Paleozoic

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/paleozoic

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Which continent is Paleozoic in?Included the formation and breakup of supercontinents like Pangaea
2. What is the Paleozoic Era?The Paleozoic Era is a period that lasted from about 538.8 to 251.9 million years ago. During this time, many new kinds of animals and plants appeared, including the first fish and the first plants that grew on land.
3. Why did the Paleozoic Era end with a big extinction?The era ended with the Permian-Triassic extinction, also called the "Great Dying." It was the most severe mass extinction in Earth's history.

Phanerozoic Eon: The current geologic eon, spanning the last ~541 million years, characterized by abundant and complex life.
Cambrian Explosion: A geologically rapid diversification of multicellular animal life, marking the beginning of the Paleozoic Era.
Permian-Triassic Extinction: The most catastrophic mass extinction event in Earth's history, ending the Paleozoic Era.