University of California
Ucmp: Getting Into the Fossil Record
A learning module where students tour the fossil record to learn what fossils are, how organisms become fossils, the factors that promote fossilization, how paleontologists find fossils, and why some organisms cannot be fossilized....
University of California
University of California Museum of Paleontology: Stories From the Fossil Record
This colorful, interactive site demonstrates how fossils can be used to discover a range of information about the past. Topics include Past Lives, Paleoecology, Geologic History, and Biodiversity.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geological Institute: Evolution and the Fossil Record
The American Geological Institute has done an excellent job of defining and explaining evolution in this online booklet. Darwin, fossils, natural selection, and change over time are some of the concepts that are covered. Make sure to see...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: What Can We Tell From the Fossil Record?
Find out what the fossil record tells scientists about the geologic and biological history of the Earth.
University of California
Ucmp: Learning From the Fossil Record
Fossils provide scientists with clues about Earth's past. This site from the University of California's Museum of Paleontology is great for exploring lots of information on fossils.
Discovery Education
Discovery Education: The Fossil Record
This lesson plan explores the fossils of animals that lived in the ancient oceans such as in the area now known as the Burgess Shale in the western Canadian Rocky Mountains.
Biology Corner
Biology Corner: Fossil Record
In this lesson, students use the fossil record to understand the topics of speciation, punctuated equilibrium, and gradualism. Students arrange fictitious animals' fossils by age based on appearance to create a fossil record.
Other
Evidence for Evolution: Fossil Record
These pages are part of a site called "Evolution," that accompanies a textbook by the same name. Mark Ridley is the author. In this section he discusses how fossil records provide undeniable examples of evolutionary change.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Life Science: 4.4 Fossils
Understand fossils and the fossil record as it relates to Earth's history.
University of California
Ucmp: Explorations Through Time: Getting Into the Fossil Record
This interactive activity is part of a series of modules that investigate the history of life on Earth. Students will understand the basics of fossils and how they form after completing this activity. Teacher guide and lesson plans...
Other
Tree of Life for the Fossil Record
This tree of life is presented in an outline format. The outline is arranged in a hierarchical manner organized from the largest group (domain) to the smallest group (class). This interactive outline includes pictures of fossils and...
American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History: O Logy: What's the Big Idea? Paleontology
Snapshot reference on paleontology explains how the fossil record drives this area of science.
University of California
Ucmp: The Evolution of Flight in Birds
Evidence from the fossil record is used to support bird evolution from small carnivorous dinosaurs. In the student module, feathers, behavior, and skeletal structure are examined in an interactive lesson designed to impart a complete...
Science Struck
Science Struck: The Meaning of Index Fossils Explained
Explains the importance of index fossils for the dating and chronology of events in the fossil and geological records. Discusses uses and examples of index fossils in the Cenozoic, Mesozoic, and Paleozoic Eras.
The Wonder of Science
The Wonder of Science:ms Ls4 1: Fossil Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity
Young scholars analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on earth under the assumption that natural laws...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Fossils
Seven hands-on lessons module where students learn about fossils. These inquiry-based investigations explore how fossils form, properties of fossils, comparing fossils, how they show the age of the Earth, and what paleontologists do.
University of California
Ucmp: Chondrichthyes Fossil Record
This Berkeley site offers a great overview of when the class appears in the fossil record.
University of California
University of California Museum of Paleontology: Fossil Evidence
Understanding Evolution provides evidence for evolution using fossils. There are also links to lesson plans.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Evidence for Evolution
Get ready to create your own definition based on scientific knowledge of evolution in this tutorial! This tutorial specifically explores the fossil record, cell's evolution, and homologies.
Other
Western Oregon University: Earth System Science: Geologic Time [Pdf]
An 81-page slideshow that looks at the principles of geology with respect to relative dating, at different concepts describing geological processes, at absolute age and radiometric dating, at the eons and eras in the geologic time scale,...
Other
Fossil Record
This effective site traces the history of modern man from his early ancestors (Australopithecus Afarensis) to Homo Sapiens sapiens.
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: What Can Fossil Footprints Tell Us?
In this investigation, students examine an image of multiple fossil footprint tracks. They try to construct an explanation for the events that created the pattern of tracks. Even though students come up with different explanations for...
Untamed Science
Untamed Science: Biology: Evolution: History of Life: The Cambrian Explosion
Learn about the Earth's evolutionary history during the Cambrian period. [3:25]
PBS
Pbs: Energy and the Environment
This site is devoted to the environmental record of the George W. Bush Administration. It examines everything from nuclear energy and waste to better fuel efficiency in SUVs.