FUN WITH FORAMINIFERA IN K-12 CLASSROOMS

Virtual paleontology is critical to advancing paleontology education not only in college classrooms but in the K-12 setting. Virtual fossils provide easy accessibility to specimens in the form of object files that can either be used digitally or 3D printed. Educators will be able to include fossils in the classroom as a result of reduced barriers to specimens and knowledge of those specimens. Foraminifera have many applications in the geosciences ranging from establishing paleoclimate to temporal patterns in deep sea sediments, but their small size (generally sub millimeter) restricts their use to classrooms that possess the equipment necessary to examine them. Enlarged models of foraminifera allow for easy exploration of the morphologies and applications of foraminifera. Laser scanning pre-existing plaster models in 3D generates digital models that can be easily shared with a larger community of science educators. The digital fossils and potential 3D printed models of these specimens will allow teachers and students to better visualize these microscopic organisms and practice using fossil data to make observations and inferences.

Lesson plans developed using these scans explore shape, ornamentation, geologic time, the concept of index fossils, and other relevant science topics. These lesson plans incorporate the Next Generation Science Standards, as well as Common Core and Tennessee State Standards for Language Arts and Science to ensure their relevance in all classrooms. In addition, all scans and lesson plans will be freely available for download through the myFOSSIL community. By providing STEM educators with the resources to include digital fossils in their classrooms, the next generation of students will be exposed to a greater diversity of scientific data.