Objectives The innovation and practice in teaching models for normal education majors in universities was studied to implement the fundamental task of cultivating morality and educating nurturing people. Methods The diverse elements of value education in animal specimen museums were deeply mined in the process of reforming value education in the course of Zoology. The objectives of knowledge, ability, and quality for the course of Zoology were effectively combined by revising the syllabus, integrating contents of teaching, reforming methods of teaching and the system of evaluating the performance of students. The course for value education that integrates classroom and extracurricular activities, online and offline activities, and knowledge and abilities was developed and repeatedly practiced. Results A total of more than 700 volunteer interpreters of the animal specimen museum were trained. They performed well in in projects including the "Internet + " Innovation, "Youth Trip to Protect the Yellow River by Law", and the "National Science and Technology Week" in 2023, and received recognition from the Ministry of Science and Technology. Teachers from the team won the "Second Prize" of College Value Education in the course Teaching Competition in the Shanxi Province. Conclusions The abundant elements of value education in the animal specimen museum of universities were used as a carrier to form a more rational knowledge system for the course to comprehensively improve the education and teaching level of teachers and the overall quality of college students, contributing to the realization of a powerful nation in education.