TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Fantastic Fossils
Students learn about fossils - what they are, how they are formed, and why scientists and engineers care about them.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Geologic Time and Correlation
In this amazing interactive tutorial you will learn about what methods are used by geologists to learn about the history of the Earth. Investigate a geologic time scale and learn about how scientists have developed and organized a record...
Read Works
Read Works: Fossils & Dinosaurs: The Age of Dinosaurs
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage describes the time period when dinosaurs were still living on earth and describes the event that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.This passage is a stand-alone curricular...
Other
Planetary Society: Relative and Absolute Ages in Histories of Earth and the Moon
A lengthy scholarly article that discusses the geologic time scale, its history of development, age-dating events that occurred in different eras, and how absolute and relative dating are used to assess the ages of the Earth and Moon....
University of Oxford (UK)
Oxford University Museum of Natural History: The Learning Zone: Fossils
This excellent website walks students through the basics of understanding fossils. It emphasizes that most common fossils would be invertebrates and, after learning more about these life forms, students can choose to take a quiz. The...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Fun With Fossils
Fourth graders examine several fossil samples as they analyze different ways these fossils formed using both real samples and an interactive web page.
Other
Valdosta State University: Virtual Museum of Fossils
This resource provides an interactive introduction to paleontology. Take a tour, search by animal or time period, and peruse for hot links throughout the museum.
US Geological Survey
Relative Time Scale
This is a good resource for anyone who wants to understand the historical development that led to our understanding of relative dating. This site also has links to index fossils and a table of geologic time.
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...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Learning Lab: Fossils: Footprints Across Time
Smithsonian Education presents "Fossils: Footprints Across Time." Teachers can download this teaching package that introduces students to the study of fossils. Students will discover what fossils can teach us about the Earth as it was...
US Geological Survey
Usgs: Geologic Time
This large U.S. Geological Survey site offers a look at the age of the earth, how radiometric dating is used to calculate it, the major divisions of geologic time, and the classification and use of fossils.
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...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History: Paleobiology: Geologic Time: Hadean Eon
Journey into the past while reading this comprehensive overview of the Hadean Eon that covers topics such as the formation of the earth, its surface and atmosphere, fossil evidence, erosion and plate tectonics.
New York Times
New York Times: Science
[Free Registration/Login Required] The New York Times maintains daily coverage of the latest in environmental news, including geology, global warming, wildlife and earthquakes.
Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum: Dinosaurs and Other Extinct Creatures
This is the opening site for the online exhibit at the Natural History Museum. The exhibit features a wealth of information on dinosaurs including a dinosaur directory, fossil specimens, information, pictures, and more. The exhibit also...
Society for Science and the Public
Science News for Students: Carbon Dioxide Levels Rise Fast and High
The buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is rising faster than at any time since dinosaurs roamed the Earth. The burning of fossil fuels is largely to blame.
BBC
Bbc Nature: Prehistoric Life: Jurassic Period
Overview of the Earth in the Jurassic Period told by photos, news, videos, and external links with emphasis on what grew then, what lived then, the causes of mass extinction, types of fossils, and what life was like in general.
BBC
Bbc Nature: Prehistoric Life: Triassic Period
Overview of the Earth in the Triassic Period as told by photos, news, and external links with an emphasis on what grew then, what lived then, the causes of mass extinction, types of fossils, and what life was like in general.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Sorting Out Sedimentation
Sedimentary rock forms in layers that are deposited one after the other over long periods of time. Oftentimes, sedimentary rock contains fossils and other debris that are deposited within the layers. Use this experiment to investigate...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Renew a Bead
A quantitative illustration of how non-renewable resources are depleted while renewable resources continue to provide energy. The activity requires students to remove beads (units of energy) from a bag (representing a country). A certain...
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Biology: History of Life
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] This comprehensive lesson by CK-12 explains how scientists learn about the past by examining and dating fossils.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Historical Geology
In this interactive tutorial you will explore how geologists use clues in rocks to determine the order in which rocks formed. Learn how principles of radioactivity are used to assign actual ages to rocks. Students will explore fossils...
Other
Fossil Museum: Geologic Time
Pictures of fossils are arranged in chronological sequence and by geologic period. Pictures include scientific names and location where the fossils were found.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Learning Lab: Prehistoric Climate Change and Why It Matters Today
A slideshow will introduce the process of climate change that the earth has experienced since the beginning of time. Discover "leaf margin analysis" which scientists use while studying fossils to determine the temperatures they were...