RE: paleonet Suggestions for intro paleo lab

["David Kopaska-Merkel" <davidkm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think all the suggestions made so far are great. I would add that field
trips liven up any geology class, and you are in a great place for paleo.
field trips. In fact, as an undergraduate at William and Mary I went on a
class field trip to your area and we had a great time. I, too, have found
that paleoecology, including ichnology, is a fun way to get students
interested in what paleontology is all about. Another possibility is having
students develop presentations that they could then take to local elementary
or middle schools. This is not difficult, and young children are always
interested in fossils. The University of South Alabama does something like
this, and I hear it is popular both with the college students and the school
children and teachers.

David C. Kopaska-Merkel
Geological Survey of Alabama
P.O. Box 869999
Tuscaloosa AL 35486-6999
(205) 247-3695 (direct line/voice mail)
(205) 349-2852 (switchboard)
fax 349-2861
www.gsa.state.al.us

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> -----Original Message-----
> From: paleonet-owner@nhm.ac.uk [mailto:paleonet-owner@nhm.ac.uk]On
> Behalf Of Jennifer Stempien
> Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 4:39 PM
> To: PaleoNet@nhm.ac.uk
> Subject: paleonet Suggestions for intro paleo lab
>
>
>
> 	I have been selected to teach an introductory paleo lab aimed at the
> sophomore level in the near future. The basics of the lab, fossils and
> labels, have been set up already but previous students have
> complained that
> the presentation is dry. Since this is the first exposure most of these
> students have to paleontology I would like to get them excited about
> fossils instead of bored by them.
>
> If you have any teaching ideas or suggestions, fond memories of your first
> paleo intro lab, or moments that hooked you I would like to hear them.
>
> Thank you
>
> Jennifer Stempien
> Department of Geological Sciences
> Virginia Tech
> jstempie@vt.edu
>