Creature Features - Showcase of Living Fossils
David Sunderlin
, Lafayette College
Author Profile
This activity has benefited from input from faculty educators beyond the author through a review and suggestion process.
HideThis activity has benefited from input from faculty educators beyond the author through a review and suggestion process.
This review took place as a part of a faculty professional development workshop where groups of faculty reviewed each others' activities and offered feedback and ideas for improvements. To learn more about the process On the Cutting Edge uses for activity review, see http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/review.html.
This page first made public: May 25, 2009
Summary
This activity connects the fossil record to biodiversity in the Recent by having students present on a "living fossil" group. The exercise is useful in demonstrating evolutionary stasis, reminding students of the differential preservation of soft and hard parts, and developing presentation skills.
Context
Audience
undergraduate upper-level elective in geology or biology major programs
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
How the activity is situated in the course
As a side project that is incorporated into the discussion of fossil groups
Goals
Content/concepts goals for this activity
- anatomy of fossil & modern groups of organisms
- evolutionary trends/stasis
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
- synthesis of research
Other skills goals for this activity
- oral presentation
- written presentation
- teaching the class
Description of the activity/assignment
This activity is a side project that students work on through the organismal portion of a course in paleobiology/paleontology. Students present on the lifestyle, habitat, and behavior of "living fossil" groups. The activity ties the fossil record to the modern living world and allows students to engage with ideas of evolutionary stasis, taphonomy, and functional morphology.
Determining whether students have met the goals
I use a rubric assessment system and peer evaluations. The rubric is provided to the students at the time the assignment is given and serves as a guide for the students as well as a grading tool.
More information about assessment tools and techniques.Download teaching materials and tips
- Activity Description/Assignment:Creature Feature - Showcase of "Living Fossils" (Acrobat (PDF) 332kB May25 09)
- Instructors Notes:
- Solution Set:
