In this lesson, students will investigate the idea of strength in dinosaurs, and decide for themselves which was the strongest. Background materials point out the difficulty in determining the strength of a dinosaur from fossilized remains, and that size may not be a good measure of strength. The students will review the background material and other printed and online resources, then write an essay ... Full description.

In this activity students study trace fossils, which commonly occur in rocks that do not contain body fossils and may be the only evidence that organisms had once lived in a certain area. They will also learn how sediment type affects fossil preservation and how to design an experiment. This activity is located under topic "Fossil Explorations". Full description.

This lesson introduces elementary students to the concept of soring living things into groups according to certain features. Students look at two kinds of dinosaurs based upon the structure of the pelvis and categorize them accordingly. Full description.

In this activity, students will appreciate how descriptive dinosaur names are formed. They will use multiple combining forms added to the suffix "-saurus" (Greek for lizard) to form the name of a "dinosaur" which they will then draw. This activity contains background information, materials, directions, and extension activities. Full description.

This lesson plan is part of the DiscoverySchool.com lesson plan library for grades K-5. It focuses on how scientists have developed theories about what dinosaurs were like by using evidence that they have found. Students work in groups and as a class to discover what a theory is and how it is supported or disproven. Included are objectives, materials, procedures, discussion questions, evaluation ideas, ... Full description.

In this activity students view photographs of 12 fossils and try to draw pictures of what the organisms looked like while they were alive. They then slice up fruit in various ways to get an idea of the difficulty of identifying an organism when only some of the hard parts may be exposed along a bedding surface, making it difficult to determine the true shape of the fossil, let alone the organism the ... Full description.

This Palentological Research Institution (PRI) website illustrates for students many of the concepts paleontologists must consider daily in their research. Concepts such as size and shape, form and function, and the process of science are covered in the activities. Full description.

Devised as part of their general Science and Nature website, this British Broadcasting Company (BBC) site offers a number of educational resources on prehistoric life. There are picture galleries, games and quizzes, links to the latest finds and theories, and information about current and classic television and radio series about prehistoric life. Full description.

This interactive site discusses where and how to find dinosaur fossils. It leads students through factors such as the type of rock, age of rock, type of map to use, and the known fossil sites in North America including Deer River in Alberta, Hell Creek in Montana, the Connecticut River valley, and the Dinosaur National Monument on the border of Utah and Colorado. There is a brief description for each ... Full description.

This site contains an activity in which students create make-believe dig sites by burying chicken bones in plaster of Paris. Then they try to excavate the "fossils." Students discover that fossilized bones are usually very delicate and deeply buried in rocks. Removing them in a lab takes skill, patience, and the right tools. This activity may be done at school or at home with a friend and adult supervision. ... Full description.