Timeline: How Long Ago Was The Last Glacial Maximum?
Provided by: Paleontological Research Institution|Published on: August 15, 2024|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: K, 2, 3, 4, 5
Type: Activity - Outdoors
Subjects: Science, Social Studies
Authors: Paleontological Research Institution
Location: Earth, North America > United States > New York
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this activity, students will use a rope to represent time over the last 20,000 years, discussing the last glacial maximum and measuring 20,000 years on the timeline using a scale of one inch for every ten years.
- The background information is for New York State, but this activity is widely applicable.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This activity is a hands-on way of exploring timelines and scales that kinesthetic learners will love.
- The instructions have excellent suggestions for extending learning, including all students, and adapting the activity.
Prerequisites
- Teachers will need 60 yards of rope and a space big enough to accommodate the rope.
- Students will need to know how to measure half-inches and inches.
Differentiation & Implementation
- The resource includes a few math extensions for older students to calculate based on the scale of the timeline.
- After discussing the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica, students can further explore the impact of climate change on glacial melting, sea level rise, and the albedo effect.
- To practice creative writing, students can write a narrative to describe what the earth was like 20,000 years ago based on what they already know.
This resource uses a rope activity to explain geologic time scales. The text and instructions are clear, and the included ice drawing clearly shows the difference between ice sheets and other forms of ice. The discussion of the time-scale of warming since the last ice age as compared to anthropogenic climate change is enlightening. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
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