According to the American Museum of Natural History, "paleontology is the study of ancient life, from dinosaurs to prehistoric plants, mammals, fish, insects, fungi, and even microbes." It's more than just studying dinosaurs! Paleontology is all about discovering what life was like on the planet long, long ago.
Scientists learn about prehistoric life from studying bones of ancient creatures and fossils of prehistoric plants, animals, and other life. Fossils are the remains, impressions, or trace elements of an ancient organism (National Geographic).
Enjoy paleontology resources for middle school students with this database. From the homepage, scroll through the topics to "STEM" and then "Paleontology and Anthropology." From here, choose topics such as paleontology, dinosaur extinction, fossils & fossilization, and more.
Search paleontology topics and scientists in the World Book Kids database. Access photographs and age-appropriate articles, and see how studying the articles align with Missouri Learning Standards.
