“The Sands of Time” Fossil Record Project
Sue Boudreau 4.11.2014
Challenge: Deposit 3 layers of sand and ‘ash’, with at least 4 modeling clay fossils in a cutoff soda bottle to represent the timeline of life on Earth. Include a deliberate mistake. See
the example.
1. Learn about geologic time and mass extinctions – see UCMP Important Events in the
History of Life interactive graphic and Chapter 8 “The History of Life on Earth” p.316 in your
green texts. You can also look up “fossil record” and go to Wikipedia and/or Google images. Be sure
you are looking at scientific, reputable sites.
2. Decide as a table which 3 mass extinctions and which 4 to 6 fossils you will
model. The fossils should be small in real life, AND should be of parts that would be likely to
fossilize. Find out about them. Find a picture.
3. Decide on a deliberate mistake. Write it on an index card. See the example.
4. Sketch your ideas on scratch paper or on a white board. Get feedback if you wish.
5. Make your paper guide strip from a piece of white paper. See the example. Make yours
better with more detail. You can color it.
6. Model your fossils accurately using modeling clay on a plate and modeling tools.
7. Stick your paper guide strip to the outside of your bottle.
8. Stick your fossils into place on the inside of the bottle walls.
9. Deposit sand and ‘ash’ in your bottle. The thin ash layer represents volcanic
eruptions/meteor impact/climate change that caused a mass extinction.
10. Take a picture with the iPad. Save to your Google drive.
Rubric/Checklist:
Accurate fossils: identified, recognizable, correct geologic time when these animals
lived, and are body parts that are likely to be fossilized.
4pts
Accurate layers: mass extinctions accurately labeled. Fossils in the correct layers.
4pts
A deliberate mistake that is accurate – ie a real mistake, properly corrected. See the
example.
4pts
Presentation: Clear, easy to see the layers, fossils and explanations.
4pts
Even division of work: Did your share, participated, didn’t boss, dominate, free load etc.
4pts
TOTAL:
/20
The Sands of Time Project Group Work Evaluation:
Period: ______ Table #: _________
Names of group members Did more than
fair share
You:
Did fair share
Did less than fair
share
Comments about the group experience:
Cut ->-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Sands of Time Project Group Work Evaluation:
Period: ______ Table #: _________
Names of group members Did more than
fair share
You:
Did fair share
Did less than fair
share
Comments about the group experience:
Cut ->-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Sands of Time Project Group Work Evaluation:
Period: ______ Table #: _________
Names of group members Did more than
fair share
You:
Did fair share
Did less than fair
share
Comments about the group experience:
Cut ->-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Sands of Time Project Group Work Evaluation:
Period: ______ Table #: _________
Names of group members Did more than
fair share
You:
Comments about the group experience:
Did fair share
Did less than fair
share
AFTER the Exhibtion: Link “The Sands of Time” to the real fossil record:
1. Why are older fossils found deeper down than more recent life forms?
2. Not all life is fossilized. Why is the fossil record (in the real world) incomplete? Look
up how fossils form to help you answer this.
3. For 3 of the fossils you made, what is a living descendent?
Fossil name, sketch and when it lived in MYA
Living relative
1.
2.
3.
4. List 3 ways your model of Earth layers and fossils inaccurate.
1.
2.
3.
5. Why were mass extinctions important to the evolution of present day life?
6. We are in the middle of another mass extinction right now. Why?
7. What are some possible effects of the present mass extinction on humans?
Sands of Time Teaching Notes:
Materials:
1 clear, small soda bottle between four students. Make a stab with a box cutter and let
students use scissors to cut the top off, or have students cut the tops off.
Sand (about 3/4 of a 70lb bag of Quirete construction sand per class- about $4 each)
Potting soil for the ‘ash’
4 colors of modeling clay, 1 small bit of each color per pair.
1 or 2 8 x 11 card per pair
Ruler
Colored pencils
Access to the internet.
Make an example first but don’t do it accurately. Just to show how it will be put together.
This could make a great Open House project.
The deliberate mistake and the joke are to increase student engagement with each
other’s exhibits and to prompt them to really learn the geologic eras and sequence of life
on earth. This is NOT supposed to be to scale, way too complex.
Suggest starting with a very general overview of diversity of animals – the kingdoms and
approximately when they evolved.
Then suggest looking at the ‘age of invertebrates’, ‘age of fish’ etc. as they look at timeline
diagrams. We have a great, rather complex poster “A Correlated History of Earth” Do not
beat to death – just a quick intro. Then they get to do their own research.
See UC Museum of Paleantology web site, especially the images library to help with this.
Students can browse it and learn all kinds of things while they do.
Fossils:
Plastic molds http://www.sciencefirst.com/Fossil-Kit-Plastic-Reproductions-10-Kits20.html $73 for 10 kits of same as next one:
http://www.carolina.com/earth-science-fossils-geologic-time/fossil-kit-21piece/GEO8406.pr?catId=&mCat=&sCat=&ssCat=&question=fossil+kits $12.95 for set of
20
Dig site kits of real fossils: http://www.dinosaurstore.com/wholesale.htm
Sand suppliers: http://www.americansoil.com/sand_gravel.html