Academy Curricular Exchange
Columbia Education Center
Science

TITLE:    Excavating Your Recycling Bin
               as a Fossil Record

AUTHOR:   Mark A. Williams,  Kennedy Middle School,
          Albuquerque, NM

GRADE LEVEL:   Grades 6-12

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:
trash can, students, and work sheet

Your recycling bin and two views of it for labeling

OVERVIEW:  We are going to simulate how scientists study the
past.  Scientists use layers of rock with fossils to
understand the past.  (These layers of rock are called
'STRATA')

OBJECTIVE(s):
1  Relative of Rock layers  (Oldest deposited on
   bottom)
2  Describe objects in trash as events occurring through
   time
3  Fossil record is in 3-D
4  Collection of accurate data is critical

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
1    Students divided into groups
2    Each group will be allowed to excavate ___cm of paper
     from the recycling bin.  Each group assigned a
     different layer of paper.  Try to learn as much as they
     can about their layer.
3    Record data on the outlines given.  There is a top view
     and side view of the recycling bin.  Facts that may be
     useful:  subject, dates, teachers names, position of
     paper, type of paper, Xerox or ditto.


        Example of where to record data
________________________________________________________
                  Mr. Smith's Quiz
Xerox Math                         etc.           1cm
      Vocabulary sheet
_________________________________________________________

(Students write data collected here as a side view.
However, another view from the top of the bin can also be
labeled.


TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:  Students can see that papers in bin
are similar to the fossil record in that deposition of
papers in the recycling bin are events through time like the
changing fossil record.
  Fossil record is in 3-D.
  Accurate data is necessary before destroying sequence.

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