Ready-To-Use High School Science Activity
“Everything changes and nothing stands still,” said the Greek philosopher Heraclitus…and wow has the Earth changed! Explore the geology of the Earth and its various forms throughout time with your high school science class. We’ve got you covered with classroom strategies, activities, resources, and graphic organizers.
Looking for different level and subject-area activities?
SCIENCE ACTIVITIES: Making STEM Accessible
Elementary Level Science: 1, 2, 3…Erosion! (Grades PreK-2) AND Light, Bright (Grades 3-5)
Middle Level Science: Alternative Sources of Energy
SOCIAL STUDIES ACTIVITIES: Exploring Hispanic Heritage
Elementary Level Social Studies: Life in Mexico (Grades PreK-2) AND Mayan Exploration (Grades 3-5)
Middle Level Social Studies: Latin American Travel Agent
High Level Social Studies: Biographies of Independence
In each activity, we share suggested resources from Britannica’s newest classroom tool, LaunchPacks: Science. You can get free 30-day access now by taking a Packs: Science free trial, or you can use the activity, questions, and free, downloadable graphic organizer with your own classroom resources.
Grades 9-12 Science Activity: Timeline of the Earth
Overview: Students will use the articles within the pack to generate a timeline of the Earth.
Suggested Resources:
• LaunchPacks Science: Timeline of the Earth for Grades 9-12
• Graphic Organizer: Timeline
• Graphic Organizer: Visual Timeline
Strategy: Timeline or Visual Timeline
Activity: Students will read through each article and take notes / outline the geologic history of Earth. Students will need to clearly lay out the Earth’s development and various stages on the graphic organizer handed out by the teacher. The teacher can decide whether to use Graphic Organizer: Visual Timeline or Graphic Organizer: Timeline.
Suggested Questions:
• Which period of geologic time is the most interesting to you? Why?
• What is stratigraphy? How does it help us figure out the timeline of the Earth?
• Continental drift is the theory of continents moving over time. Imagine that you can suddenly see millions and millions of years into the future – what will the continents look like in 500 million years?
Possible Extension: On the back of the completed timeline, make note of the critical developments of each of the stages of Earth’s history. Make sure to include life forms that developed (plants, animals), new landforms that developed in each stage, any other major developments from each stage.
