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Fossil Guide
Students produce a "Fossil Guide" that covers twelve fossils and includes a drawing and written description for each fossil. The written description should include such things as size, shape, and general appearance.
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Dig It!
Second graders complete various activities about dinosaurs and fossils. They conduct Internet research, participate in a sandbox dinosaur fossil dig, and create a computer slideshow presentation using information they found on various...
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Make a Cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex Fossil
Second graders examine the formation of fossils and list the different types. They make cast model of a dinosaur fossil. They write about conditions that are necessary for fossils to form and create a model of a buried fossil.
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Dino Fossils
Primary paleontologists discover the information they can gather from examining fossils. They place pictures in the correct sequence showing how an animal becomes a fossil. They discuss which sediments would preserve fossils better as well.
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Paleoecology of "Fossilized" Owl Pellets
Students examine fossilized owl pellets to determine how a species environmental preferences allow us to reconstruct probable past environments. Differences in anatomy are used to identify species in this lesson.
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Dino Traces
Young scholars 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.
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Mold It
Students make molds of various items of their choosing using the Molt-It kit. They discuss the scientific value of making molds.
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Dino Detectives
As students examine maps of Utah, 4th graders search for clues about what prehistoric life was like in Utah.
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Dinosaur I Finding And Dating
Students investigate how long dinosaurs lived on Earth and how that compare to how long man has been on Earth. They discover how scientists excavate fossils.
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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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Can You Dig It?
Learners investigate a fossil site and diagram a site map. They role play as paleontologists.
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Mud Fossils
Students 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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Geology
Fourth graders devise a workable inch-to-inch scale for a geologic timeline sequencing the eras covered in the unit. They hypothesize from descriptions of dinosaur fossil evidence.
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Be a Paleontologist
Young scholars search for fossils in a simulated archeology site and explore how paleontologists mark out a dig site.
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Fossils and Migration Patterns in Early Hominids
Students plot the locations where major fossils of hominids have been found to extrapolate possible migratory patterns.
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Dino Dung!
Students examine how there is more to poop than they think! After reading through material, they answer a series of questions on coprolite, and explore the diet and physical attributes of dinosaurs, as well as their environment.
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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.
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Paleogeographic Mapping (o.k. Fossils Are Neat But What Good Are They?)
Students examine how evidence from fossils can be used in paleogeographic interpretation. They gain experience in developing multiple hypotheses.
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Where Can I See The Sea?
Students see how the pieces of the fossil puzzle fit together to allow the paleontologist to imagine the earth as it was millions of years ago. They draw a map showing what environments were present in a certain area more than 70 million...
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Investigation 4 - Dinosaurs Tracks
Fourth graders make inferences and interpretations from sets of dinosaur tracks. They describe Utah fossils and how they were formed. Partners trade their sketches of tracks and try to guess which dinosaur it belonged to.
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Investigation 1 - Identify & Compare Fossils
Fourth graders examine different items to see if they can recognize fossils. This be an introduction to the different fossils they be studying later and help them make inferences about past environments of Utah.
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Fossil Footsteps
Fourth graders create their own dinosaur tracks using clay. In addition, 4th graders compose a story about the dinosaur / animal who created the tracks. They study photographs of dinosaur tracks before beginning.
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A Scientific Approach to Teaching about Evolution
Students examine fossils and analyzing their significance in relation to theories of evolution. Hand-outs are provided. This lesson could be supplementary to a broader unit on evolution or geology.