Plan some hands-on activities to keep your fossil lessons fascinating.
Fossils are fascinating fragments of natural history, and they can make an entertaining and informative subject of study. Keep even the most stubborn learners interested in your lesson with a variety of hands-on activities; these will help demonstrate the concepts that you explain in class in a fun, visual way.
Leaf Impressions
Have students make leaf impressions to demonstrate the carbonization process that occurs to preserve many plant fossils. This activity basically follows the leaf pressing method, but instead of the goal being to preserve the leaves, you will focus on how the staining of the pressed leaves represents the carbonization process. You will need fresh leaves, two sheets of white paper per impression, and a thick, heavy book like a dictionary to do the leaf pressing. Place each leaf between the two sheets of white paper, and then place these inside the thick book. Allow the leaves to sit for 1-4 weeks, and then remove the leaves from the papers and books. Observe the colors left behind by the leaf; these contain elements from the leaf that, in low-oxygen environments, can become the basis for a fossil.
Fossil Mold
Allow students to create their very own take-home fossils using plaster of Paris, 3-ounce paper cups, modeling clay and a small item like a seashell. Have the students roll out the modeling clay, and then place the flattened result in the bottom of a paper cup; this will represent the sediment that traps the fossilized item. Students should press the small item they've chosen into the modeling clay to leave an impression. Remove the actual items, leaving just the imprinted clay at the bottom of the cup. Mix two parts plaster of Paris with one part water, and then pour the mixture so that it covers the clay evenly. Allow this mixture to harden, and then peel away both the paper cup and clay mold to reveal the resulting plaster of Paris fossil.
Fossil Hunt
Not everyone has the time or resources to embark on a class fossil hunt, but there are ways of incorporating a real hunt into a classroom simulation. Study fossil-rich locations of the country, and then split the class up into smaller groups to begin planning a simulated fossil-hunting expedition. Each group should select an area to excavate based on what they've learned in class. The groups should plan out their fossil dig details, including supplies they might need, dates they plan to work and what kinds of fossils they hope to find; provide geologic maps to make some of these predictions easier.
Chipping Away at Fossils
This activity is educational, entertaining and delicious. Provide each student with a chocolate chip cookie; place each on a paper towel on the students' desks. Explain that the goal of the activity is for each student to remove as many chips, which represent the fossils, as possible without destroying the fossils or the cookie, which represents the land. Students may only use toothpicks to accomplish this task. Time the activity to last between 10 and 15 minutes, and then have the students come together as a class to share their results and general observations. Students may eat the broken cookie fragments if they desire, or you can provide each student with a new cookie to enjoy.
Tags: each student, modeling clay, plaster Paris, carbonization process, each student with, fossil Fossil
