Curated OER
What Makes a Dinosaur a Dinosaur?
Students explore dinosaur stance and the dinosaur-bird connection. They investigate what distinguishes dinosaurs from other reptiles? Students discuss how dinosaurs stand their legs positioned directly under their bodies. They are...
Curated OER
"I have a Bone to Pick With You"
Second graders explore dinosaur classifications and how animals of long ago became extinct. They conduct research, classify dinosaurs, and in small groups, develop a name of a new dinosaur, create a poster, and present the information to...
Curated OER
DinoWorks
DinoWorks is a paleontolgy kit that you can order from skullduggery.com. This resource has directions that come with it. Primary paleontolgists examine bone replicas of the Velociraptor, Tyrannosaurus, and Triceratops that you prepare...
Science Friday
Fossil Detectives
What can this rock be? Pupils pretend to be paleontologists by sketching fossils and making predictions about their types. To determine whether they can identify the type of dinosaur, class members compare their observations and...
American Museum of Natural History
Identification Adventure
Put all the pieces together. After a skeleton is put together, pupils play the scientist to determine the type of animal they have by using a classification tree to narrow down the identity. After each decision, they gain advice from an...
Curated OER
LESSON PLANS (print version) pdf What is a Fossil?
Students can better explain how mould and cast fossils occur when they make their own cast fossils using plaster of Paris and objects such as shells, bone or even their own hand or footprint.
Curated OER
Dino Traces
Students are introduced to the type of evidence that is found at a typical dinosaur dig. They create rubbing casts of bone impressions on paper and, using bones, identify dinosaurs.
Biology Junction
Birds
Birds adapted to almost every climate on the planet, from the Arctic to the rain forests. A presentation focused on birds covers their similarities and differences. It starts with their evolution from reptiles, their many physical...
Curated OER
Studying Fossils
Students study the Evolution in the Light of Fossils. Activities in this lesson range from quantitative measurements of hominoid skulls to the comparison of hominoid bone structures. They hypothesize dinosaur size and speed by looking at...
Curated OER
Studying Fossils
Students hypothesize dinosaur size and speed by looking at dinosaur track way or by measuring a dinosaur models water displacement. In addition, techniques to help students become familiar with the ways paleontologists study fossils can...
Curated OER
Classification
For this classification worksheet, students will look at how biological classification began and how scientific names are used in biology. Students will use a table showing the classification of four organisms to answer 10 short answer...
Curated OER
What is a Fossil?
Students determine what a fossil is and distinguish between body fossils and trace fossils. They examine pictures of fossils and determine which represents a trace or body fossil.