How
can you use fossils as a teaching tool? In my classrooms
over the years, fossils have never failed to spark
fun and enthusiasm for learning about earth sciences.
I have seen students, otherwise disengaged in activities
of learning, become totally captivated with the process
of uncovering the fossil hiding beneath the surface
of soft rock. Fossils connect students to the history
of our planet. They can simultaneously imagine the
situation of ancient life, while examining current
habitats and species that could become the fossils
of the future. Perhaps you are looking to bring this
sort of enthusiasm to your classroom or your children
at home.
Fossils
inspire all sorts of questions. Consider these possibilities
:
How
old is this? (Leading to the study of the Earth's
history.)
What
kind of animal was this? (Leading to zoology and
species classification.)
Where
did it live? (Leading to habitats past and present,
including botany.)
How
did it live? (Leading to a study of vital functions--more
zoology.)
How
did it form? (Back to a study of geology and earth
science.)
The
list seems endless. Fossils are not only attention-getters;
they are also incredibly versatile as a teaching tool.
Fossils make a great theme for integrated curriculum
studies. If you get creative, there are all types
of stories to be written: factual, imaginative, and
even poetry. Imaginations run wild when you hold the
fossil of a long-extinct species in your hand. You
could write tales of life on the ancient sea floor,
or how that particular animal met its demise and became
the fossil you are holding today. You could create
an entire language arts curriculum around it! If it's
math you'd like to kick into gear, working with the
geologic time periods offers opportunities for scientific
notation, exponents, scale (when placing them on a
timeline), and comparisons between lifespan lengths.
Then there are the geometric qualities of the shells
and chitinous exoskeletons. You could study fractals
or tessellations, just to name a couple possibilities.
The biology-related curriculum is obvious. Classification,
developmental changes and adaptation to environment,
vital functions, and predator-prey relationships are
just a few of the possibilities for further in-depth
study.
Likewise,
geology takes on a new meaning when seen through the
fossils' eyes. The stone containing the fossil may
have once been an ocean floor, a swampy bog, or a
boulder-filled riverbed. As students look at the quality
of the matrix that contains their fossil, they are
inspired to think about the material and situation
that created it. It seems that using fossils as a
teaching tool a creative teacher, parent, or student
would find an endless promise of topics to study,
limited only by the personal interest and creativity
of the student. There is truly nothing like a fossil
to inspire! Your students will show you the way...and
love you for letting them reach deep into their creativity
to do it!
About
the author: Claudia
Mann is a teacher, and a contributor to www.fossils-facts-and-finds.com
where you will find information that will help you
pump up the enthusiasm in your classroom or home school
setting. Go to there now for free fossil lesson plans,
activities, and information on fossils and geologic
time.
