Mike Tuke’s

Habitat Pelagic/benthonic G or I A student calls out the name of a modern sea creature and the next student must say which of the following terms apply to it: pelagic, nektonic, planktonic, benthonic, epifaunal, sessile, vagrant. Or students are given a list of modern sea creatures and must say which terms apply to each creature.  Assemblages   A P 2 min per sample Students are given slabs of rock with lots of fossils on or collections of fossils and asked to deduce the environment and mode of life of the fossils. Deep marine, (graptolites or goniatites in black shale); high energy shelf; swamp, (reeds in black shale); coral reef etc Themed identification A I 5 min per group Students are given fossils all of which are epifaunal and must identify them and say if they are recliners, cementers etc.  Similarly students are given fossils which are all pelagic and must say if they are nektonic or planktonic. Deducing purpose of morphology  A I  2 min Students are shown a model of Dimetrodon and asked to suggest reasons for the spines on its back.  Likewise for spiny gastropods and trilobites. Spines    E or D 30  min F Students examine the advantages of lateral spines in preventing the animal being turned over by waves or predators.

Earth Science Activities and Demonstrations