An Introduction to Fossils Using Pokémon - Videos + Extension Activities

This class goes over the basics of fossils - how to find them, how to identify them, and the geologic time scale - all using Pokemon for examples.

▬▬▬▬▬▬ VIDEOS, ACTIVITIES, AND MORE ▬▬▬▬▬▬

• This course has four parts to it. Parts 1-3 consist of a video presentation and some extension activities to expand the students’ understanding. Part 4 is a DIY Pokemon Project to learn even more about fossils.

• In a regular school setting, these materials are ideal for reverse instruction or a flipped classroom unit. For instance, you can assign the video recording to watch at home for homework, and then use the extension activities for class projects. The recordings also work well for sub days and much-needed sanity days!

• If you are using these materials in a home school setting, you could choose to do one part per day or one part per week, doing the projects as time allows. Feel free to have your child email me at lauren.rae.ard@gmail.com, if they have any questions or want to share what they’ve done with the materials.

• This unit also includes a link to my notes and Prezi presentation I use throughout the course, in case you want to give some of the presentation, or expand on the material yourself. Please keep in mind that the video may not match up exactly with the notes and lecture materials, because I do alter and add to my notes as time goes on.

▬▬▬▬▬▬ COURSE SUMMARY ▬▬▬▬▬▬

Part 1: Finding Fossils (18 minutes)

• Tools and clothes for fossil hunting
• Using Dynamite?!
• Where to go to find fossils
• Fossil Ethics

Part 2: Types of Fossils (23 minutes)

• Petrified fossils
• Cast and Mold fossils
• Carbon fossils
• Preserved fossils

Part 3: Fossil Eras (41 minutes)

• What the geologic timeline looks like
• PreCambrian Era
• Paleozoic Era
• Cenozoic Era
• Mesozoic Era

Part 4: DIY Pokemon Project

▬▬▬▬▬▬ LEARNING OBJECTIVES ▬▬▬▬▬▬

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

♦ List the tools and gear that geologists use to find fossils.

♦ Explain the Law of Superposition.

♦ Discuss Fossil Ethics (and why you can't take fossils from a National Park).

♦ Identify the different types of fossils and describe how they are formed.

♦ Describe some fossil varieties that have inspired Pokemon.

♦ Name the four main eras in the geologic time scale, and some fossils from each era.

♦ Define the terms "living fossil" and "trace fossil."

♦ Explain why we can't use fossil DNA to bring fossils back to life.

♦ Describe how scientists use fossil clues to figure out how an ancient animal may have behaved.