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,...

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

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...

In this early earth history learning exercise, 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...

In this history of life activity, learners will use diagrams of the Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic Era to complete 4 fill in the blank statements.

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

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...

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

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

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 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.

A somewhat amusing assignment, this instructional activity 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...

Eighth graders simulate geologic time using toilet tissue capture activity. In this earth science lesson, 8th graders identify the different characteristics of Paleozoic and Precambrian era. They hypothesize how old the Earth is.

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

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. 

In this geologic time scale worksheet, middle schoolers use a word bank to complete the geologic time scale provided. Students fill in the chart as it relates to the geologic time scale.

Students research the geologic time scale. They create and recognize the importance of a geologic time line.

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 lesson about the Geologic Time Scale is...

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. 

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 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...

Introduce your class to Google Calendar with a collaborative learning project that asks groups to create and share a Google calendar that compresses the history of life on Earth into a single year. Groups research a geological era...

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.