Web-based geologic timeline activities can bring the subject to life for students.
Geologic timeline activities can be found for free on the Web. Interactive games that test players' knowledge of eras, eons, periods and epochs are available, as are online tutorials, virtual flashcards and quizzes. Students can learn while being entertained with animation, graphics and drag and drop activities to make education fun.
Drop and Drag Timeline and Digital Geologic Time Tutorial and Quiz
Meteors and moon rocks are discussed as evidence of the geologic timeline at the Smithsonian Institute's website.
The Smithsonian Institute has an extensive website full of educational materials about the geologic timeline. Students can drag and drop through an animated timeline on the site, which includes information about eras, eons, periods and epochs.The timeline covers 4.6 million years ago to today. The site has lessons about the overview of eons, formation of the Earth, the Earth's atmosphere and surface. Information about evidence of the timeline, such as meteors, volcanoes and moon rocks are also included. Cristina McCoach's website hosts a game titled Geologic Time, which allows players to watch videos, view photos, read tutorials and play with links, then quizzes students on what they have learned.
Printed and Virtual Flashcards, Worksheets and Quizzes
Quizlet offers 9 virtual flashcard sets with audio about the geologic timeline.
Printed and virtual flashcards, worksheets and customized quizzes are available at Quizlet's site. Quizlet offers nine sets of geologic timeline flashcard sets, each with virtual flashcards and worksheets with audio, which can also be printed if desired. Customizable quizzes also come with each flashcard set, allowing students to take the quizzes with multiple choice, matching, written or true and false questions, and quizzes can be taken and scored online or printed with answer sheets.
A Virtual Journey Through the Geologic Timeline
National Geographic has an animated timeline which teaches students about dinosaurs in the Jurassic time period.
National Geographic's website takes students on a 26-page virtual journey through the geologic timeline covering the first tiny mollusks to Jurassic dinosaurs. Colorful graphics on a digital timeline can be clicked with a mouse to reveal layers of information on topics ranging from the world's oldest rock forms to oxygen levels rising. National Geographic also has a Dynamic Earth webpage, which covers topics such as plate techtonics, weather and erosion, as well as location-specific geologic history such as information on Turkey, where cultures have adapted to violent geology over the ages.
Geologic Time Scale Games
Students can test their geologic time scale skills with interactive games online.
Purpose Games hosts an interactive geologic time scale game on their site. A chart of the geologic time scale is displayed and players are prompted to identify certain periods on the time chart, by clicking on them with the mouse, to win points. Sporcle also hosts an interactive game, titled "Can You Name the Geologic Time Scale?" which allows students to name any era, eon or period and if it is a correct name, the game will place the name into its place in a chart of dates, eras, eons and periods. This game is played on a time limit of eight minutes.
Tags: eons periods, eras eons, eras eons periods, Geologic Time, geologic timeline
