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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The History of Life on Earth

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Using meters as years, your class works together to map out the geologic time scale on a football field. Plenty of background information is included in this lesson plan as well as several resource links and a student worksheet. Your...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth's Dramatic History

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers create a timeline.  In this Earth's History lesson, students research the history of life on Earth and use the information collected to create a timeline.  Middle schoolers also answers the provided discussion questions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introducing Biodiversity

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students investigate biodiversity by creating reports with their classmates.  In this ecosystem lesson, students utilize the Internet to research the different types of life in our environment and different locations around the world....
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Article
Society for Science and the Public

Science News for Students: Asteroid Impacts May Have Sparked Life

For Students 4th - 7th
Article reports on a new study that claims that the energy released from asteroid collisions may have sparked life on Earth. Includes a list of key vocabulary.
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Website
Tree of Life Project

The Tree of Life Web Project

For Students 9th - 10th
The Tree of Life is a multi-authored, Internet distributed project containing information about phylogeny and biodiversity. The Tree of Life can be used to locate information about a particular group of organisms through their taxonomy.
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Article
US Geological Survey

U.s. Geological Survey: Fossils, Rocks, and Time

For Students 9th - 10th
Publication delves into the importance of studying the Earth's history and how we go about doing it. View pictures and diagrams showing the geological time scale and fossil succession.
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Handout
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Paleobiology: The Archaean Eon

For Students 9th - 10th
Journey into the past while reading this comprehensive overview of the Archaean Eon that covers topics such as early continents and oceans, first life on Earth, Earth's atmosphere, fossil evidence, and plate tectonics.
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Website
BBC

Bbc Earth: The 25 Biggest Turning Points in Earth's History

For Students 9th - 10th
From the birth of a planet to the evolution of the human race, interactive details the 25 biggest milestones that shaped Earth's history
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Article
Open Curriculum

Open Curriculum: Into the Mitochondrion: Making Atp With Oxygen

For Students 9th - 10th
The aim of this article is to relate the history of oxygen in the atmosphere to the evolution of photosynthesis, aerobic respiration, mitochondria, and life on earth.
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Activity
PBS

Pbs: Origins: Where Are the Aliens?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Was there ever life on another planet? Could there be life on another planet again? What makes the Earth support life? This article investigates these questions in depth.
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Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Our Big Blue Marble

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners are introduced to the fabulous planet on which they live. Even though we spend our entire lives on Earth, we still do not always understand how it fits into the rest of the solar system. Students learn about the Earth's position...
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eBook
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Earth Science for Middle School

For Students 6th - 8th
This digital textbook covers core earth science concepts and includes interactive features, real-world examples, videos, and study guides.
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Website
University of California

Ucmp: The Biosphere: Life on Earth

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about different forms of life that coexist with us on Earth. This Berkeley article provides links to brief write-ups on the three domains of living organisms: Eukaryota, Bacteria, and Archaea.
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Website
Treehut

Suzy's World: Life on Earth

For Students 3rd - 5th
This site from Suzy's World, which is a personal site from Suzy Cato, explores what evolution is, and how long there has been life on earth. Content includes fun facts, a great experiment, and a classroom activity.