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ISM Web offerings for Geology
More than 200,000 specimens are in the geology collections, including 60 type and figured invertebrates, six fish types, and more than 600 type and figured plant fossils. Also represented is a strong collection of Carboniferous fossils from the scientifically and nationally significant Mazon Creek and Rock Island areas of Illinois. The vertebrate paleontology collection is one of the best Late Quaternary mammal fossil collections (50,000+ specimens) in North america; it is especially rich in Pleistocene-aged fossils from the American Midwest. Rocks and minerals in the collection number more than 6,700 specimens.
- Changes: Dynamic Illinois Environments
- Did you know that Illinois was once located south of the Equator? Or that Illinois was once a tropical sea teeming with marine life? Ever wonder what life was like in Illinois millions of years ago? Changes: Dynamic Illinois Environments allows visitors to travel into the past to see how Illinois has changed and how it continues to change today. Find out more ...
- The Mary Ann MacLean Play Museum
- The Play Museum is a free children's area at the Illinois State Museum-Springfield. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday (10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.) and Sunday (1:00 to 4:30 p.m.) Closed Monday. Find out more ...
- Making a Giant Ground Sloth
- For the Changes! Exhibition, the Illinois State Museum replicated a Jefferson’s Giant Ground Sloth, an extinct Ice Age mammal.
- Changes: Dynamic Illinois Environments
- Earth forces are continually at work causing change. Climate, land, and living things are all connected. They interact with each other in complex ways. Even a small change can start a chain reaction that, over time, has big effects. Scientists study how Illinois' environment has evolved over the last 500 million years and how it continues to change even today. This online version of the Illinois State Museum's natural history hall explores the scientific evidence for environmental change in Illinois. This is available both as a flash-based interactive version, and also a non-flash version.
 - Ice Ages Web Exhibit
- This Web exhibit answers some of the basic questions about the Ice Ages in Illinois. The astronomical and geological conditions that cause ice ages are described.
 - Mazon Creek Fossils Web Exhibit
- This web exhibit features images of fossils of plants and animals from the Mazon Creek area of northern Illinois. These fossils formed inside concretions; some of them even show the soft tissues that usually do not become fossilized. From this fossil evidence, scientists have reconstructed ancient environments of Illinois.
 - Midwestern U.S. 16,000 Years Ago Web Exhibit
- This Web exhibit features the extinct large mammals such as mammoths and mastodons, as well as smaller mammals that live here today. It explains the four possible reasons for extinction.
 - MuseumLink Behind the Scenes at the Museum
- Behind the Scenes lets students learn about museum careers of curator, preparator, director, resesarch assistant, and other jobs involved with running a museum. It offers descriptions of the ISM collections and research programs in Botany, Zoology, Anthropology, Geology, and Art. There is sections on how to mount an exhibit, how to restore an object, how donations are handled, how exhibit murals are made, and how prehistoric environments and lifeways are reconstructed from evidence. Suggestions are given for students to create an exhibit and research objects.
 - Prairies in the Prairie State Web Exhibit
- This exhibit is a detailed look at Illinois prairie plants and animals. It focuses on Midewin Prairie, a restoration in progress on the property of the old Joliet arsenal. Insects, birds, and mammals are featured.
- State Symbols of Illinois Web Exhibit
- This exhibit features most of the official Illinois state symbols. Each symbol has a page of background. There is an interactive multiple choice game. There are also lesson plans for elementary students that help them become familiar with each symbol.
 - Forms for Exhibit Creation Lessons
- In the Classroom Exhibit lesson for the Behind the Scenes module, students can print out and use forms to keep records of the objects or specimens they are planning to exhibit.
- How to Use FaunMap Lesson
After looking at the Midwestern United States 16,000 Years Ago Web exhibit, learn how to use the Museum's online FaunMap to discover where species lived in the Ice Ages compared to today. (pdf)(High school) The url of the Museum's Online Research Program <a href="/research/faunmap/">FaunMap</a>
 - Mammal Adaptation Game
- Play the Mammal Adaptation Game to learn how mammals are adapted to their environments and what happens when their environment changes. (pdf) (Elementary school)
 - Rocks & Minerals - First grade
- a unit plan and contains more than one lesson. You can pick and choose those that best fit your goals and the ability level of your students.
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