The Great Fossil Find | Hands-On Activity
- May 25, 2020
- 4 minutes read - 668 words
Overview
Adapted from UC Berkeley’s and Indiana University’s evolution page, this is a fun and engaging team building activity. I use it to introduce fossils as evidence of evolution, as well as to create a budget VR experience.
Materials
Handouts, online access, ~40 envelopes, ~40 fossil sets (can be laminated for reuse)
Preparation
For about 150 students, you need about 40 fossil sets with the pieces cut out. Each envelope should have one set of pieces. I leave some white space around each fossil, as you may see in the resources.
This takes a while, so I’d recommend doing it with friends or asking your TA to help. You may laminate them before cutting if you want to reuse it and don’t plan on doing the poster activity.
Faster, lazy prep: Fossil sets could be cut into 3 large pieces and students can cut them out as they go. This means everyone gets the same pieces each time and it will also take longer to do in class, but it’s a huge time saver.
Mystery Fossil Pieces (3 Chunks)
Resources
Mystery Fossil Pieces (Pakicetus Version) | Mystery Fossil Pieces (3 Chunks)
Activity Instructions (For Days 1-3, I change the amount of fossils they take out to 3, 4, 5); print a class set
Observation Table (can be done individually or one per group)
Skeletal Resource Manual (only need 10 copies)
Pakicetus Fossil and Artist Recreation
Pacing
Suggested Pacing: (3 days)**
Day 1 - introduce the Great Fossil Find | instructions + groups of 4 | Days 1+2
Day 2 - Days 3-5 and Post-Activity Questions | Optional Poster Activity
Day 3 - Optional Poster Activity | Review Post-Activity Questions
Pacing w/ Teacher Notes:**
Day 1 - I start with a warmup question on how many organisms become fossils and how can organisms become one. I show this video after, which answers the warmup questions .
To introduce the Great Fossil Find, I take a silly approach to get them engaged. I ask them to all close their eyes as I full-screen the Montana Video , and I ask them to slowly move their elbows up and down without hitting the person next to them. Once the video is set up and playing, I say “Open your eyes. You are now a bird.” They laugh, I narrate about how they’re flying through Montana, and at about 1:12, I pause and say “And now you’re a paleontologist.”
On their tables, I have activity instructions for each student and we go over it as a class on the screen. I ask them to read individual days as I explain how the process works. I have them group up in 3s or 4s, get an envelope of the mystery fossil pieces, and write their names and period on the envelope.
Typically, we only have enough time to get through 1-2 days in the observation tables. I allocate a spot for each period to put their envelopes when they clean up.
Day 2 - Continue to Days 3-5. Each day takes about 5-6 minutes. Similar to the previous day, I try to constantly check in with the groups to make sure that they’re explaining their thought process in their observation table. When they finish, they can work collaboratively on answering the post-activity questions. I don’t share what the mystery species is until the next day, as it is more similar to what scientists would experience when uncovering fossils.
Day 3 - If I decide to do the poster activity, I make it clear that they won’t be graded on whether or not they were accurate with their guess. The focus is on their thought process and explanations. I also review the post-activity questions by having students write their answers on the board. If students have questions, we can discuss them before they turn it in.
Credits: UC Berkeley , Indiana University. Cover image by David Clode on Unsplash.
