5 Fun Books & Videos On Fossil Evidence for Third Grade

1. Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist 

By, Linda Skeers 

The Dinosaur Lady is not only great for diving into the world of fossils and paleontology, but it’s also a great introduction to biographies and female scientists.

This book follows the life of Mary Anning and highlights how she paved the path in paleontology.

2. Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years

By, Stacy McAnulty 

This fun story is told from the point of view of Earth. It’s told in an engaging yet informative way with a timeline of events from over 4 billion years ago.

If your students love this one, be sure to check out the others by McAnulty that explore the moon and other planets.

3. Earth Science Rocks! Fossils

By, Chris Bowman

As a part of the Blastoff! Readers collections, this non-fiction book is a great addition to your fossil evidence unit.

After reading this one out loud, your students will love to read it on their own and dive deeper into the vocabulary words and pictures.

4. Fossils

By, Ann O. Squire 

Your 3rd graders will love all the fun facts and activities in this book. They’ll also get an introduction to the fields of geology, meteorology, and ecology! It’s perfect for any earth science and especially on on fossil evidence for third grade!

5. How Geologists Read the Geologic Time Scale

By, Baby Professor

Although this may not be the best book to read aloud to the whole class, it’s a great one to have in your fossil collection. Aspiring paleontologists or geologists will love this deep dive into the time scale!

6. Ivy and Bean Break the Fossil Record

By, Annie Barrows 

The Ivy and Bean series is always a fan favorite in my class. Your students will likely have a waiting list to get their hands on this one during your fossil unit!

It’s a great chapter book that follows the fictional story of Ivy and Bean becoming the youngest to discover a dinosaur!

1. Fossils 101 | National Geographic

It’s hard to go wrong with a National Geographic video! Fossils 101 is just over 4 minutes long and shows a collection of real photographs of a plethora of different fossils.

Some of the facts and descriptions may be a bit difficult for your third graders to fully grasp, but the images are enough to keep them engaged and wanting to learn more.

2. Fossils Tell a Story | FunScience Toons

Fossils Tell a Story is a fun animated video that follows DeShawn and Jasmine as they take a field trip to the science museum.

During their visit, Jasmine asked many questions that many of your students may also be wondering. The questions are answered in a clear and understandable way with the use of different diagrams and images.

3. Fossils & Dinosaurs | Real World Science on the Learning Videos Channel

 This 15-minute video is longer than others on this list but offers an in-depth introduction to the world of fossils and dinosaurs.

Fossils & Dinosaurs uses a mixture of videos, speaking, text, and pictures to cover the timeline, different types of fossils, and a bit on extinction.

6. DIY Fossilized Sponge – Indy Labs #35 (At Home DIY Science)

For those looking for more hands-on fossil fun, this video explains fossilization while simulating the fossil process with a sponge. You can then DIY the experiment yourself in your classroom.

In addition to walking you through the experiment, the scientist in the video also does a wonderful job of explaining the “why’s” behind each step and effect.