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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dinosaur Detectives

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Learners 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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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Make Your Own Dino Stationary

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Scholars follow five steps to create dinosaur-themed stationery using basic computer skills.
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

T. Rex Roar Mixer

For Students 6th - 12th
Scholars predict the sound of a tyrannosaurus rex roar with a mixing board equipped with audio from crocodiles, chickens, loon, macaw, peccary, sea lion, and bison.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The End of an Era

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the American-Mongolian paleontology expedition of Cretaceous fossil beds at Ukhaa Tolgod in the Gobi Desert. They present information about the life forms, tectonics, climate and geology of this time.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Xenosmilus

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students play the roles of paleontologists on a dig. They unearth a few fossils at a time and attempt to reconstruct the animal the fossils represent.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Footprint Detectives: Making Inferences Using Dinosaur Trackways

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students analyze and discuss footprints and dinosaur tracks. They listen to books about paleontologists, create and analyze their own trackways using black paper and chalk, examine the data, and form hypotheses about footprints and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hide and Seek with Bones: A Mapping and Scaling Comparison

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Young scholars examine and simulate how paleontologists map objects. They hide and find objects using a grid to map the objects' placements.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animal Tracks - Walking and Running

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Learners, using paper and water, make tracks and record the time needed to make them. They compare tracks made walking and running to determine the speed of the animal.
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Lesson Plan
Project SMART

Dinosaur Trek

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders investigate dinosaurs. They explore various websites, submit questions to a paleontologist online, construct cut and paste model dinosaur skeletons, develop a graph to compare dinosaurs, and label pictures from online...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossil Impressions of Ancient Life

For Teachers K - 6th
Young scholars make a mold using Plaster of Paris and then make a cast using that same mold. They pick a fossil and describe how it looks. They write a fictionalized story about its life, or burial. (
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Worksheet
Curated OER

The Earliest Primates

For Students 7th - 12th
For this early primate worksheet, students will read information about the fossil evidence of the earliest primates. Students will complete 3 short answer questions based on their reading.
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Organizer
Curated OER

What Are Fossils?

For Students 2nd - 3rd
In this fossils worksheet, students will review the 4 steps necessary to create a fossil. Students will fill in the blank of 4 statements in this graphic organizer.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

The History of Life

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
In this history of life worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle by figuring out the vocabulary words associated with the 11 clues given. Then students review how paleontologists use fossils to learn more about past living things...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biology: Howler Monkeys Tell All

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine a PBS special about howler monkeys as an introduction to scientific forensic investigative methods. In groups, they conduct a host of experiments containing clues which point to discovery. By challenging assumptions,...
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Buried Bones

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Patience is the name of the game. Using Plaster of Paris and chicken bones, learners simulate an archeological dig site. They excavate the chicken bones over a period of several days using tools and a large amount of patience.
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Pterosaurs: The Card Game

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Piecing together the past is a challenging endeavor. Learners get a taste of that challenge as they play a game that incorporates several components such as trophic levels, geological time periods, and catastrophic events. Pairs work to...
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

What Do You Know About T. Rex?

For Students 6th - 12th
There's so much to learn about dinosaurs. A 10-question quiz tests knowledge of the more detailed characteristics of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. As individuals complete the quiz, they better understand how fossil records helped define some of...
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Finding Fossils

For Students 6th - 12th
How does one go about finding fossils? Find out with an informative webpage that looks at the digging process, showcases rocks and common fossils, helpful tips, and a list of archeological do's and don'ts. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dig It!

For Teachers 2nd
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossils

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders act as paleontologists and attempt to figure out the environment where various fossils would have existed. They explain how fossils can be used to make inferences about past life, climate, geology, and environments.
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Dress up a T. Rex

For Students 6th - 12th
Scholars play with an image's color and brightness to predict how tyrannosaurus rex's skin, feathers, and eyes would have appeared. Information and real-world pictures shed light on what evidence guides our assumption of how a dinosaur...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Replacing Missing Links in the Evolutionary Chain

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Examine the evolution of various species of hominids from their earliest existence approximately 4.5 million years ago to today. In small groups, learners research one of the ten stages of hominid evolution and then create a poster and...
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Lesson Plan
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California Academy of Science

What Kind of Geologist Am I?

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Transform your class into young geologists as they learn about six different branches of geology. Using the included geology career descriptions and picture cards, learners work in small groups deciding which tools and locations fit...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth Science Lesson Plans on Geologic Time

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Springboard your fourth and fifth graders into the study geologic time. They will complete 7 activities to learn about geologic time and the topics most often associated with it: astronomy, creation, planet formation, volcanology,...

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