The Magic Bag Is A Great Way to Introduce Kids To
Fossils
By Claudia Mann
My long-time enjoyment of earth science, especially when it included
fossil activities, had me doing earth science activities for kids from
the time my own children were little ones. So when my middle school
asked me to pick something to teach for six weeks that I just enjoyed,
this was the first thing that came to mind. It was set up to be more
like a club than a class, so while there were definitely learning goals,
the most important goal was to have fun and enjoy ourselves. I knew I
should include fossil activities in my lesson plans. There had to be a
lot of hands-on kids' activities with an emphasis on fun.
When I got my class list, I saw immediately that I would need to do some
revisions in my plans: I had a small class, but it included several
students with learning disabilities and behavioral problems. These were
not going to be internally motivated kids. I knew that my most important
class would be the first one. I needed a kids' activity that would get
the students “hooked” on the subject right away.
I had seen an activity with younger students called the “magic bag.” It
capitalized on the unknown and their natural curiosity. But these were
middle school students-and some tough ones at that! I knew I’d have to
have a pretty solid subject area-something that could intrigue and
impress.
I placed a small fossil in enough velvet bags for each student to have
his/her own. Before handing them to the students, I asked them to
explore the contents of the bag without opening it. Since the students
knew the topic was fossils, I didn’t give any clues as to the contents
of the bags.
Instantly the air was filled comments: “It’s round!” “Mine is like a
cylinder.” “Mine’s got ridges.”
Then speculation and conjecture: “I think this is that animal that looks
like a clam.” “I think this could be a tooth.” “I know; it’s a snail!”
I had the students pass their bags to the next student and compare
observations and guesses. Eventually they were begging me to open the
bags.
But before we did, I asked them to tell me what they knew about ancient
sea life. There were lots of pictures in their minds; some were
accurate. Then I asked them to imagine which of those species might have
left fossil remains. We talked about how fossils are formed.
Finally, as a last observation, I asked the students to guess at the
animal contained in their bag, by either name or species. When fossil
was finally revealed more questions, especially about identification and
behavior, waited to be answered.
If this had been a research class, there would have been more than
enough curiosity to compel these students on to further study. In this
class, our next activity was to do a real fossil dig, with real fossils.
The “magic bag” earth science activity had the students thinking,
talking and ready for more fossil activities.
As kids’ activities go, The Magic Bag is at the top of the list for ease
of use and enthusiastic student involvement.
Claudia Mann is a teacher, and a contributor to
http://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 there now for The Magic Bag and other free
fossil lesson plans, and activities you can use with your students
today!
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Claudia_Mann
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