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How Did Humans Evolve?
Students are introduced to four important fossil finds: the First Family, the Hadar Skull, Lucy, and the Laetoli Footprints. They explore how scientists interpret fossils to try to better comprehend how humans evolved. This activity...
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It's All in the Rocks
Students think critically to determine fact or inference when examining sedimentary layers with embedded fossils. They are being introduced to geology as well as evolutionary biology.
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Relative Dating-Telling Time Using Fossils
Students explore how to read fossil range charts. They develop an knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the fossil record. Students become familiar with the concepts index fossil and fossil range. Students use bar graphs to...
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Fossils
Fifth graders study the characteristics of fossils. They create a chart comparing the different fossil size, shape and texture. Students make observations and describe fossil characteristics in journals.
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Comparing Fossils
Students explore early hominid evolution as they analyze bones that share characteristics of both apes and humans. Students compare and contrast key skeletal differences between chimpanzees and humans. In groups, they sort and group a...
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Learning about Fossils
Students explain the difficulty that paleontologists have in assembling fossil bones. Hard cookies are used to simulate dinosaur bones/fossils. They research the Apatosaurus and discuss paleontology.
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Vocabulary Words of the Southwest
A simple vocabulary definition worksheet has young geographers of the Southwest putting term meanings into their own words. The fifteen words include (but are not limited to) adobe, butte, canyon, economy, erode, fossil, and landform....
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Frogs Frogs Frogs
Students view a disk on the continental movement and analyze the given data on fossils, rock types and climate zones. For this geology lesson students draw a diagram of the earths layers, take a quiz complete a PowerPoint presentation.
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Living Fossils
Learners study the term living fossil and examine why some of the reasons they survived. In this fossils lesson students form a hypothesis and use data to see if it is accurate.
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Tiktaalik: Evolution of a "Fishapod"
Students explore fossils in order to gain a perspective of evolution. In this evolution lesson students watch several videos an fossils and complete a worksheet.
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The Fossil Evidence for Evolution
High schoolers explore how scientists use fossils to explore how various species have evolved over time. For this fossil lesson students study how to date fossils.
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Human Evolution
High schoolers examine fossils in order to study humans and how humans evolved over time. In this human evolution lesson students examine different genetic relationships between humans and other species.
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Patterns In Time
Seventh graders examine fossils. In this vertebrate fossils activity students view a demonstration.
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Fossil Evidence for Plate Tectonics
Students draw maps of counties that were important to the discovery of plate tectonic theory. In this plate tectonics lesson students excavate constructed fossil sites from matching coastlines and discuss the possible explanations for...
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PATTERNS IN TIME
Students build a realistic sense of geological time, seek clues of transition fossils and find them. In this investigative instructional activity students complete several activities and worksheets on fossils.
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Fossil Imprints
Third graders discover fossil imprints. In this fossil lesson, 3rd graders get a piece of clay and create their own fossil imprints using animals provided by the teacher. They share their fossils with their partner and complete a data...
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When Dinosaurs Ruled the World
Students create their own fossil. In this fossil lesson, students explore dinosaurs and fossils through reading Fossils Tell of Long Ago by Aliki. Upon completion of the story, students use modeling clay to create a cast.
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The History of Life
In this Earth's history worksheet, students will complete 5 true or false questions based on the early history of the Earth. Students will match 7 fossil vocabulary words to their definitions. Students will complete 4 short answer...
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Carbon Dating
In this carbon dating worksheet, students read about carbon dating and the estimate the age of a given fossil. This one-page worksheet contains one multi-step problem.
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General Description of Site
In this earth science worksheet, students identify what a site matrix is and that is composed of a sandstone mixture. They excavate each quadrant and write detailed journal entries. Students also complete a site map that illustrates...
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Fossil Hunters!
Students explore the various ways in which geologists create fossil records. Working in pairs, students create a model of a fossil record through a hands on activity. They relate their experience to recent discoveries in geology and...
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Dino Babies
Students distinguish between dinosaurs and fossils. They escribe what paleontologists do and how they reconstruct the lives of dinosaurs from the fossil record. In addition, they state that dinosaurs hatched from eggs.
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Utah Archaeology
Students study past cultures of those who made areas of Utah their home by exploring the artifacts these cultures left behind. Students will explore different types of fossils and learn that fossils are evidences of past life.
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The Fossil Record
Young scholars research about the animals found in Burgess Shale. In this earth science instructional activity, students evaluate the significance of fossils in human history. They create models of their chosen animal.