Set up a saltwater aquarium for student viewing containing as many different kinds of animal phyla as possible. Try to include such organisms as sponges, anemones, starfish, sea urchins or other echinoderms, and crustaceans that some students may never have seen before. A number of biological supply companies, such as Carolina Biological Supply and Ward's Biology, offer a wide variety of live creatures if a local aquarium shop does not have what you need.
Have students read D. Grimaldi's article entitled "Captured in Amber," Scientific American, April 1996, pages 84-91. This article ties in with the suggested activity from Chapter 8 in which students watched the movie Jurassic Park and saw the gene technology involved in how dinosaur DNA was supposedly extracted from the guts of insects embalmed in amber.
This is an opportunity for students to read a scientific article written for a lay audience to gain some appreciation for the nature of scientific literature. Discuss how amber has preserved insects from 25 million years ago and some of the secrets of insect evolution that have been uncovered from this material.
Purchase preserved specimens of frogs and bony fish (i.e., perch) and prepare a demonstration dissection of each. Many biological supply houses offer a variety of preserved specimens (i.e., Carolina Biological Supply or Ward's Biology both offer specimens in preservatives that do not contain formalin). For the sake of saving classroom time, dissect each specimen ahead of time and allow students to observe differences. The purpose of this exercise is to show students the anatomical differences in these two groups, the amphibian having evolved from a form of fish.
Go on a short bird-watching hike with your students. Good places to see birds are any natural areas, nature centers, zoos, or parks. Binoculars are helpful, and students should have access to a good field identification guide. Certain times of the day are better than others for watching birds, and you may want to go through a practice "run" before taking students with you. There may be a bird-watching group in your area that can give helpful suggestions or may volunteer to lead a tour for you.
Have students read an article about Neanderthal behavior, such as the excellent one by Rick Gore in National Geographic, January 1996, pages 2-35. Discuss the dangerous hunting methods, burial behavior, and evidence for possible religious beliefs of these early Homo sapiens as indicated in the article. Gore also presents evidence suggesting that some Neanderthal groups may have been cannibalistic during times of hunger, or may at least have extracted the nutritious marrow from the bones of their dead.
Convince your students that those who study fossils can indeed differentiate between ape ancestors and human ancestors. Paleontologists and anthropologists are highly trained, skilled professionals that are experts in their fields of recognizing fossilize d remains. A number of basic skeletal features differ between ape groups and hominids. These include:
| Ape-like feature
| Hominid feature | |
| Jaw shape | Rectangular dental arcade | U-shaped dental arcade |
| Shape of spine | Straight spine | S-shaped spine |
| Posture | Knuckle-walked | Erect posture, bipedal locomotion |
| Pelvis | Elongated | Short |
| Supraorbital | Pronounced ridges | Not pronounced |
| Plane of face | Projected forward | Flat faced |
| Teeth | Larger; large canines | Smaller; smaller canines |