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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

National Park Service: Fossils in Time Unit

For Teachers 5th - 9th
In this lesson, students learn about the earth's past by studying clues that have been left behind, such as fossils and rocks. Students will find the answers to many questions: What is paleontology?, What is geological time?, What can we...
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Handout
Estrella Mountain Community College

Online Biology Book: Paleobiology: Fossils and Time

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out how fossil evidence has been the major link to learning about Earth's geologic history. See several illustrated interpretations of a geologic time scale in this online biology textbook.
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Article
US Geological Survey

U.s. Geological Survey: Fossils, Rocks, and Time

For Students 9th - 10th
Publication delves into the importance of studying the Earth's history and how we go about doing it. View pictures and diagrams showing the geological time scale and fossil succession.
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Lesson Plan
US Geological Survey

U.s. Geological Survey: Mud Fossils

For Teachers K - 1st
Two part lesson allows for students to observe real fossils then make and recover their own fossils using mud.
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Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Geo Logic: Lagerstatten and Unique Fossils

For Teachers 9th - 10th
With GEOLogic questions, students are asked to match several unique fossils with the sites and locations where they were found, as well as their geologic age.
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Unit Plan
University of California

University of California Museum of Paleontology: Stories From the Fossil Record

For Students 4th - 9th
This colorful, interactive site demonstrates how fossils can be used to discover a range of information about the past. Topics include Past Lives, Paleoecology, Geologic History, and Biodiversity.
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Handout
Other

Black Hills Institute of Geological Research: All About Fossils

For Students 9th - 10th
The Black Hills Institute of Geological Research is a world-renowned center for paleontology. Here they describe in clear language how fossils are formed and preserved, and what information they give us about the past, particularly in...
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History: O Logy: Layers of Time: Fossil Game

For Students 3rd - 8th
Game through which students order layers of sedimentary rock, from oldest to newest, based on the type of fossils they contain.
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PPT
Other

Western Oregon University: Earth System Science: Geologic Time [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
An 81-page slideshow that looks at the principles of geology with respect to relative dating, at different concepts describing geological processes, at absolute age and radiometric dating, at the eons and eras in the geologic time scale,...
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Handout
US Geological Survey

U.s. Geological Survey: Geologic Time

For Students 9th - 10th
A discussion of geologic time, how scientists use the concept, and how they have determined its span.
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Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Fantastic Fossils

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students learn about fossils - what they are, how they are formed, and why scientists and engineers care about them.
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Unit Plan
University of California

University of California Museum of Paleontology: Geologic Time

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about geologic time, including the age of the Earth by putting it in terms of pages in a book.
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Unit Plan
Georgia Department of Education

Ga Virtual Learning: Geologic Time and Correlation

For Students 9th - 10th
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...
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Article
Talk Origins Archive

Talk Origins Archive: Radiometric Dating and the Geological Time Scale

For Students 9th - 10th
A lengthy article with lots of information about radiometric dating, including pictures and charts.
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Handout
University of Oxford (UK)

Oxford University Museum of Natural History: The Learning Zone: Fossils

For Students 3rd - 5th
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...
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Lesson Plan
American Geosciences Institute

American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Mud Fossils

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this lesson students will look at the major divisions of geologic time and learn about the fossils and forms of life which existed during those periods, helping them to understand how the age of rocks are preserved.
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Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: Fun With Fossils

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine several fossil samples as they analyze different ways these fossils formed using both real samples and an interactive web page.
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eBook
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Life Science: 4.4 Fossils

For Students 9th - 10th
Understand fossils and the fossil record as it relates to Earth's history.
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Handout
US Geological Survey

Usgs: Fossils and Rocks

For Students 9th - 10th
Part of an online publication offered by the U.S. Geological Survey, this articles sheds light on how studying fossils became an important part of understanding geologic time.
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Graphic
Other

Valdosta State University: Virtual Museum of Fossils

For Students 9th - 10th
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.
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Fossils & Dinosaurs: The Age of Dinosaurs

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
[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...
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Website
University of California

University of California Museum of Paleontology: Fossil Evidence

For Students 9th - 10th
Understanding Evolution provides evidence for evolution using fossils. There are also links to lesson plans.
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Website
University of California

Ucmp: Learning From the Fossil Record

For Students 6th - 8th
Fossils provide scientists with clues about Earth's past. This site from the University of California's Museum of Paleontology is great for exploring lots of information on fossils.
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Handout
US Geological Survey

Usgs: Geologic Time

For Students 9th - 10th
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.

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