Educational Video Series

Science and Engineering Practices

This series of participatory videos made by NHMU's Museum on the Move educators introduces key science skills utilizing objects from the NHMU collections - or right from your own backyard!  Intended for 4th grade learners, but a great way to introduce science and engineering practices to any age. 

• Click here to start investigating!

Cross-Cutting Concepts

Explore this series of videos made by the Museum on the Move team, highlighting a few major Cross-Cutting Concepts in NHMU galleries.

• Click here to start exploring!

Paleontology

The Natural History Museum of Utah has created videos about the amazing world of paleontology by looking at important sites, discoveries, and processes.  These videos are a great way for students to dig into the world of paleontology and can be used in many ways in classroom learning or at home lessons.

Akainacephalus Announcement

In 2018 NHMU announced the discovery of a brand new dinosaur species - Akainacephalus johnsoni. Discover more about the 10 year process from first excavation to announcement. 

• Introducing a new dinosaur: Akainacephalus johnsoni (4 minutes)
• A Day in the Field - Geologist Jelle P. Wiersma describes fossil field work (2 minutes)
• The Discovery Site (2 minutes)
• Preparing a Fossil - Chief Curator Randall Irmis describes how fossils are prepared after being located    (1 minute)
• What Makes Akainacephalus Unique (1.5 minutes)
• Naming a New Species (1 minute)
• Akainacephalus's Asian Connections (1 minute)

Utah R.O.C.K.S.

Through the generous support of the Paleontological Society and BLM, NHMU worked to create a short, three part video series with a focus on helping 4th grade classes connect with real paleontologists from the Natural History Museum of Utah. The videos explore the steps of Paleontology in three parts - Field Work, Fossil Prep Lab, and Collections & Research. 

• Part 1: Field Work (6 minutes)
• Part 2: Fossil Prep Lab (4 minutes)
• Part 3: Collections & Research (2 minutes)

Respect and Protect

Visit fossil sites around Moab with Natalie and local paleontologists to learn how we interpret fossils with an emphasis on interpreting past environments, as well as learning to respect and protect the incredible paleontological sites we have here in Utah. Created in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).  Each video ends with the same reminders on how to be a good steward to our fossil resources.  

•   Intro & Poison Spider Dinosaur Tracksite - dinosaur footprints (4.5 minutes)
•   Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite - dinosaur footprints (3.5 minutes)
•   Mill Canyon Dinosaur Trail - Jurassic dinosaur bone fossils (3.5 minutes)
•   Dinosaur Stomping Grounds - mega-site of carnivorous dinosaur footprints (4 minutes)
•   Copper Ridge Dinosaur Tracksite - sauropod and allosaurus footprints (3.5 minutes)

Ideas for using these videos:

• Provide a mission for learners before starting the video, such as listening for certain vocabulary words or key ideas

• Have students write a summary to share about one of the videos, design a flyer advertising something they learned, or have students pair up for a think, pair, share where they discuss a question related to the videos and share out with the class.

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