---
title: "The Mesozoic Era"
description: "Place the three periods of the Mesozoic Era (Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous) in order and understand that different dinosaurs lived in different periods, not all at the same time"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/the-mesozoic-era-mt_uQljqc0J5j
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/the-mesozoic-era-mt_uQljqc0J5j.md
retrieved: 2026-11-12
---

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# The Mesozoic Era

Place the three periods of the Mesozoic Era (Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous) in order and understand that different dinosaurs lived in different periods, not all at the same time

Subject: Science · Area: Dinosaurs & Paleontology · Ages 7 to 9
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/the-mesozoic-era-mt_uQljqc0J5j

## Ready when they can

- List Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous in the correct chronological order
- Assign at least one well-known dinosaur to the correct period
- Explain that each period lasted millions of years and use dinosaur examples to show that not all dinosaurs lived at the same time

## Lesson: The three periods of the dinosaur age

The Mesozoic Era is a long part of Earth's past. Its three periods were Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous, in that order. Each lasted millions of years. One followed the next with no gap between them. Different dinosaurs lived at different times.

*(drawing: This is the order the periods happened in. Triassic came first, then Jurassic, then Cretaceous.)*

**Example.** Stegosaurus, with plates on its back, lived in the Jurassic period. Tyrannosaurus rex lived near the end of the Cretaceous period. Stegosaurus had died out tens of millions of years before T. rex appeared. These two dinosaurs could not have met.

The Cretaceous ended the Mesozoic about 66 million years ago. Non-bird dinosaurs died out then. Some birds survived. Birds are dinosaurs, so dinosaurs are still alive today.

**Recap.** The Mesozoic Era had three periods: Triassic, then Jurassic, then Cretaceous. Different dinosaurs belonged to different periods.

*Lesson, questions and flashcards written for this dataset.*

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Dinosaurs Were Real](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/dinosaurs-were-real-mt_dpM1l5IOk6)

## Optional connections

- [Famous Dinosaur Species](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/famous-dinosaur-species-mt_BnabTHkNIp)
- [Dinosaur Sizes](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/dinosaur-sizes-mt_u0TeRwRII_)

## Opens up

- [Rock Layers & Relative Dating](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/rock-layers-and-relative-dating-mt_EGIlsfHxb6)
- [Dinosaurs Around the World](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/dinosaurs-around-the-world-mt_oH1XC8aQYn)
- [The K-Pg extinction event](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/the-k-pg-extinction-event-mt_QHKqckBdAk)