looks at the history of this area in Utah known for its hoodoos -- limestones, sandstones, and mudstones that have been carved by erosion into spectacular spires, fins, and pinnacles.
This exercise can be used to familiarize students and give them hands-on experience with plant fossils as well as sharpen their powers of observation. It may also be used to bring together interdisciplinary topics relating past events to present day issues.
Students learn about the strength of bones and methods of helping to mend fractured bones. During a class demonstration, a chicken bone is broken by applying a load until it reaches a point of failure (fracture). Then, working as biomedical engineers, students teams design their own splint or cast to help repair a fractured bone, learning about the strength of materials used.
The earth's environment has changed dramatically over the past 4.5 billion years. A comparison of the remains of fossilized and recent organisms, associated with an understanding of geological processes (both past and present), allows scientists to interpret what ancient environments were like. This exercise was developed to help students understand (1) how past environments are determined and (2) how paleontological specimens illustrate such concepts as evolution, extinction, adaptation, paleobehavior, paleodiets, and paleoecology. Instructions for making molds and casts of specimens are included.
