Owl Pellet Paleontology

Abstract

In this activity for the beginning of a high school Biology 1 evolution unit, students are challenged to reconstruct organisms found in an owl pellet as a model for fossil reconstruction. They work in groups to develop hypotheses about what animal they have found, what environment it inhabited, and what niche it filled. At the end of the activity, the groups participate in a defense and peer review of their findings. This activity develops students’ knowledge of the nature of science, evidence for evolution, and individual thinking and reasoning skills.