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BISMARCK, N.D. (KXNET) — When people tell you to ‘dig it’, they don’t usually mean it literally –but as it turns out, North Dakota educators do, as they’re putting on their paleontologist hats for the second annual Fossils of North Dakota seminar.
This program serves as an educational development class for K through 12 teachers in the area, that aids them in learning about how North Dakota has looked throughout the flow of geologic time.
“Getting that hands-on component really lets them give some personal perspective on how this work happens,” explained the North Dakota Geological Survey’s Senior Paleontologist, Clint Boyd. “It takes it from just the creatures we see standing in the museums as the finished product, to learning how it goes from in the ground to that finished product, so that they can pass that information on as well.”
The teachers spent the first day learning about the fossils that can be found in each region of North Dakota. Then, they took their new-found knowledge out into the field and spent the second day uncovering fossils in a dig site near Bismarck.
“This was an experience that you can only get by coming out to the field,” said Monica Meadows, a teacher with Voyageurs Expeditionary School in Bemidji, Minnesota. “I think that I know a lot about living things from the past, and dinosaurs especially, but adding that to my education experience is way better than just learning it in a classroom, and I hope to bring that to my students.”
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The teachers learned techniques to search for and uncover fossils from the late Cretaceous period — about 67 million years ago. They managed to discover several pieces of bone and amber that will be taken back and analyzed in a lab.
“I’d recommend this class to any teacher,” Meadows continued. “It doesn’t matter if you’re elementary or high school, or any subject, because it is a very important part of the history of the land. I think that learning more about the past life can help us get some clues to the future, and the living things that are around today.”
Educators say the information specific to North Dakota that is covered in the class is the perfect kind of knowledge they would like to bring to their students.
This class is offered yearly. If you’d like to sign up for the program- or any other fossil digs– click the link here.
