Fossil Record Science Games

5 games

In this series of games, your students will learn about the accumulation of rock strata and other geologic features, and how scientists study them along with the fossil record to shed light on the Earth’s natural history. The Fossil Record learning objective — based on NGSS and state standards — delivers improved student engagement and academic performance in your classroom, as demonstrated by research.

Scroll down for a preview of this learning objective’s games and the concepts they drive home.

Concepts Covered

Over time, layers of igneous and sedimentary rock that pile up on top of each other to form rock strata. The Principle of Superposition tells us the deepest strata are the oldest, and each layer on top of the next gets younger and younger. That isn’t always true, though; any geological features that cut across layers of rock are younger than those layers, according to the Principle of Cross-cutting Relationships.

Geologists keep all this in mind when they look at the fossil record, which is full of evidence of life forms that lived a long time ago. Looking at where specific fossils, called index fossils, have formed in the rock strata helps them figure out how old the rock is compared to other layers, or its *relative* age. This isn’t the same as figuring out its *actual* age, exactly how many years old it is.

Today’s scientific laws and processes work the same way as they always have throughout the eras, periods, and epochs of the earth. With this in mind, studying rock strata and the fossil record helps scientists learn a tremendous amount about our planet’s history.

A preview of each game in the learning objective is found below.

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Image for Dino Island
Dino Island Estimated Duration: 23 minutes Embark on an adventure to a new and unexplored land, searching for the traces of an unknown species of dinosaur. Dig through rock layers, retrieve and examine ancient fossils and document your expedition through Dino Island!
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Geo Journey Estimated Duration: 15 minutes Set off on a "Geo Journey," a riveting educational adventure that turns players into aspiring geologists. Dig deep into the Earth's crust to discover hidden fossils, interpret the secrets within rock strata, and engage with fun mini-games that illuminate the mysteries of our planet's past. Reassemble a scientist's notes and consult with an expert to link your findings to the grand chronicle of Earth's history. "Geo Journey" invites you to explore and uncover the geological wonders of our world!
Image for Fossil Explorers
Fossil Explorers Estimated Duration: 15 minutes Become the best paleontologist in this exciting adventure! Dig up hidden fossils, analyze them carefully, and discover the secrets left behind by the dinosaurs. Explore, learn, and solve the mysteries of these legendary creatures. Enjoy 4 unique mini-games! Use tools to dig up fossils, discover which dinosaur they belong to in the lab, investigate their era with relative dating, and determine their exact age with absolute dating.
Image for Newton Pool
Newton Pool Estimated Duration: 15 minutes The game consists of hand-crafted levels where the player controls a white ball. The goal of each level is to get the white ball to the end of the level in as few moves as possible, while racking up points by bumping golden balls into obstacles on the way! The game does not have any instructional math content, it simply has math review questions spread throughout.
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Galaxy Escape Estimated Duration: 20 minutes 10 Bright Monsters have been captured in space and they need your help to cross the galaxy jumping between platforms, finding them, and releasing them by correctly answering each question. Each monster that you release and unlock will be available to play with in the next level, in the search for the next monster. In your journey, you’ll be able to find power-ups, like ‘Double points’ and ‘Slow down’, which can be activated by finding gems, and their duration can be extended by correctly answering a question. Unlock and release the 10 different monsters and a spaceship along 10 different levels, while you make the most possible points.
Image for Fossil Records
Fossil Records Estimated Duration: 6 minutes Rocks are solid natural substances composed of one or more minerals. A rock's age can be determined by relative dating or absolute dating. Relative dating gives geologists an approximate age based on the principle of superposition or presence of fossils. Absolute age gives us the precise age of the rock using radiometric dating.
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