Caveat Academy course · Grades 8 to 12

Paleontology and Prehistoric Life

A semester course on the history of life written in rock: how fossils form and are dated, from the first microbes to the dinosaurs, the asteroid and the Ice Age giants, and how paleontologists dig, measure and change their minds. Six self-paced modules.

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$19one-time · every device you sign in on
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Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Middle school course library, $79 for 28 items.

6 modules · 18 lessonsabout 12 hours$19

Six modules, eighteen lessons

Each module ends with a practice set that tracks mastery, an explain-it-back prompt, a short written response and a module exam. The final opens when every module is proficient; passing it earns a certificate with a verification code.

  1. Module 1: Fossils and the rocks that hold them

    Classify fossils and the ways they form, explain why the fossil record is incomplete, and order rock layers and events with the principles of stratigraphy.

    • What a fossil is
    • Why fossils are rare
    • Reading layers of rock
    about 2.1 h

  2. Module 2: Deep time

    Compute ages from half-lives and bracketing ash layers, and place events on the geologic time scale and a one-year calendar of Earth's history.

    • The geologic time scale
    • Radiometric dating
    • Picturing deep time
    about 2.1 h

  3. Module 3: Early life: from microbes to land

    Explain the evidence for early microbial life, the Cambrian explosion and the move onto land, including how transitional fossils test predictions.

    • The first life
    • The Cambrian explosion
    • Life moves onto land
    about 2.1 h

  4. Module 4: Extinctions and the age of dinosaurs

    Compare the causes and effects of mass extinctions, and evaluate the evidence that birds are living dinosaurs.

    • Mass extinctions
    • What makes a dinosaur
    • Dinosaurs that never died out
    about 2.1 h

  5. Module 5: After the dinosaurs

    Analyze the evidence for the end-Cretaceous impact and trace the rise of mammals, the evolution of whales and the fate of Ice Age megafauna.

    • The end-Cretaceous extinction
    • The rise of mammals
    • Ice Age giants and human origins
    about 2.1 h

  6. Module 6: How paleontologists work

    Describe how fossils are found, recorded and studied, estimate size and speed from bones and trackways, and explain how paleontology revises its conclusions.

    • From the field to the museum
    • Bringing ancient animals to life
    • Science that changes its mind
    about 2.1 h

Try it before you start

This is how every lesson works: step through a worked example at your own pace, then answer a check and get the reason right away. Nothing here is saved; the course keeps your progress.

Module 6 · Bringing ancient animals to life

Worked example: walking or running?

  1. A theropod footprint is 30 cm long.

A lesson check from each module

The checks need JavaScript turned on. The course itself works the same way.

What you get

Academics · Middle SchoolAlso for Academics · High School$19 · included with the Academy pass and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A finished semester of paleontology: you can identify how fossils form, order rock layers, date fossils with half-lives and ash beds, place events in deep time, explain the Cambrian explosion, mass extinctions, why birds are dinosaurs and the end-Cretaceous impact, and estimate an extinct animal’s size and speed from bones and footprints. Passing the final earns a Caveat certificate of completion.
Who it is for
Students in grades 8 to 12 who love fossils and dinosaurs or want a strong earth and life science elective, previewing a school course or learning on their own; homeschool families who want a complete semester unit. The math is fractions, ratios and simple multiplication.
Format
An online self-paced course: 6 modules and 18 lessons with worked examples you reveal step by step, 144 practice and exam items (multiple choice, numeric, fill-in and ordering), an explain-it-back prompt and a rubric-checked short response in every module, module exams with one retake, a 24-question final and a certificate with a verification code. About 12 hours in all; works on a phone or a computer.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the course opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Middle school course library ($79) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Progress is saved in this browser on this device, and the certificate page lets you download your record.
Where it lives
The Middle School space in Caveat Academics; also listed for the High School space in Caveat Academics (the same course serves the high school Paleontology & Prehistoric Life title).
Support
Access, a receipt, a refund or a correction to the course: team@caveatacademic.com.

How it works

  1. Open the course and start Module 1. Each lesson takes about 25 to 35 minutes; two or three a week finishes the course in about a semester.
  2. Answer the checks as you read. Every answer shows the reason, and a miss links you back to the lesson that covers it.
  3. Finish each module with its practice set and exam. Proficient on every module opens the final; 70 percent passes it.
  4. Print or download your certificate and record from the certificate page.

Start the course

Sources and accuracy

The lessons are original writing by Caveat Academic Services. Facts were checked against these free, open references, which are also good places to read further.

  1. University of California Museum of Paleontology, Understanding Evolution and the geologic time pages: ucmp.berkeley.edu
  2. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Deep Time and paleobiology: naturalhistory.si.edu
  3. International Commission on Stratigraphy, the International Chronostratigraphic Chart: stratigraphy.org/chart
  4. U.S. Geological Survey, geologic time and radiometric dating: usgs.gov
  5. U.S. National Park Service, fossils and paleontology on public lands: nps.gov/subjects/fossils

Paleontology and Prehistoric Life is a self-paced course from Caveat Academic Services. It follows the sequence of a typical one-semester elective but does not replace a school course, award credit or substitute for supervised field work. Geologic dates are rounded and are revised slightly as methods improve; example numbers are labeled as examples. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.