Teacher's Guide
Download the Teacher's Guide or visit School visits to learn more about school programs offered by Harvard Museum of Natural History.
Museum Map
Download the map of the museum's galleries for your school visit.
Teaching Evolution through the Fossil Record
Teacher Professional Development Series
Thursdays, October 29, November 5, 12, & 19, 4:00 - 7:00 pm
How do scientists learn about ancient life and how did diverse life forms come to be? Attend Teaching Evolution through the Fossil Record, part of the Teacher Professional Development Series offered by the museum. For elementary and middle school teachers from school in the Greater-Boston area that serve more than 50 percent low-income students.
The program is free for all participants and includes a follow-up museum visit for each teacher and up to 50 students, and a subsidy for bus transportation to the museum. Participants will earn 12 PDP credits upon completion of the course.
Registration Information
Registration deadline extended to October 19
Download the flyer for details and the registration form to apply. Email completed registration forms to
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or fax to 617.496.8308.
Questions? Contact Jennifer Peterson at 617.496.9584.
This course is made possible in part through a generous grant by the Biogen Idec Foundation.
Gallery Activities
Evolution Gallery Activity
Explore evolution in the Harvard Museum of Natural History’s world-class collections with this gallery activity. By observing specimens and making inferences, students will investigate evolutionary concepts such as adaptation, speciation, coevolution, and the magnitude of time.
The gallery activity can be used to aid students’ exploration of the museum's galleries during a self-guided visit or before or after a school program. Please allow approximately 45 minutes to complete the activity.
The Evolution Gallery Activity is aligned with Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for students in grades 6–8, and may be adaptable to other grade levels.
Animal Detectives Activity
Whose teeth are these? In this activity, students look closer at the museum’s collections to figure out which animals are pictured. While exploring, students will have the chance to compare animals and explore themes like camouflage, body coverings, and adaptations like beaks and feet.
This 20 to 30 minute gallery activity can be used to aid students’ exploration of the museum's galleries during a self-guided visit or before or after a school program. Print out a copy for each student to bring with you to the museum. Younger students will need the support of an adult while older students can work more independently in small groups.
Using this activity? We’d love to know! Send us an email at
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, and a museum educator will greet you when you arrive.
Impact!: An Asteroid's Journey to Earth
An Interactive Program for Educators
IMPACT! An Asteroid’s Journey to Earth is an interactive DVD developed for use in middle and high school classrooms that presents current scientific thinking about asteroids, impacts, and impact craters. Learn more about Impact! and how to order this resource for your classroom.
Climate Change: Our Global Experiment
Materials for Educators
In conjunction with the exhibition Climate Change: Our Global Experiment, the Harvard Museum of Natural History has developed a suite of educational materials designed to extend learning from the exhibition to the classroom and help teachers to address various National Science Standards in earth science, physics, chemistry, and science and technology. Although educators are encouraged to schedule a visit with their students, the materials also stand on their own as effective teaching and learning tools.
Learn more about Climate Change: Our Global Experiment and how to order this resource for your classroom.
