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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Natural Selection

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students estimate how many different species of organisms inhabit the Earth. In groups, they match the pictures of embryos at the different stages of development. They compare and contrast animals from the sky, land, and water and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossils!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners conduct Internet research about different types of fossils, the animals they are from, and some famous paleontologists. They also participate in some interactive activities and hands-on lessons in which they create their own...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dinosaur Traces

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students identify and interpret the type of evidence found at a typical dinosaur dig and mimic a paleontologist by taking crayon rubbings of simulated bone impressions. After the rubbings are taken, the students reconstruct the complete...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossils and our Past (part 1 of 3)

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders investigate how some extinct organisms resemble organisms that are still alive today. They watch and discuss the Magic School Bus video about fossils, then create clay fossil imprints, matching the imprints to plaster of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Did Humans Evolve?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Use of Myths in Science

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are told stories, myths and legend to explain their world. After telling the tales and discussion them, students are assigned to write a myth that describes a familiar situation, such as why the school garbage cans are always...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Studying Fossils

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students compare and contrast key skeletal differences between chimpanzees and humans: brain size, teeth, hand and thumb, trunk, pelvis, lower limb, foot and big toe. They then sort and group a set of mixed "fossil bones" of chimpanzee...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dinosaur Tracks: From Stride To Leg Length To Speed

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students determine the relationship between leg length, stride length, and speed in humans and bipedal dinosaurs. They collect data and graph these human characteristics then use actual data collected from dinosaur track pads and fossils...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's All in the Rocks

For Teachers 6th - 12th
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rockin? Chalk (Integrating science - make own chalk)

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students use plaster of Paris, talc, and cornstarch to create their own chalk. They hypothesize what mixture of ingredients produce the "best" chalk. Students discuss what they think are the characteristics of the "best" chalk.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Relative Dating-Telling Time Using Fossils

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Young scholars 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. Young scholars use bar...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossils

For Teachers 5th
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Studying Fossils: Hominoid Skull Comparison

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students collect data on the differences in Hominid skulls using acrylic casts of fossil skulls. They measure a series of structures on skulls from six different species then use the data to determine evolutionary relationships between...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Fossils

For Teachers 7th - 12th
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fabulous Fossils

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students investigate how fossils are formed. They read the book, "Digging Up Dinosaurs," examine fossil samples, create a fossil imprint using play-doh, and complete a Fossil Questionnaire activity sheet.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Did Humans Evolve?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students complete an online activity in which they examine fossils to find possible hominid family trees.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossils

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students complete a unit on fossils. They read and discuss informational handouts, define key vocabulary terms, answer discussion questions, create a geologic timeline and a timeline of their own life, analyze bones, and create a fossil...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dinosaurs are for the Birds

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Students use the Internet to see photographs of fossils from dinosaurs. They read articles about dinosaurs and birds and what they had in common. They also examine a dinorama site in which they discover why some dinosaurs needed feathers.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Digging into the Past

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students discover how fossils are found and how they help scientists reconstruct the past. They examine how they shed light on what kinds of animals and plants lived over the years, when they lived, and under what environmental conditions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Draw T. rex

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore how scientists determine what prehistoric animals looked like based on their bones. They draw a picture of the skull of a Tyrannosaurus Rex by copying an image from an overhead or book.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Big is a Dinosaur?

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders create enlarged replica of a stegosaurus drawing, using a grid to practice coordinates.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossils 2: Uncovering The Facts

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students recognize the kind of information that can be accumulated by studying dinosaur fossils, and explain that some fossil facts are made based on comparisons with living organisms. They are introduced to the concept of evolution.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hunting Invertebrate Fossils in the Classroom

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Students acquire a general knowledge of fossils and paleontology, the study of evidence of life in the past and identify the major invertebrate groups (phyla) commonly found in the fossil record.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Fossil Find - Reconstructing the Pieces

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students go on an imaginary fossil hunt. They follow a script read by the teacher, students "find" (remove from envelope) paper "fossils" of some unknown creature. They attempt to reconstruct fossil pieces into an animal.