Columbus City Schools
The Mystery of Earth’s History
Every living creature can leave a fossil record, yet most fossils belong to extinct organisms rather than ones currently living. Scholars learn about dating rock layers, fossils, and the environment of the past. Pupils understand that...
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Patterns In Time
Seventh graders examine fossils. In this vertebrate fossils lesson students view a demonstration.
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Fossil Hunters!
Students explore the various ways in which geologists create fossil records. Working in pairs, students create a model of a fossil record through a hands on activity. They relate their experience to recent discoveries in geology and...
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Finding the Ages of Rocks and Fossils
High schoolers practice dating fossils. They learn the concept of "deep time"--that earth was formed billions of years ago. They experience excellent hand-outs and virtual age tutorial links.
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Science: Making Trace Fossils
Students explore types of fossils and discover how sediment affects fossil preservation. They focus their study on trace fossils and create their own using sediment, water, and a small organism such as a snail or lizard. Students use...
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Investigation 3 - Examining Your Fossil
Fourth graders examine the fossils they made previously. They examine the details of the fossil with a hand lens and come up with conclusions about the fossils. They record what they see and draw conclusions about the environment of the...
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Inferring Ancient Environments From Fossil Foraminifera
Students use a reference diagram of fossil foraminifera with their paleo-water-depth assignments to interpret the water-depth of a particular area of California during the geologic past.
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Earth Science Lesson Plans The Proterozoic Era
Pupils explore the Proterozoic Era. In this geologic time periods lesson, students examine the clock of eras charts and listen to a lecture regarding the era.
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How Old Is Illinois?
High schoolers use fossils found in rocks to determine the age of rock in Illinois. They use a chart to identify the fossils and then identify the periods of rock.
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Fossil Hunt
Students ask questions about the nature of science as they experience a 'Fossil Hunt'. They reconstruct a book that has been literally destroyed, just as the fossil record has been changed by billions of years of geological processes.
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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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Candle-Wax Fossils: Casts, Molds, and Impressions
Young scholars examine and define fossils. They create their own impressions and molds in clay and candle wax, making external and internal molds.
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White Glue Fossils: Casts, Molds, and Impressions
Students make impressions and molds in clay and them make casts with glue. After the glue dries students remove their fossils.
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Back to the Past
Students label fossil imprints. In this Geology lesson plan, students view fossil imprints of several items. Students explain what a fossil is.
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Virginia Rocks and Minerals
Students explore, via a CD-ROM, the Virginia's five geological regions and discover the rocks and minerals located in each. In stone kits, they examine samples of rocks and minerals and answer questions about them. After discovering the...
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It's About Time
Students create their own timeline. In this social science lesson, students write the important events that happened in their lives on their timeline and then compare their timeline to Earth's timeline.
Biology Junction
Plant Diversity
Ginkgo trees existed for more than 350 million years, and, at this time, only one species still remains. While plant diversity generally increases over geologic time, some interesting exceptions occur. Young scientists learn about plant...
American Museum of Natural History
Pterosaurs: The Card Game
Piecing together the past is a challenging endeavor. Learners get a taste of that challenge as they play a game that incorporates several components such as trophic levels, geological time periods, and catastrophic events. Pairs work to...
K-State Research and Extensions
Field Trip Preparations
Scholars prepare for a field trip to collect rock specimens. They learn how to build proper display boxes, create road logs, and study various geology careers. This is the final chapter in a seven-chapter unit on geology and contains six...
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The History of Life
In this history of life worksheet, learners complete a crossword puzzle by figuring out the vocabulary words associated with the 11 clues given. Then students review how paleontologists use fossils to learn more about past living things...
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Who Was Here First? Relative Dating
Students read about and complete question activities for the topic of relative dating. In this relative dating instructional activity, students read information for the topic and then complete two activities to further their...
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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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Discovering Fossils
Students dig for and discover fossils in a classroom setting. They dig on a tarp to find, map, assemble, and photograph their discoveries.