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To The Clock of Eras
Third graders investigate the events of geological time using a chart called a "Clock of Eras". In this geological events lesson plan, 3rd graders compare a standard clock to a geological clock. In addition, students consider periods...
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Fossil Fuels: Facing the Issues
Students explore energy by researching fuel usage on Earth. In this fossil fuel lesson, students define fossil fuels, the energy created by burning them, and the impact on the environment when using them. Students conduct pollution...
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Lesson 1 - What Are Fossils?
Students define and research fossils. In this fossil lesson, students access teacher assigned Internet sites to examine images of fossils. They determine the definition of a fossil and find out how fossils are formed. They also define a...
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Making Fossils
Third graders examine the differences between cast and mold fossils. They discuss geological time and how many fossils are millions of years old, then create a cast fossil using clay and a shell, and a mold fossil using a shell and...
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Fossils: The Eras of the Earth's History
Students research the four geologic eras of Earth's history. In this extension on a fossils lesson, students research the different eras of Earth's history. Students use AppleWorks to create a bar graph containing information of the four...
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Back to the Past
Students label fossil imprints. In this Geology activity, students view fossil imprints of several items. Students explain what a fossil is.
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Fossil Facts and Finds- Using the Magic Bag
Students investigate fossils. In this geology lesson, students study various types of fossils in rocks and identify the characteristics of the fossil. Students write a research paper on their fossil.
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Crinoids: Flowers f the Iowa Seas
Students study the rocks and fossils associated with the geologic landscape of Iowa. In this rocks and fossils lesson, students examine fossils that would be found in the Iowa landscape that show evidence of marine invertebrates such as...
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Mud Fossils
Learners create their own fossils in an activity using plaster of paris and a variety of objects which can be fossils, e.g. chicken bones, twigs, shells, etc. After making their fossils, they allow them to dry and discuss time and its...
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The Mystery Box
Students design a mystery box to hold an object related to the timeline of life studies. In this timeline of life lesson, student play a game with fossils and other remnants of past times and guess the era it comes from.
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Impressions in Clay
Students examine how fossils are created. They make impressions of different objects in clay and compare them to examples of fossils.
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Can You Find...on the "Progression of Life" Poster?
Students examine and analyze a poster that presents various types of animals throughout the ages. They determine biological classification with fossils and earth history in a game.
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Insects Preserved in Amber
Students examine and discuss amber and fossils in amber. They simulate the preservation of an insect in amber using glue, a dead insect, and food coloring, listen to a poem about amber, and view real amber under a magnifying glass or...
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Science: Down Home Dinosaurs
students participate in hands-on activities to discover the different types of fossils. Using teacher-provided materials, they make models of cast and trace fossils. After writing essays describing how traces are formed, students plan a...
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Three Main Rock Groups
Students are introduced to igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. They use foods to demonstrate the basic formation of each type of rock, read books about rock formation and view related videos.
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What Big Teeth You Have:
Students make their own tooth impressions of a sharp and a flat tooth and compare the differences. They make impression of fossil teeth from dinosaurs comparing the sharp and flat teeth and learning about their uses.
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Classification
Students gather and classify samples of a given item (rocks, fossils, seeds, etc.) They discuss various ways of classifying and that there are many different ways that are acceptable.
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Polishing the Petoskey
Students select a stone and polish it. Throughout the process they demonstrate an understanding of rocks and fossil formation.
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No bones About It -A Mosasaur
Students model a paleontologist's activities. They identify dinosaur bones and reassemble them into a skeleton of an extinct reptile.
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Rocks, Minerals, and Erosion
Students identify and describe rocks that contain records of the earth's history and explain how they were formed. They formulate questions about and identify needs and problems related to objects and events in the environment, and...
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Ecology And the Conservation of Natural Resources
Young scholars study Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift and how the continents were connected in one large land mass called Pangaea. They examine plate tectonics and the theory that the earth's surface is composed of large...
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The Delicate Balance - Iowa's Natural Resources
Discover the natural resources in Iowa by studying it's history. In this environmental lesson, your students will observe a topographical map of Iowa and identify where its most valuable resources are. They complete an Iowa name...
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Polishing the Petoskey
Students polish a Petoskey stone to show how to make an attractive rock display. In this polishing rocks lesson plan, students use sand paper and polishing materials to polish a rock and remove the rock dust. This is to display a nice...
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The Rock Cycle
Third graders study the 3 main types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic. They examine samples of these types of rocks and discuss ways to tell what kind of rock each is. They take notes and draw pictures in their science...