Module 2 Background information:


Mazon Creek Illinois Fossil Research Project.


The pictures above are pictures that I have taken of a few of my Mazon Creek Fossils. These fossils will be used to teach a unit on Geological Time for Earth Science. 
Students will pick a fossil to identify as stated in the detailed project below,
 For  Part One (this will be done in class) of this project the students will take a picture of the fossil they choose and then use selected websites to identify that fossil. 
For Part Two, Once identified The students will make a SlideRocket presentation answering questions about the Mazon Creek fossils. 

Part 1 of this 2 part project.   (This will be done during class)

1. Take a picture of your fossil. You may not remove your fossil from our classroom museum, so take a picture with the best detail of your fossil that you can get. You may even want to take several pictures from different angles. You may use your phone, or a camera to take the pictures, be sure you can download your pictures to a file and email them to your teacher and your email address. You do not want to risk loosing your pictures.

2.  Now, using your pictures and the following websites see if you can identify your fossil.  If you are using a smart phone or an iPad you may use the Q-R code 

3. Research this website of the Illinois State Museum for information on Mazon Creek  and the fossils that are found there:

http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/mazon_creek

For More fossils Go to the following website (if your fossil is a worm, you may need to go to this following site look under the fossil tab, and find it under ….worms)

http://www.fossilmuseum.net/index.htm

Part 2   Mazon Creek Fossil Identification   -  Make Your Fossil Presentation using SlideRocket
(This will be done on your own time, you will have 1 week)

Return to the Illinois State Museum site.

Answer these questions from your fossil research of the first website listed  above. (the Illinois State Museum website)

Then use SlideRocket to make a presentation answering these questions

Be sure to read any instructions after each question. There are a few special instructions listed.

Be creative and make this "your" presentation.  

1. Where is Mazon Creek?

Provide a google map picture with the location marked. You may use a link on a slide for this.

2. What is a Laggerstatten?

3. What time period are the Mazon Creek fossils from? (Eon, Era, Period etc.)

4. Give information about the environment and specific habitat that your fossil lived in.

5. How did these fossils form?

6. Why are these fossils so well preserved?

 For your final step,  Make a short video presentation of how your fossil was formed. Add it to your SlideRocket presentation.