Episode 20 Teacher Resource 1st August 2017

Megafauna Fossils

Students will develop a deeper 1. What does the BTN story explain? understanding of Australian megafauna and fossils 2. On which island were fossils found recently? 3. What is the name of someone who studies fossils? a. Ecologist b. Biologist c. Palaeontologist 4. Explain what scientists found on the island. Science – Year 6 5. Name three facts you learnt about the Tasmanian Tiger. The growth and survival of living 6. What does Aaron say about the possibility of the thylacine being alive things are affected by physical conditions of their today? environment (ACSSU094) 7. Describe what a diprotodon looks like.

8. What can the footprints found on Kangaroo Island tell us? Science – Year 7 9. Illustrate an aspect of the story? Scientific knowledge has changed peoples’ understanding of the world 10. What did you like about the Fossil Footprints story? and is refined as new evidence becomes available (ACSHE119)

Interactions between organisms, including the effects of human activities can be represented by food chains and food Negotiate with students how many activities they will need to complete. webs(ACSSU112)

• Students develop a glossary of words and terms that relate to fossils and megafauna. Below are some words to get them started. Add words and meanings to your glossary as you come across unfamiliar words throughout your research. Consider using pictures and diagrams to illustrate meanings.

extinct fossil megafauna

palaeontologist thylacine diprotodon

• What do you THINK about what you saw in the Megafauna Fossils story? What does this video make you WONDER? o Think of three questions you have about the BTN Megafauna Fossils story. Remember that good questions are open-ended (have no right or wrong answer and can’t be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’). o What did you learn watching the BTN story? Leave your comment on the BTN Megafauna Fossils story page.

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o Why is it important to research fossils?

• Students will practice their note-taking while watching the BTN Megafauna Fossil story. After watching the story, ask students to reflect and organise the information into three categories. Students may want to watch the story again or download a copy of the Aussie Fossil transcript to assist them with this activity. What information was...? o Positive o Negative or o Interesting

• Students investigate Australian megafauna and create a profile of one of the animals. Australian megafauna included animals such as Here in Australia the megafauna included animals such as Diprotodon, a very large marsupial plant eater; Procoptodon, a giant leaf-eating kangaroo and Genyornis, a very tall flightless bird like an emu. Before students begin the megafauna profile, ask them to respond to the following questions:

o What does the term megafauna mean? Procoptodon o Why did they grow so big? o Why did they die out? Create a list of possible causes for megafauna extinction. o What are some examples of extinct megafauna?

Megafauna Profile o What was its scientific name? Was it known by any other names? o What did it look like? o How big was it? o What was its habitat? Where did they live? Describe the environment that it lived in. o What did it eat? o How long ago did it live? Genyornis o When did it become extinct? o What were some of the causes of its extinction? o What were the effects of its extinction? Did it have an impact on humans, plants or other animals?

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• Research and write a Creature Feature about the thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger). Use this Creature Feature: Thylacine worksheet to record your findings. Use a range of sources to find the information.

• Create a fossil and megafauna quiz using Kahoot!. Quizzes can be created to recap learning or test personal knowledge. There is also the option to connect with classrooms around the world and play kahoot in real time.

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• Be a palaeontologist! Have a go at being a virtual palaeontologist and dig for megafauna fossil bones. Play the Pitfall game

ABC News – Fossil footprint reveal Kangaroo Island’s diverse ancient wildlife http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-23/kangaroo-island-fossil-footprints-reveal-ancient-wildlife/8735572

BTN – Tassie Tiger http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s2252369.htm

BTN – Weird Fossils http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s2364705.htm

Megafauna – Tasmanian Tiger http://www.megafauna.com.au/view/megafauna/thylacinus-cynocephalus

Australian Museum – The Thylacine https://australianmuseum.net.au/the-thylacine

Flinders University News – Kangaroo Island – home of Tassie tigers, devils and megafauna https://news.flinders.edu.au/blog/2017/07/24/kangaroo-island-home-tassie-tigers-devils-megafauna/

ABC Splash – Megafauna fossils video http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/106498/megafauna-fossils

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