Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dig It!

For Teachers 2nd
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...
Lesson Plan
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. (
Organizer
Curated OER

What Are Fossils?

For Students 2nd - 3rd
In this fossils worksheet, students will review the 4 steps necessary to create a fossil. Students will fill in the blank of 4 statements in this graphic organizer.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Digging Into Science Lesson Plans

For Students 5th - 7th
In this biology learning exercise, students identify and write the various species that are still present today. Then they define evolution using three words. Students also describe what a fossil is and give some examples related to a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossil Formation Fun

For Teachers 4th
Students compare the three types of fossils: preserved organisms, mineral replacement fossils, and impression fossils. They create a model of amber, sponge fossil, and make traces of fossil.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Identifying Fossils

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students create model fossils.  For this fossils lesson, students view pictures of fossils and compare and contrast these fossils.  Students read about fossils and create a database chart with the facts they learn. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Basin Filled With Time

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use fossil leaves and a mathematical formula to study climate change. In this climate change and fossil lesson plan, students determine the differences in temperatures during two different times during the Cenozoic era using...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jurassic Park Debate

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students research behavior, phsyiology, and ecology of dinoaurs. Students role-play as scientific specialists such as geneticists and ecologists. They present their research findings in a research paper.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossil Hunters!

For Teachers 6th - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History of the Earth

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students work together in groups to research the characteristics of the Mesozoic Era. Using various sources, they must include information about climate, landforms, plants and animals found during this time period. They create a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Draw T. rex

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore how scientists determine what prehistoric animals looked like based on their bones. They draw a picture of the skull of a Tyrannosaurus Rex by copying an image from an overhead or book.
Website
Other

The Dinosaur Museum

For Students 3rd - 8th
The Dinosaur Museum is located in Blanding, Utah. Use this site to learn all about the exhibits and dinosaur information.
Website
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History: O Logy: Paleontology: The Big Dig

For Students 3rd - 8th
On this site, you will learn all about Paleontology, the study of ancient life. It defines paleontology and provides links to games, stories, videos, and hands-on activities.
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History: Ology: Paleontology: The Big Dig

For Students 3rd - 7th
A collection of online games, virtual puzzles, experiments, and interviews with experts to immerse students into the world of paleontology.
Website
PBS

Idaho Ptv: Science Trek: Dinosaurs

For Students 2nd - 6th
A comprehensive overview of dinosaurs. Includes three videos: a half-hour show, a video short, and a short video where an expert answers children's questions. Other features of the site include facts, links, games and activities, a...
Website
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History: Dinosaurs: Bambiraptor and Birds

For Students 9th - 10th
A 14-year-old boy found the fossils of a brand new species of dinosaur--the Bambiraptor. Find out the fun facts about what scientists have discovered about the Bambiraptor and how closely it was related to birds with this resource.
Website
Other

Canal Kids: Dinossauros (Dinosaurs), a Era Dos Gigantes

For Students Pre-K - 1st
A good introduction to dinosaurs for young Portuguese-speaking children. Uses an engaging writing style, cartoon-style graphics, and animation to teach about the Mesozoic era. Coverage includes types of dinosaurs and their features,...
Website
University of California

Ucmp: What Killed the Dinosaurs?

For Students 9th - 10th
This UC Berkeley site extensively covers the death of the dinosaurs. It includes history, theories, invalid hypotheses, and current arguments.
Website
Virginia Tech

Virginia Polytechnic Institute: Greenhouse Dinosaur Extinction Theory

For Students 9th - 10th
This comprehensive page discusses the Asteroid Impact vs. Volcano-Greenhouse dinosaur extinction debate. It was written by paleontologist, professor, and scientist Dr. Dewey McLean.
Website
American Geosciences Institute

American Geological Institute: Evolution and the Fossil Record

For Students 9th - 10th
The American Geological Institute has done an excellent job of defining and explaining evolution in this online booklet. Darwin, fossils, natural selection, and change over time are some of the concepts that are covered. Make sure to see...
Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: The Ferocious Predatory Dinosaurs of Cretaceous Sahara

For Students 9th - 10th
Nizar Ibrahim uses paleontological and geological data to reconstruct the 'River of Giants' in north Africa in surprising detail.
Website
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: How a Dinosaur Became a Fossil

For Students 3rd - 8th
This interactive resource adapted from the Museum of Paleontology at the University of California, Berkeley shows how a dinosaur can be buried under sediment after it dies, become a fossil, and then become exposed and discovered by...
Lesson Plan
Discovery Education

Discovery Education: Dinosaur Detectives

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
For this lesson, students conduct research on what paleontologists do when they study dinosaur fossils. They learn about some of the major paleontologists, what they discovered, and how opinions about fossils change over time as new...
Whiteboard
Scholastic

Scholastic: Dinosaurs!

For Students 3rd - 8th
Scholastic provides a learning site about dinosaurs that features information and facts, games, activities, and much more. There is also a teacher's guide that provides numerous ideas for dinosaur lesson plans.