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Climate Through Earth's History

Interactive passage with audio narration, comprehension questions, and printable PDF.

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Format: Interactive (Online), Printable (PDF)
Grades: 5678
Subjects: sciencereadingela
Standards: MS-ESS1-4MS-ESS2-6
Languages: English, Spanish

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What's included

Reading passage

Reading comprehension

Audio narration

With word word highlighting

Comprehension quiz

Auto-graded

Writing activity

Open-ended response

Glossary & flashcards

Vocabulary practice

Differentiated version

Adapted for varied levels

Spanish translation

Bilingual support

About this reader

This engaging passage for grades 6-8 explores how Earth's climate has naturally changed over millions of years, highlighting major ice ages, warm periods, and mass extinctions. Students will learn about the mechanisms behind these changes—including volcanic eruptions, asteroid impacts, continental drift, Milankovitch cycles, and shifts in atmospheric composition—while examining the evidence scientists use, such as ice cores, fossils, sediment, and tree rings. The passage emphasizes the speed and scale of current climate changes compared to historical shifts, aligning with NGSS standards MS-ESS1-4 and MS-ESS2-6. Activities include a differentiated reading, Spanish translations, vocabulary support, multiple-choice quiz, writing prompts, and graphic organizers. Audio integration supports diverse learners. This resource is ideal for classrooms focusing on earth and environmental science, systems thinking, and scientific literacy.

Written by Workybooks TeamPublished by Workybooks

Sample passage and quiz content

CONTENT PREVIEW

Earth's climate has never stayed the same for long. Over millions of years, our planet has swung between extreme cold and surprising warmth. Scientists observe these changes by studying rocks, ice cores, and fossils. Evidence shows that Earth has experienced many ice ages, when thick sheets of ice called glaciers covered large parts of North America, Europe, and Asia. Between these frozen periods came warm times so mild that forests grew near the North and South Poles.

What causes these dramatic climate shifts? Several natural processes work together over long time periods. Earth's orbit around the Sun changes slightly over thousands of years. These orbital variations affect how much sunlight different parts of Earth receive during different seasons. When continents drift to new positions through plate tectonics, they change ocean currents and wind patterns. Large volcanic eruptions can inject particles into the atmosphere that block sunlight temporarily. Perhaps most important, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rises and falls naturally over time. Carbon dioxide traps heat, so more of it warms the planet while less allows cooling.

Scientists have documented specific examples of these climate swings. About 20,000 years ago, during the last ice age, glaciers covered Canada and reached as far south as present-day New York City. The ice was more than a mile thick in some places. Ocean levels dropped about 400 feet because so much water was frozen in glaciers. Then Earth's climate warmed gradually, and the ice sheets melted over thousands of years. Going back even further, evidence shows that 50 million years ago, Earth was so warm that palm trees grew in Alaska and crocodiles lived near the Arctic Circle.

Understanding past climate changes matters for several reasons. These natural shifts show that Earth's climate system responds to changes in greenhouse gases and other factors. The key difference between past changes and today involves speed. Natural climate shifts typically unfolded over thousands or millions of years. This gave plants, animals, and ecosystems time to adapt or migrate. Current warming is happening much faster, over just decades. Scientists explain that this rapid change makes it harder for natural systems to adjust.

Interesting Fact: During the last ice age, so much water was locked in glaciers that you could walk from Asia to North America across a land bridge where the Bering Strait is today. This is how humans first migrated to the Americas.

What do scientists study to learn about Earth's past climate changes?

Rocks, ice cores, and fossilsOnly modern weather recordsNewspaper articles and booksPhotographs and videos

During the last ice age about 20,000 years ago, how far south did glaciers reach in North America?

As far as present-day FloridaAs far as present-day New York CityOnly to the Canadian borderThey did not reach North America

What is the term for changes in Earth's path around the Sun that occur over thousands of years?

Plate tectonicsVolcanic eruptionsOrbital variationsGreenhouse effects

In the passage, what does the word 'glaciers' mean?

Small patches of snow on mountainsMassive sheets of ice that form on landFrozen lakes and riversIce cubes in the ocean

Which natural process involves continents moving to new positions over millions of years?

Orbital variationsCarbon dioxide changesPlate tectonicsVolcanic eruptions

Why does carbon dioxide in the atmosphere affect Earth's temperature?

It reflects all sunlight back to spaceIt traps heat and warms the planetIt creates more clouds that cool EarthIt has no effect on temperature

What is the key difference between past natural climate changes and current warming?

Past changes were caused by humansCurrent warming involves more carbon dioxideCurrent warming is happening much faster, over decades instead of thousands of yearsPast changes were not real

Based on the passage, what happened to ocean levels during the last ice age?

They rose by 400 feetThey stayed exactly the sameThey dropped about 400 feetThey disappeared completely

True or False: About 50 million years ago, Earth was so warm that palm trees grew in Alaska and crocodiles lived near the Arctic Circle.

TrueFalse

True or False: Natural climate changes in Earth's past always happened quickly, in just a few years.

TrueFalse