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Excavating the Past
Students discover how palaeontologists conduct a dig for fossils and how they interpret the age of the fossils. In small groups, they prepare a "dig site" consisting of bones, rocks and soil layered in a cardboard box. They switch boxes...
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From Caterpillar to Butterfly
Young scholars read and discuss the book about the butterfly and create their own butterflies using liquid watercolors and pipe cleaners. They then create a butterfly development book, included in the lesson, and color the pictures...
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What is a Fossil?
Students determine what a fossil is and distinguish between body fossils and trace fossils. They examine pictures of fossils and determine which represents a trace or body fossil.
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Science: Down Home Dinosaurs
students participate in hands-on activities to discover the different types of fossils. Using teacher-provided materials, they make models of cast and trace fossils. After writing essays describing how traces are formed, students plan a...
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Making Tracks
Fifth graders examine the fossil footprints of two and four legged dinosaurs. Using this information, they try to determine how the dinosaurs lived their lives. They use their own walking pattern to compare it to the dinosaurs and...
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Making Tracks
Students participate in groups to show how two legged and four legged dinosaurs walked. Using fossilized footprints, they identify the two and four legged dinosaurs shown. They use the internet to determine what happen by a specific...
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Curse of T. Rex
Students debate ownership by researchers and commercial dealers of fossils found on public land. They research and collect information on collecting, buying, and selling fossils from public land. They suggest ways to enable the...
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Where Should We Place Archaeopteryx?
Pupils classify Archaeopteryx using pictures of actual fossils and scientist representations of how the animal might have looked. They compare Archaeopteryx's characteristics to those of the five extant vertebrate groups to...
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It's All In The Rocks
Middle schoolers 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...
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Studying Fossils
Students study the Evolution in the Light of Fossils. Activities in this activity range from quantitative measurements of hominoid skulls to the comparison of hominoid bone structures. They hypothesize dinosaur size and speed by looking...
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Investigating Erosion in an Outdoor Classroom
First graders observe the effects of erosion. They work in groups to simulate erosion in a streambed, participate in class discussion, read books about fossils and rocks and then go on a fossil hunt.
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Dinosaur Detectives
Students examine amphibian evolution by comparing fossils with a modern-day skeleton. They experience the scientific thought process of drawing conclusions from limited paleontological data. Student groups align the figures with the...
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Fossil Guide
Students produce a "Fossil Guide" that covers twelve fossils and includes a drawing and written description for each fossil. The written description should include such things as size, shape, and general appearance.
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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...
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Make a Cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex Fossil
Second graders examine the formation of fossils and list the different types. They make cast model of a dinosaur fossil. They write about conditions that are necessary for fossils to form and create a model of a buried fossil.
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Dino Fossils
Primary paleontologists discover the information they can gather from examining fossils. They place pictures in the correct sequence showing how an animal becomes a fossil. They discuss which sediments would preserve fossils better as well.
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Paleoecology of "Fossilized" Owl Pellets
Young scholars examine fossilized owl pellets to determine how a species environmental preferences allow us to reconstruct probable past environments. Differences in anatomy are used to identify species in this lesson.
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Mineral Replacement in Fossil Formation
Fourth graders explore fossils and how they are formed. They create their own "fossils" out of plaster of Paris. They record their findings in their science journals.
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Dino Traces
Young scholars 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.
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Mold It
Students make molds of various items of their choosing using the Molt-It kit. They discuss the scientific value of making molds.
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Dino Detectives
As students examine maps of Utah, 4th graders search for clues about what prehistoric life was like in Utah.
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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.
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Insects Preserved in Amber
Students examine and discuss amber and fossils in amber. They simulate the preservation of an insect in amber using glue, a dead insect, and food coloring, listen to a poem about amber, and view real amber under a magnifying glass or...
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Can You Dig It?
Young scholars investigate a fossil site and diagram a site map. They role play as paleontologists.