This activity was selected for the On the Cutting Edge Reviewed Teaching Collection
This activity has received positive reviews in a peer review process involving five review categories. The five categories included in the process are
- Scientific Accuracy
- Alignment of Learning Goals, Activities, and Assessments
- Pedagogic Effectiveness
- Robustness (usability and dependability of all components)
- Completeness of the ActivitySheet web page
For more information about the peer review process itself, please see http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/review.html.
This page first made public: Jun 3, 2014
This activity is an invertebrate fossil review in the format of Jeopardy to provide a fun opportunity for students to prepare for their fossil practical.
This activity is used in an undergraduate required course in paleontology (300-level) for geology majors. This activity can be modified for any geology class.
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
This activity is used to review invertebrate fossils in preparation for a practical.
How the activity is situated in the course
This activity is a stand-alone exercise during a lab or lecture prior to the practical.
Content/concepts goals for this activity
The goal of the activity is to provide an opportunity for students to practice their identification skills of fossil invertebrates.
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
Students assess their knowledge on fossil invertebrates.
Other skills goals for this activity
Students work together to answer questions.
Description and Teaching Materials
Students divide into teams and use their notes to answer questions on fossil invertebrates in a Jeopardy format. The Jeopardy game is setup in Powerpoint. There is a double daily and final Jeopardy question.
Fossil Jeopardy (PowerPoint 13.2MB Jun3 14)
Teaching Notes and Tips
Once the Jeopardy game is setup, it is fairly easy to tailor it. The hardest part is finding pictures that have a scale or high resolution. I don't usually time questions unless I see that teams are taken too long. Because it is a review, I try to give all teams a chance to play. The students really enjoy the game and appreciate the opportunity to test their knowledge before the practical. They keep score and are quite competitive with each other. I have not given out a prize to the winning team, but there is the option to do so. There is usually one team that wins the game.
There are no grades given for the activity because it is a review.
References and Resources