 7-year-olds continue to amaze me and make me smile. These are the thoughts and ideas our class began with:

*The Earth is 2008 years old since it is the year 2008.
*The Earth is much older than that. It is 5,000 years old.
*I know the Earth is thousands of years old because dinosaurs were alive thousands of years ago.
*Maybe the Earth is 100,000 years old.
*God made the Earth from Heaven.
*The moon was too big and a piece of it broke off and turned into Earth.
*God was lonely, so he made people.
*Adam and Eve were the first people.
*I saw on TV that people came from apes, and if you look closely, we kind of look like apes.
*How could a person come from an ape?
*If God made people, who made God?
*I think dinosaurs were the first animals.
*First came plants, then came animals, then came people.
*Fish and sharks were the first animals.
*Actually, my mom said that all life comes from sponges in the sea and sponges were the first animals.

When I listen to 1st and 2nd graders share their ideas, thoughts, and questions, it often takes me back to my own childhood. Interestingly enough, children of this age often have questions about life and how we all came to be. Each day, I have been reading aloud to the class a child-friendly version of how the Earth began 4.6 billion years ago. While 6- and 7-year-olds are intrigued by such large numbers, it is often difficult to truly fathom the significance of 4.6 billion years. Please continue to read my weekly updates to see how the children will learn how long ago 4.6 billion years actually is!

Posted on September 4, 2008 1:42 PM | Permalink