Fossil Hunt

Three pages of intriguing pictures and reading passages about the natural history of Africa's West Coast Fossil Park make up the bulk of this handout. There are 13 questions to answer and directions for designing a poster about one of...

Energize an environmental science unit on natural resources with this collection of instructional materials. From simple coloring sheets for primary grade children, to guiding questions for a high school research report, a wide variety...

Fossil Lake, Wyoming contains the most complete representation of early Eocene life in the world. The first of three videos on location at Fossil Lake discusses the process of finding fossils. It introduces the tools and methods used to...

Sharks contain a cartilage skeleton, rather than bone, so they rarely appear in the fossil record. The video explains why we find shark teeth and how scientists use that tiny piece of information to learn about sharks. Then, it presents...

Scientists know a great deal about extinct dire wolves thanks to a large number fossilized in one geographical area. They lived in groups, hunted opportunistic or wounded prey, and were fierce in battle and sex. Learn more with an...

A quarry worker in southern Africa discovered the first fossil evidence that the human species originated on the continent less than 100 years ago! Evidence from the specimen indicates the first humans were not the hunters—but the prey....

Ever wonder what a paleontologist does, or have a little learner yearning to know everything about fossil hunters? This comprehensive video shows what paleontologists do and why they do it. Get your kids thinking about the wonders of a...

Students acquire a general knowledge of fossils and paleontology, the study of evidence of life in the past and identify the major invertebrate groups (phyla) commonly found in the fossil record.

Young scholars study the fossils in Argentina and why it is a good place to find them.  In this dinosaurs lesson students learn about the recent dinosaur excavations. 

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...