History 6-12
Dr. Montessori believed in a holistic approach to learning. Holistic learning is presenting knowledge as parts that are interconnected to form a whole; she named this framework Cosmic Education. Traditional education separates this knowledge into parts which requires knowledge in other areas. To introduce children to the universe, Dr. Montessori proposed that we introduce stories to children during the elementary level as backbones for all areas of knowledge. Beginning at age 6, children are introduced to the Five Great Lessons through a series of visuals and impressionistic experiments: the Coming of the Universe and Earth, the Coming of Life on Earth, the Coming of Humans, History of Writing, and History of Numbers.
After hearing the enthralling First Great Story about the universe and the Earth’s formation, children learn about the coming and unfolding of life on Earth. The Second Great Story is based on scientific theories that are widely accepted. The Timeline of Life attempts to show how plants and animals chronologically appeared on Earth. This lesson may take several days to be introduced as it is comprised of many parts: Paleozoic Era, Mesozoic Era, and Cenozoic Era.
Our Timeline of Life is a broad timeline that is used, not only for the Second Great Lesson, but for the entire time spent at the elementary level. At the time of presentation, children are generally introduced to concepts using the power of imagination. The elements comprised in the Timeline are intentionally vaguely disseminated. The intent is to spark a desire to learn more and to show interconnectivity between concepts. We would like to invite you to discover our material, and also learn more about the layout and content of the timeline.
Materials:
Synthetic Paper Version:
Cloth Version:
Paleozoic Era
The Timeline of Life begins with the Paleozoic Era. You will notice that this section is color-coded in blue. Blue represents life in the ocean. In effect, the first living organisms, bacteria, are believed to have appeared in the ocean. The Paleozoic Era consists of the Cambrian Period, the Ordovician Period, the Silurian Period, the Devonian Period, the Carboniferous Period, and the Permian Period. Each of these divisions is marked by a major event such as drifting plates, an abundance of a specific group of animals, an ice age period, or a mass extinction due to drastic climatic changes. One of the major events of the Paleozoic era is the Cambrian explosion and the diversification of marine life. This expansion will end with the mass extinction at the end of the Permian Period, which marks the end of the Paleozoic Era.
To document the Timeline of Life, we offer eighty-four Research Cards with sufficient information to provide an overall impression of the components found on the timeline. The Research Cards also contain dates, scientific terms that are studied in parallel in biology and geology. This content correlation is part of the Cosmic Education mentioned above. For instance, children will read about coral life, vascular plants, coal deposit, mountain formation (Appalachian), or supercontinents (Gondwana, Euramerica.)
Mesozoic Era
Mesozoic means ‘Middle Life’ in Greek. In effect, the Mesozoic Era is the second of the three eras in the Earth’s geological history. The era is divided into three periods: the Triassic Period, the Jurassic period, and the Cretaceous period. Terrestrial life became abundant, thus the brown/orange color signifies the land on the timeline. Dinosaurs are thriving and present in the water, the air, and the land. During the Jurassic Period, Pangea (“All the lands”) separated to form two new regions, Laurasia and Gondwana. The movement of the tectonic plates led to intense volcanic activity and the formation of important features such as mountains. Another mass extinction brought an end to the age of reptiles and the Mesozoic era.
Our Timeline represents the major dinosaurs, first flowering plants, placental mammals, and invertebrates. Forty-one Research Cards are dedicated to the Mesozoic Era.
Cenozoic Era
The name Cenozoic is derived from the Greek meaning ‘recent life.’ The Cenozoic Era (65 million years ago to the present) is the last era of the Earth’s geological history. This era is divided into three periods, and six epochs. An increasing amount of mammals began to arise. A cooler climate allowed for the first grasslands to appear bringing forth a number of large herbivores. Because of the large diversity of insects, birds, fishes, and flowering plants, the Cenozoic era is represented by the green color in association with the abundance of life. The Cenozoic Era saw the final configuration of the continents as we know them today. Finally, early humans made their entrance advancing rapidly due to their physical features and intelligence.
Our Timeline of Life represents major events such as coal deposits, the Rocky and Himalayan mountains, the Great Ice Ages, and many modern forms of living organisms. There are fifty-four Research Cards to support the exploration of the Cenozoic Era.
The use of a timeline ensures that children visualize events in context and in relation to one another. While the hand-drawn graphics leave room for the child’s imagination to soar, the Research Cards provide rich vocabulary and information that spark interest in further research. Our Timeline of Life has been revised and curated by Dr. Spears, and is reflecting current science discoveries and most commonly accepted theories. We hope this post has clearly illustrated the Montessori approach to history which is part of the Cosmic Education prescribed by Dr. Maria Montessori.
