Geologic Time Line Activity Handout

Tell the children that today we will be learning about the world at the time of the dinosaurs and how it changed. We are learning to construct a timeline for the period of time we are studying and what I’m looking for is that they can draw and label a timeline for the time frame we are looking at. Explain that the past can be considered in different time periods. The time when the dinosaurs lived has been divided into different time periods. Explain that today we are going to construct a timeline- 3 periods of the Mesozoic Era (Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous).At the start of the dinosaur times (Triassic period), all the continents were one big landmass (Pangea). Explain that different dinosaurs lived during the different time periods of the Mesozoic Era. Explain about the different types of dinosaurs and the other plants and animals that existed at that time. We will be putting these on our timeline. This handout meets the following TEKS:

§113.15. Social Studies, Grade 5

(24) Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including electronic technology. The student is expected to:

(C) organize and interpret information in outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines, and maps;

(25) Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:

(A) use social studies terminology correctly;

(D) create written and visual material such as journal entries, reports, graphic organizers, outlines, and bibliographies; and

(E) use standard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation.

§112.16. Science, Grade 5

(7) Earth and space. The student knows Earth's surface is constantly changing and consists of useful resources. The student is expected to:

(D) identify fossils as evidence of past living organisms and the nature of the environments at the time using models.

(10) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms undergo similar life processes and have structures that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to:

(B) differentiate between inherited traits of plants and animals such as spines on a cactus or shape of a beak and learned behaviors such as an animal learning tricks or a child riding a bicycle;

This is a great handout for grades 2-8. The difficulty level can be varied as needed. A rubric is also attached at the end!

Materials needed for this handout:

scissors, tape or glue, pencils or writing utensils, the hand out, coloring utensils (ie: markers, crayons, colored pencils etc)