Process
EVERYONE MUST COMPLETE NUMBERS 1 and 2
1. Define the TWO types of fossils. Find and describe in 2-3 sentences THREE ways that fossils are formed. Try these fossil websites for an introduction to fossils.
2. While you're in these two sites Find and copy/paste pictures of the fossils of at least THREE animals or plants that interest you, as well as photos of what that animal or plant might have looked like when it was alive, into a Google document. Identify WHEN each animal or plant lived (either the year or the time period) and write a brief description of the organism.
Petrified Wood, Arizona
Congratulations! Now, you must succesfully complete at Two of the following activities.
3. Dinosaur detective In this task, you must read the artices that interest you. Then, add the following information to a word document:
Why were dinosaurs so successful in the Triassic period? Hint!
What clues about dinosoar life have we discovered from the major dinosaur fossil discoveries? Explain at least two.
Why did the dinosaurs go extinct? Post three possible theories into your word document IN YOUR OWN WORDS.
4. CSI: Chesapeake Watch this video and poke around the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History Website on "Written in Bone".
How do human fossils from the Colonial period in America inform the historical record? In other words, what do the human fossils tell us that written historical accounts do not? Give THREE examples. (Hint- if you liked this, you will also find Bog Bodies interesting.)
5. 65 Million year old Poo Read both pages of this facinating National Geographic article and describe WHY the titanosaurs were so successful during the late Cretaceous. What link between plant characteristics of the late Cretaceous and dinosaur characteristics of this time did the researches find? What is the technical name for the 65-million-year-old poo fossil?
6. Bog Bodies Explore this site to learn about the mysterious bog bodies of northern Europe. What type of fossils are they? How did these fossils form? Explore each of the 8 links at the bottom of the page. Who was the oldest bog person and when did he or she live? What do the bog bodies tell us about how the bog people lived- and died? Give at least FIVE examples.
Brain Break:
7. Visit this site to test your skills at assembling an animal's skeleton from fossils! Remember this doesn't count for one of your two required activities.
Use the brain break sparingly! Your priority should be accomplishing the assigned web-based research.
Introduction
