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Weighing a Dinosaur
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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Dinosaurs - Creatures Of The Past
Young scholars use the Internet to search for dinosaurs, then distinguish between meat-eating and plant-eating dinosaurs. They explore theories about the extinction of dinosaurs and create illustrations of dinosaurs using Kid Pix or...
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Studying Fossils: Dinosaur Tracks From Stride to leg Length to Speed
Students explore dinosaurs. Students determine the relationship between leg length, stride length, and speed in humans and bipedal dinosaurs. Students analyze collected information. Based upon the data, dinosaur tracks, and fossils,...
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The Dinosaur Body
Students investigate how body design affects balance. They make simple models of dinosaur bodies using straws and marshmallows. Before making their models, they discuss the effects of gravity and the importance of balance in body shape.
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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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What Killed the Dinosaurs?
High schoolers demonstrate how scientists use evidence to formulate hypotheses. They write an essay describing the Cretaceous and Paleocene time periods from the point of view of someone living in that time. In addition, they formulate...
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Fossil Kit II
Youngsters examine four fossil replicas and chart their time periods, vertebrate or invertebrate, and the names of other organisms living at the same time. A specific fossil kit is available for sale if you do not have the same samples....
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Fossils
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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Paleontologist: Can You Dig It?
Students investigate what a paleontologist does. They participate in a dinosaur dig, write a story, and explore the Dinosaur Dig website to view and discuss photos of a real dinosaur dig.
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Archaeology and Prehistoric Native Americans
Young scholars study the terms paleontology and archaeology and examine how they can help us learn about prehistoric Native Iowans. In this archaeology lesson students discuss these terms and view a video on Native Americans.
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Learning about Fossils
Students explain the difficulty that paleontologists have in assembling fossil bones. Hard cookies are used to simulate dinosaur bones/fossils. They research the Apatosaurus and discuss paleontology.
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No bones About It -A Mosasaur
Learners model a paleontologist's activities. They identify dinosaur bones and reassemble them into a skeleton of an extinct reptile.
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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.
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Fossils!
Students conduct Internet research about different types of fossils, the animals they are from, and some famous paleontologists. They also participate in some interactive activities and hands-on lessons in which they create their own...
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Dino Traces
Students 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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Dig This
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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Excavation Dig
Students engage in a role-play of a dinosaur excavation dig. They dig through sand to locate buried bones and then discuss the ethics of destroying buildings and other property to get at the fossil remains.
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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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Paleontology: A Field Experience
Students go to a dig where they prospect for bones which simulate fossils. They encase the bones in plaster and transport them back to school for further investigation.
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We Really Dig Archeology and Palentology
Sixth graders examine the differences between archeology and paleontology. Using the internet, they explore the tools and techniques used in each field. They must use the correct tools to uncover and record the objects they find. They...
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Be a Paleontologist
Students search for fossils in a simulated archeology site and explore how paleontologists mark out a dig site.
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Fossil Inferences
Fourth graders use their knowledge about fossils to arrange fossil pictures in sequence from oldest to youngest. They explain how fossils can be used to make inferences about past life, climate, geology, and environments and discover...
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T-Rex
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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Draw T. rex
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.