Paleontology Teacher Resources

Paleontologists could be considered detectives of the past. A quick online lesson describes the science of paleontology and the importance of fossils. Young scientists read about how paleontologists analyze the features of fossils to...

A list of 11 books about paleontology offers titles, authors, and a brief description of the tale.

How can we bend a fossil? Junior paleontologists explore the joint movements of extinct species in Brain Scoop's Fossils and Geology series. The narrator works with a paleontology curator to show the experiments performed on the...

Believe it or not, some dinosaurs are not extinct. Discover this and other interesting facts about dinosaurs in a 10-question online quiz. As individuals answer questions, the resource provides them with feedback and additional facts...

Here is an unusual question: How can I become a famous fossil for future generations to examine and adore? It is from this comical perspective that viewers learn how fossilization occurs. Show this for your middle school paleontologists...

Students will comprehend the use of simple grids and the basic principles and skills used on a paleontological dig, such as the Illampi Mound Colony. They incorporate a systematic investigation. Students analyze a variety of different...

In this paleontology worksheet, students use newspaper, fossils, a ruler, and more to discover what is inside a fossil. Students then answer 4 questions about their activity.

Explore 1870s when a "bone rush" led to amazing discoveries, as fossil-hunters risked life and limb in their quest for dinosaur remains. The class uses the attached visual encyclopedia to prep for a discussion on early paleontology. Two...

An exceptionally creative approach is taken to assessing your biologists' grasp of natural selection concepts. They are to imagine hosting Charles Darwin for dinner and having, to their surpise, a few other noted scientists crash the...

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.

Students work in teams in this Webquest, to conduct research on selected Web sites and then report their findings. For this Evolution WebQuest, specialists (students) gather evidence from the fields of paleontology, anatomy and...

Young scholars discover how a paleontologist digs up fossils and what tools they use.  In this paleontology lesson, students discuss the importance of the job of a paleontologist, watch a video on the process of extracting fossils,...

This is a truly amazing project. Perfect to use during your next dinosaur unit. Second and fifth graders work together to draw and make a relief sculpture of a nine foot-long stegosaurus. They discuss what paleontologists do and then...

Learners discuss the work of a paleontologist and examine several fossils and books on paleontology. They use clay and Plaster of Paris to create a cast of an object and compare this activity to the formation of fossils in nature.

If you are staging an archaeology or paleontology simulation, here is a checklist that you can post for your diggers. It lists reminders for how to prepare for the dig, as well as reminders for wrapping up. 

Pupils engage in a lab which introduces them to fossils and paleontology. They examine eleven numbered boxes containing fossils which are related to the questions on this lab then answer questions on a lab sheet imbedded in this plan.

How would you feel if you made a scientific discovery and weren't recognized because of your gender? Mary Anning basically founded paleontology, but she could never publish her own discoveries. From discovering how to clean fossils and...

Students count the number of varves (annual layers of sediment) in shale billets, taken from the Green River Formation in Wyoming. The count is then extended to reflect the entire 260 meters of sediments where the billets originated.

Here is an excellent cross-curricular lesson. Learners relate multiplication to area by making a grid on graph paper, and then creating the same grid in real space outside in the school yard.

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....

Students examine the process of fossil removal and the naming of dinosaurs. They participate in a "fossil dig" involving cookies, create new dinosaur names, and create a picture of a dinosaur they name.

Students investigate the practice of digging for fossils. They participate in a mock dig of fossils using real bones and other artifacts. Then students dig through sand in order to go through the simulation. Students make observations...

Explorer Evan hosts this episode of "Our World" as he describes what a paleontologist does and how NASA helps these scientists work using remote sensing. Perfect for your first through third graders, this five-minute video shows the many...

Casey Gardener takes your class to meet Leonardo, one of the most intact dinosaur mummies ever found. A prominent paleontologist takes you on a tour of the dinosaur's body, showing how fossils and mummies can tell the story of life as it...