Earth's History

Students explore what fossils are, how they are formed, what different types there are and why they are significant to both our present and past geology history. They participate in a hands on fossil observation of their choice and...

Go deep in your paleontology unit with this spectacular set of slides! It introduces viewers to the types of fossils, a few famous fossils, and the geologic eras. This is done with easy-to-read text, diagrams, photos, and even videos. 

Ah, the Grand Canyon ... ain't it grand? The narrator of a video from PBS Digital Studios explains, in detail, how the Grand Canyon was formed over millions of years.

The Grand Canyon is an excellent model for learning about Earth's rock formations. Learners will look at fossils and the differences in layers to understand how the Earth changed over time. Resources included are detailed instructions...

Middle schoolers are challenged to interpret the rock layers and formation of the Grand Canyon, to discover what geologic processes took place to form the rock layers of the Grand Canyon.

How do turtle shells form? Scholars explore the evolution of turtle shells and learn about how they form from many different bones before relating the process to cell differentiation in an organism. Pupils also look at different turtle...

Students work in groups to remove fossils from sediments, classifying as many organisms and parts of organisms as possible into major groups. They study the data from each formation and make conclusions about the types of organisms and...

Young scholars create a book about the process of a dinosaur becoming a fossil.  In this earth science instructional activity, students are taught about fossils and create a book that tells what happened to a dinosaur's bones after they...

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...

Students investigate what a fossil is and how it came to be.  In this fossil lesson, students examine pictures of skeletons and identify characteristics that can and cannot be determined by a fossil.  Students complete diagrams of a...