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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Back to the Past

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossils

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders act as paleontologists and attempt to figure out the environment where various fossils would have existed. They explain how fossils can be used to make inferences about past life, climate, geology, and environments.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dinosaur Traces

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students identify and interpret the type of evidence found at a typical dinosaur dig and mimic a paleontologist by taking crayon rubbings of simulated bone impressions. After the rubbings are taken, the students reconstruct the complete...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weighing a Dinosaur

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students role play as paleontologists who make inferences about the weight of dinosaurs. They use models and the density of water to make these inferences.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bringing Dinosaurs Back to Life

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explain how the earth makes fossils and how dinosaur remains become fossils. In this Bringing Dinosaurs Back to Life lesson, students solve paleo-puzzles which ask students to solve problems as if they were paleontologists....
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Curated OER

Fossils

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students discuss the work of a paleontologist and examine several fossils and books on paleontology. They use clay and Plaster of Paris to create a cast of an object and compare this activity to the formation of fossils in nature.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fabulous Fossils

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Young scholars investigate how fossils are formed. They read the book, "Digging Up Dinosaurs," examine fossil samples, create a fossil imprint using play-doh, and complete a Fossil Questionnaire activity sheet.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science: Making Trace Fossils

For Teachers 4th - 6th
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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Curated OER

PALEO COOKIE DIG

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students examine a variety of soil samples and then conduct a simulated "dig" in a grid of no-bake cookie bars.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

T-Rex

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine the differences between a scavenger and a predator.  In this predator instructional activity students research an animal and study its physical traits. 
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Curated OER

No Bones About It

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students act as paleontologists, examining pictures of dinosaur skeletons and applying their knowledge of the relationship between skeletal features and survival, to create 'Paleontology Reports' about their perceptions of the lives of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From Human Skeletons to Owl Pellets to Paleontology

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners explore about the function of the skeleton and comprehend the names of the bones of the human skeleton. They compare bones of the human skeleton to a dinosaur skeleton and graph to compare these bones. Students sort bones to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossils

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students act as paleontologists to discover who a mystery guest to the classroom was. They do not know the identity of the guest but infer the identity from items left behind in the classroom. They make inferences from dinosaur fossils.
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Curated OER

Dino Babies

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students distinguish between dinosaurs and fossils. They escribe what paleontologists do and how they reconstruct the lives of dinosaurs from the fossil record. In addition, they state that dinosaurs hatched from eggs.
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Curated OER

Archeological Finds

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Pupils explore archeology and it contributions to human history. They write a magazine article describing the discovery of a dig.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Join the Dinosaur Age

For Teachers K
Students role-play and complete various activities associated with dinosaurs and paleontology. They listen to the book, "Dinosaur Bones," participate in a simulated dig site, explore various websites, sing dinosaur songs, and create clay...
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Curated OER

Fossil Impressions of Ancient Life

For Teachers K - 6th
Students make a mold using Plaster of Paris and then make a cast using that same mold. They pick a fossil and describe how it looks. They write a fictionalized story about its life, or burial. (
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animal Tracks - Walking and Running

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students, using paper and water, make tracks and record the time needed to make them. They compare tracks made walking and running to determine the speed of the animal.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Can I See The Sea?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
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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Curated OER

I Have a Bone To Pick With You

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Pupils explore fossils and how they are found by paleontologists.
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Curated OER

Studying Fossils

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
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Curated OER

Biology: Howler Monkeys Tell All

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine a PBS special about howler monkeys as an introduction to scientific forensic investigative methods. In groups, they conduct a host of experiments containing clues which point to discovery. By challenging assumptions,...
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Curated OER

Can You Dig It?

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students investigate a fossil site and diagram a site map. They role play as paleontologists.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dig This

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore the work of paleontologists and the life of dinosaurs and create a sculpture of the bones of a Stegosaurus. The sculpture was then buried and used by other classes for a dig.

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