Notes 8/24
Excavating Evidence:
Creating a Fossil Story Using
Observation, Inference & Prediction
What You Do:
You are a
paleontologist studying a new
excavation site recently discovered in
Atlanta.
Using your skills of
observation, analyze the footprints as
we unveil the following slides. In the
corresponding box on your paper,
draw the footprints as you see them
on the slide. Then, answer the
questions that follow.
© 2015 Getting Nerdy, LLC
‘scuse me…
pardon me…
would ya mind…?
Could ya just
move…?
Excavating Evidence:
Evidence 2
Using your skills of observation and
inference, analyze the evidence pictured
in the excavation site.
Excavation Site 1:
Evidence 1
Evidence 4
Evidence 3
© 2015 Getting Nerdy, LLC
1. What do you observe about the organisms
pictured in Evidence 1 and 3? Think about
their type, size, number, and appearance.
2. After observing Evidence 2, what can you
infer about what happened? Explain.
3. After observing Evidence 4 what can you
infer about what happened? Explain.
4. Can you infer where the organisms might
be going?
5. Can you infer when this event might have
event occurred? Do you think all of the
footprints were made at the same time?
Excavating
Evidence:
Evidence 2
Excavation Site 2:
Draw the footprints as they
appear in the second part of
the excavation site.
Evidence 1
6.
Evidence 4
Evidence 3
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7.
What can you infer
from the footprint
patterns? Did they
change speed or
direction at any time
for any of the
organisms? Explain
using evidence from
the site.
What can you predict
about what might
happen next?
Evidence 2
Evidence 1
Evidence 5
Excavating Evidence:
Excavation Site 3: Draw the remaining footprints and evidence as they
appear in the third section of the excavation site.
8. After observing Evidence 5, what can you infer about what happened?
Explain.
9. What can you infer about why the skeletal remains identified as Evidence 2
are incomplete?
© 2015 Getting Nerdy, LLC
Excavating Evidence:
What You Do:
Now that you have all of the evidence of the excavation site, you must solve the
mystery of what happened here. Take the information you have gathered and
complete one of the following choices for your final assignment:
CHOICE A: Write a story…
Write a story from the point of view of one of the organisms from the
excavation. Your story should include a paragraph for each excavation site 1
through 3. Be sure to include in your story a description of the setting in
which the event occurred, how the organisms got there, what they were
doing and what eventually happened to them.
CHOICE B: Draw a comic strip…
Draw a comic book strip that includes at least 8 boxes. Your comic should
include boxes for each excavation site 1 through 3 that depict the setting in
which the event occurred, how the organisms got there, what they were
doing, and what eventually happened to them. Your comic must be neat,
colorful and tell the story!
© 2015 Getting Nerdy, LLC