Earth's History

Performance Expectation

MS-ESS1-4: Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's 4.6-billion-year-old history.

In Student-Friendly Words...

I can use rock layers and fossils to explain how Earth has changed over time.

Big Ideas

Rock layers provide evidence of Earth's history.
Fossils help scientists understand when organisms lived.
The geologic time scale organizes Earth's history.
Earth (and the Solar System) is about 4.6 billion years old.

Interactive Learning

Layers of Time

Straum Making

Ancient Earth

Watch & Learn

A Brief History of Geologic Time

What is the Geologic Time Scale?

Relative Dating vs. Absolute Dating

Earth's Entire History (Visualized On A Football Field)

History of the Earth

How The Earth Was Made: From
Molten Rock to Green Planet

Ear Worms

Fossil Rock Anthem

The Fossil Record | Rap Video by SquidBooks

Real-World Connections

Fossils

Fossils and the rocks surrounding them help scientists figure out when organisms lived and how Earth's environment has changed.

Dinosaurs

Scientists use evidence from rocks and fossils to reconstruct what Earth was like millions of years ago.

Earthquakes & Volcanoes

Evidence preserved in rocks can help scientists understand major events that shaped Earth's surface.

Geology Careers

Geologists use Earth's rocks and layers to investigate everything from Earth's history to where useful resources might be found.

Take It Further

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