Curated OER
Can You Dig It?
Students investigate a fossil site and diagram a site map. They role play as paleontologists.
Curated OER
Be a Paleontologist
Students search for fossils in a simulated archeology site and explore how paleontologists mark out a dig site.
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
It's All In The Rocks
Students think critically to determine fact or inference when examining sedimentary layers with embedded fossils. Geology and evolutionary biology are introduced. They individually write a story about various diagrams and share their...
Curated OER
Scientists Study Dinosaur "Mummy"
Students share ideas about how scientists know about dinosaurs, then read a news article about the recently found remains of a hadrosaur. In this dinosaur lesson plan, the teacher introduces the article with a class discussion and...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
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,...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
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.
Channel Islands Film
Arlington Springs Man: Lesson Plan 2
West of the West's documentary Arlington Springs Man and a two-page scientific article about the same topic provide the text for a reading comprehension exercise that asks individuals to craft a one page summary of information gathered...
Curated OER
No Bones About It
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...
Curated OER
Becoming Whales: Experiencing Discoveries of
Learners experience, through a "dig," the historical discovery of fossils which increasingly link whales to earlier land-dwelling mammals. They encounter the intermediate forms which show changes that lead to the modern whale.
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Footprint Detectives: Making Inferences Using Dinosaur Trackways
Young scholars analyze and discuss footprints and dinosaur tracks. They listen to books about paleontologists, create and analyze their own trackways using black paper and chalk, examine the data, and form hypotheses about footprints and...
Curated OER
Archeological Finds
Students explore archeology and it contributions to human history. They write a magazine article describing the discovery of a dig.
Project SMART
Dinosaur Trek
Second graders investigate dinosaurs. They explore various websites, submit questions to a paleontologist online, construct cut and paste model dinosaur skeletons, develop a graph to compare dinosaurs, and label pictures from online...
Curated OER
The End of an Era
Students explore the American-Mongolian paleontology expedition of Cretaceous fossil beds at Ukhaa Tolgod in the Gobi Desert. They present information about the life forms, tectonics, climate and geology of this time.
Curated OER
Earth Science Lesson Plans on Geologic Time
Springboard your fourth and fifth graders into the study geologic time. They will complete 7 activities to learn about geologic time and the topics most often associated with it: astronomy, creation, planet formation, volcanology,...
California Academy of Science
What Kind of Geologist Am I?
Transform your class into young geologists as they learn about six different branches of geology. Using the included geology career descriptions and picture cards, learners work in small groups deciding which tools and locations fit...