fall fossil teacher workshop

October 18, West Central Alabama, be there or be square!

Fossils of the Black Belt – A Hands-On Field Workshop

Where: University of West Alabama in Livingston and vicinity.
When: Tuesday, October 18, 2011, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Cost: $15, preregister early
Who Should Attend: In-service and pre-service science teachers who will be teaching earth science or other science courses with earth-science components, life science, biology, and environmental science.
Contact: Dr. David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Geological Survey of Alabama, P.O. Box 869999, Tuscaloosa AL 35486-6999. Phone: (205) 247-3695 (office) or (205) 246-9346 (cell). Fax: (205) 349-2861. Email: dkm@gsa.state.al.us
Registration Form

Name: _______________________________ Position: _________________ School:
Address:



Home phone: _____________ School phone: _____________ Email:

Return to David Kopaska-Merkel, Geological Survey of Alabama, P.O. Box 869999, Tuscaloosa AL 35486-6999.
Make checks payable to Alabama Geological Society.

Workshop Summary
A 1-day workshop in paleontology (the study of fossils) for elementary to high school science teachers (both in-service and pre-service). The workshp will help integrate real earth science into curricula. Participants will be better able to recommend meaningful science-fair projects in earth science and to assist students with them. Objectives:
Participants will learn about fossils and geology, so they will be more comfortable teaching these subjects.
Participants will learn about sites that can be visited by classes, or used to provide material for classes.
Teachers will make fossil kits for classroom use.
Teachers will get the book Lost Worlds in Alabama Rocks, a major resource for teaching the geology and geologic history of Alabama, 3 Discovering Alabama DVDs (Geologic History of Alabama, Tracks Across Time, and Black Belt Part I) & more.
This course supports Alabama Course of Study/Science Processes & Applications in all grades, high school Geology & Earth & Space Science electives, and life-science concepts at all grade levels.
Alabama is one of the best places in the world for fossil collecting. In an area the size of England, Alabama has well-preserved fossils of almost every age. Paleontologists come from all over to collect in Alabama.
The workshop begins at the University of West Alabama, where participants learn basic geologic field techniques. Next, they visit 2 or more fossiliferous outcrops near Livingston. Fossils include oysters, other bivalves, snails, bryozoa, worm tubes, and shark teeth. If very lucky, someone might find remains of sea turtles or a mosasaur (a giant sea lizard). Back at UWA, participants will identify and label fossils that were collected that morning, making kits they will take back to their schools.
Workshop Leaders
Dr. David C. Kopaska-Merkel has studied trilobites and other fossils, and has led workshops and field trips for teachers, children, and others.
Dr. Andrew K. Rindsberg studies marine invertebrate paleoecology. Dr. Rindsberg has written numerous reports on Alabama geology, including field trip guidebooks and educational publications on fossils.
Dr. Doug Wymer has co-led geological and biological workshops for teachers and the general public. His specialty is ecological restoration. Workshop participants will visit his prairie restoration project.
Dr. John C. Hall has led archaeological and paleontological programs throughout Alabama and has published on Alabama meteorites and famed naturalist William Bartram.