Education Kits

Marine Reptile Fossil Education Kits (4)

Through the Cultural Capital of Canada Program and Ledcor Pipeline, the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre (CFDC) created 4 Education Kits to be loaned to Teachers and other educators to assist with teaching palaeontology in the classroom. This is a final report outlying the overall content of each kit, the general scope of the project and the anticipated marketing and promotion plan.

The 4 kits were based on content within the CFDC and its relation to the Manitoba Science Curriculum. Three teachers with experience in the related fields assisted in providing the lesson plans and overall content for each kit. Each educator contributed approximately 40 hours per kit.  The curator of the CFDC, updated and rewrote portions of the Interpretive Booklet renaming it "Cretaceous Marine Fossils of Manitoba." Click on the links below or the photos to see more information about each kit.

Education Kits

1) Dinosaurs –  Kindergarten to Grade 3
2) Habitats and the Diversity of Living Things – Grade 4 to 6
3) The Earth’s Crust: Rocks and Minerals – Grade 4 to 7
4) Evolution – Grade 12

Educators/Writers

Michelle Janzic, Geography & Biology, Grades 7 & 8
Maples Collegiate, Winnipeg

Joyce McCallum, Biology & Evolution, Grade 12
Morden Collegiate, Morden

Joan Robinson, Elementary, Grade 2 & 3
Miami Collegiate, Miami

Anita-Maria Janzic, Vertebrate Palaeontologist
Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre

Content

All 4 of the kits will have a comprehensive binder including the following

• 3 lesson plans – outlined activities
• objectives for each activity
• outcomes according to the Manitoba Science Curriculum
• equipment required from both the kit itself and the educator
• time line for each activity
• resources used and recommended for additional information
• a complete list of references

Each Lesson Plan is divided into sections for ease of use

• introductory notes
• vocabulary page
• activity instructions
• appendices for hand outs etc.

A check list of all the material supplied in the kit will be provided and each educator or loaner will be responsible for these items.  Not all the items within the kit are for the lesson plans but possible uses for them will be described.  These items may also be used as references for educators

Materials within the kits are specific for each grade and theme but there are similarities with mediums.  The kits contain the following

• books
• videos
• cd-roms
• music
• posters
• fossils or replicates
• hands on tools ex. Digital microscope, rock tumbler etc.
• a copy of Cretaceous Marine Fossils of Manitoba for each student within a class

Each of the 4 kits has a colourful trunk with decals and logos made specific for its theme. Design for these was done by Inner Eye Design as well as the design of the Cretaceous Marine Fossils of Manitoba booklet.  Combination locks are placed on each trunk and the combination will be provided to the educator. The kits will be viewable on the CFDC website at: http://www.discoverfossils.com/education/educationkits.html 

Morden Heritage Education Kit

Two teachers from the Western School Division develped this education kit - Marilyn Sandercock and Linda Butler. The kit introduces the Chautauquas of the past and describes how they helped to shape Morden’s artistic and cultural heritage. It also depicts the history of the Town and its many points of interest ("Things You Should Know About Morden"). The kit has a range of activities designed to stimulate student interaction with the arts, culture and heritage of the Morden community.

The kit includes 22 units covering topics on;

• History of Chautauquas
• History of Morden
• History of Healthcare
• History of Churches
• History of Schools
• History of Art in Morden
• History of Fesitvals in Morden
• Improtant Dates For Morden
• Pioneers of Morden

Each unit is supplemented with numerous 8 x 10" photos. The kit contains teaching notes, suggested activities and worksheets, a list of locations to visit within Morden and Close Excercises (a paragraph with missing words is given to the student to complete - this tests their comprehension on a topic.) The last unit is on "How to Write a Newspaper. This allows the students to share what they have learned by publishing a "Chautauqua Spirit Times."

Five kits were produced and presented to each of the schools in Morden. (2 K-4 schools; 1 middle school; 1 High School; 1 kit for the middle school library) They will be stored at the Morden Library. The content was aimed at the Grade 6 Level however the information can modified for any level.