Paleozoic Era Teacher Resources

Three eras of the current Phanerozoic geological eon are broken down for your pupils. Biological features of the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras are listed, along with the possible causes of mass extinctions. Plenty of diagrams,...

A somewhat amusing assignment, this worksheet lists statements that an ancient organism may have made and asks learners to determine what geologic era that each may have lived in. It uses witty word puzzles and fill-in-the-blank-style...

Dimetrodon is generally featured in children's books about dinosaurs even though it wasn't a reptile and lived in an earlier era than dinosaurs. The way life developed wasn't as smooth as many people think. The video focuses on the...

Why are there old dinosaur bones in the museum? Because they can't afford new ones! The chapter contains seven hands-on activities at four different levels covering geological eras, dinosaurs, timelines, and statigraphy. 

Here is a straighforward and visually appealing presentation for your middle school earth science pupils. It introduces three types of fossils, relative vs. absolute dating, and the different eras of Earth's history. The eras are further...

In this geological time worksheet, student use a geologic time scale to understand the difference between eons, eras, and periods. Then students complete 2 short answer questions.

In this bellwork learning exercise, students answer questions about the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras. They answer questions about fossils, half life, and radioactive material.

In this earth history worksheet, students answer 12 questions about geological time, the eras of Earth, the changes taking place in early Earth and the life present during the eras. They also answer 2 questions about the Paleozoic Era.

In this early earth history worksheet, students will list 10 events and types of organisms in the order in which they appeared on the Earth, from cyanobacteria to complex organisms. Then students will complete 4 short answer questions...

After reading a passage about geological time and fossil evidence, Earth historians write answers to six questions about what they learned. They are also directed to design a board game that would teach players about the geological time...

Students access prior knowledge to create a chart of eras. In this Paleozoic era lesson, students research the Paleozoic era to find information to create dioramas. Students participate in fossil activities.

Reptiles survived the largest extinction event on the planet and then they grew into the most dominant class of the Mesozoic Era. They quickly evolved into giants on land, sea, and air. In an episode of the PBS Eons series viewers learn...

Dimetrodon lived before flowers, and people often believe it was a dinosaur. Research, however, proves a different story. An informative video teaches more about the dimetrodon, a mammal often confused for a reptile. It explains the...

In this geological time line worksheet, students compare the time lines they created of the earth's history to the history of Missouri. They answer questions about the eras, the scale of the time lines and the major events that occurred...

Sixth graders recognize that the Earth was different in different eras. In this Mesozoic Era lesson, 6th graders compare the time frame of the different eras and how long they lasted for by graphing them. Students study the...

Sal shares the timeline and process by which life propagated and colonized land. He covers life events that occurred during the Cenozoic, Mesozoic, and Paleozoic eras. 

Students plot events that happened years ago beginning with volcano activity.  In this investigative lesson students are introduced to the different eras and plot them on a map. 

Cleopatra lived closer to the first moon landing than the building of the pyramids at Giza. If your pupils are struggling to understand the timeline of the 4.6-billion-year history of the Earth, a instructional activity about the...

Here's a great resource for your curriculum library. The 240-page packet, organized into units by topics, includes sample lesson plans, links to primary and secondary source documents, worksheets, activities, and sample assessments.

In this geologic time scale worksheet, students are given a list of terms and eras which they use to complete a time scale. They classify organic and inorganic changes that took place in the Precambrian era, the Cenozoic era, the...

For this Paleozoic Era worksheet, students complete a 12 word crossword puzzle using given clues about the Paleozoic Era. Answers given on page 2.

For this prehistoric era worksheet, students view a video on "Fossils". Students, while watching the video, fill in the blanks in 17 facts relating to the video.

In this Paleozoic Era worksheet, students find a total of 12 hidden words in a puzzle about the Paleozoic Era. Word are hidden diagonally, forward and backward.

Learners examine the geology of Connecticut, including plate tectonics, glaciation, and fossil formation. After reviewing past lessons, they write essays about what life may have been like in the Mesozoic Period. Following a field...