Digging up the Past & Fossil Hunters - Level 31

In Digging Up the Past, Jade stumbles upon a collection of personal and scientific history while rummaging through her basement. Her discovery of old photographs and fossil memorabilia belonging to her grandfather, a palaeontologist, opens a window into her family's past and inspires a new appreciation for his work. This emotive narrative combines realistic fiction with descriptive language and similes to explore themes of legacy and discovery. The paired non-fiction title, Fossil Hunters, takes readers on a factual journey through the history of fossil hunting, explaining how fossils form and spotlighting five notable fossil hunters from around the world. With a clear text structure, biographical details, and vibrant illustrations, this informative text offers an engaging look at scientific inquiry and discovery through time.

Educational Benefits:

• Encourages students to visualise text and connect personal history to broader scientific concepts.
• Supports understanding of descriptive language and literary devices such as similes.
• Develops summarising and note-taking skills through a structured factual report.
• Enhances knowledge of palaeontology and the scientific process of fossil formation.

Classroom Ideas:

• Create a family memory box to connect personal history with broader themes.
• Use visualising activities to draw scenes from Jade's discovery.
• Research a famous fossil hunter and present findings in a timeline.
• Compare and contrast fiction and non-fiction text structures and features.

Safety & Information:

• Suitable for ages: 8-10
• Book size: 207mm x 148mm
• Text content only - no small parts
• Ideal for guided or independent reading sessions