Lesson plan in which students place events in sequence, comparing their life to the history of the Earth.

Two-part activity in which learners learn about when and how coal was formed. They will do research on geologic time frames and order them by eon, era, period, or epoch.

For this investigation, students start exploring the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) online version of the geologic map of Texas. The geologic time scale shown will help them figure out how old the rocks are in various parts of Texas.

Pictures and text describe the source and appearance of many of the stones used in the buildings and monuments in Washington, D.C. Included are a geologic time chart and an illustrated map of the geologic and geographic features of the...

This is a good source for getting an in-depth description of using radioactive decay to measure the ages of rocks. In addition to describing the process of radiometric dating, this resource also includes a geologic time scale and four...

This 2-page handout provides short descriptions of the different aeons, eras, and periods in the Earth's geological history.

A time line of Earth's geologic periods from 600 million years ago.

Earth Science teachers will combine field observations with the information given in the classroom to interpret the geologic history of Canyon de Chelly, Arizona.

Lesson plan in which students observe and contrast thermal properties of three major greenhouse gases. Using simple, readily available materials, students collect temperature change over time for dry air, water-saturated air, carbon...

[Free Registration/Login Required] The New York Times maintains daily coverage of the latest in environmental news, including geology, global warming, wildlife and earthquakes.

An interactive, real-time map showing current earthquakes happening all over the world. Students may choose options for which earthquakes to display by age, depth, magnitude, or intensity.

Take this online quiz and test your knowledge of geological history, and the formation of our atmosphere, water, crust, oxygen, tectonic plates, Moon, and the rest of the Earth.

This excellent website walks students through the basics of understanding fossils. It emphasizes that most common fossils would be invertebrates and, after learning more about these life forms, students can choose to take a quiz. The...

College-level biology book covers the Late Paleozoic geologic time period in Earth's history. See photographs of fossil evidence from that era in addition to diagrams to help with understanding.

This educational module enables students (5-12) to experience ongoing research of University of California paleontologists studying about life in Montana 60-70 million years ago. It gives students the opportunity to experience the...

In this lesson students will look at the major divisions of geologic time and learn about the fossils and forms of life which existed during those periods, helping them to understand how the age of rocks are preserved.

[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart is a lesson on the geologic history of the Earth. It covers the four main eras of the geologic time scale: Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic. Characteristics of each era are...

Smithsonian Education presents "Fossils: Footprints Across Time." Teachers can download this teaching package that introduces students to the study of fossils. Students will discover what fossils can teach us about the Earth as it was...

Take a look at this snapshot in time of Earth's history. This interactive timeline shows a unique perspective of where we are in historical and geologic time.

Here's a geology project that uses historical seismograph data that you can collect from the comfort of your own computer. You'll use a web interface to a network of seismometers run by the Northern California Earthquake Data Center, at...

In this amazingly comprehensive tutorial you will learn about the geological and environmental changes that occurred during the geologic time scale.

Using a geologic time scale and map students investigate the rocks in their area.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Looks at how stratigraphy can be used to determine the relative ages of rocks, how unconformities occur, ways to match rock layers in different areas, and how...

This in-depth article illustrates the concept of geologic time, and helps the learner understand why fossils are rare.