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Teacher Guide

Introducing Fossils

ACTIVTY 1: OBJECTIVES

Students will explore key ideas and topics of fossilisation and determine  answers to investigation questions that will build upon their understanding.

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Students will determine and define key terms related to the topic of fossils. 

Students will construct their own concept map and identify relationships between key terms with appropriate propositions. 

RESOURCES

Vocabulary Game

 

Think-Pair-Share

 

TEACHING INPUT

  • Ensure you are constantly inciting discussion and providing knowledge throughout each part within this activity.

  • Provide a tutorial on how to use any suggested websites prior to student's development of the concept map.

TEACHING INPUT

RESOURCES

RESOURCES

Picture of Fossil                     

RESOURCES

RESOURCES

TEACHING INPUT

  • When showing the video, encourage students to write down the information provided

  • Interacting with students in discussion during their research will help with getting students back on track if they lose focus, and to identify if more implicit teaching is needed. 

TEACHING INPUT

TEACHING INPUT

  • Help students to explore the research of Prof. Guang Shi by guiding them through his explanation videos that explore some key concepts found on the 'Meet Our Scientist' page. 

  • Incite discussion and help students explore what they would like to research.

Students explore the Law of Superposition by applying relative dating principles to rocks and fossils They will analyse the placement of fossils in zonation schemes and develop their own diagram to represent the relative age range of the fossils they have analysed.

Students will understand the idea of relative dating of fossils by sequencing a series of fossil samples from oldest to youngest and record their analysis using a table where they will identify which fossils overlap which specific sets.

Students will practise the idea of relative dating of rocks and fossils by working as a team and complete an engaging class activity of ordering themselves from oldest to youngest.

Students will explore key ideas and topics of fossilisation and determine answers to investigation questions that will build upon their understanding.

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Students will determine and define key terms related to transitional fossils. 

Students will work together to develop a presentation on their interpretation of a fossil's transition through time.

Students will understand how certain features are essential for survival.

Student will describe an example of a species becoming extinct and what has caused this to occur.

Students will explain why a species could go extinct due to its inability to adapt to its environment.

Relative Dating

ACTIVTY 2: OBJECTIVES

Transitional Fossils

ACTIVTY 3: OBJECTIVES

Adaptation Vs. Extinction

ACTIVTY 4: OBJECTIVES

Students explore index fossils and various principles of rock deposition. 

Fossil Hunters: Sample Sets

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Fossil Hunters: Table

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  • Encourage student participation as all three parts in this activity require team work and communication skills. 

  • Participate in the activities with the students by roaming around the class and provide input, feedback and some discussion points to enable teams to communicate with each other and work co-operatively.

  • Pose various investigation questions during the activities to engage students' understanding and prepare them for overall class discussions.

Relative Dating Zonation Schemes

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Relative Dating: Diagram Template

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Relative Dating Zonation Schemes Answers

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Day-in-the-life of a Palaeontologist

ACTIVTY 5: OBJECTIVES

Students will explore and question what happens in the everyday life of a paleontologist with their research.

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Students will research and utilise their knowledge from the previous activities to develop their research project.

Students will construct their mock research trip to develop and show their understanding of the role of a paleontologist with the fossils they have discovered. 

  • You may move faster through material if students have a strong grasp on evolution and adaptations.

  • If students have a poor grasp on evolution and adaptations, you should review these with students prior to beginning lesson.

  • Get students to write down the guided questions in books and provide their own answers prior to class discussion. 

Students will define the term mass extinction and apply their understanding to how a mass extinction event occurs.

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