Swimming Through Ancient Seas: Fossils from the Burgess Shale - Learn & Explore

Duration

1 hour

Audience

Educators, Schools, Students

Age

8-12

Grades

4-6

Subjects

Canada, Science, Science & Technology

A man wearing a hard hat with goggles stands behind a podium on a stage. A screen next to him depicts a shale-covered hillside with mountains in the background. A lone figure walks across the hillside. A hand holds up a fossil in the foreground.

Duration

1 hour

Audience

Educators, Schools, Students

Age

8-12

Grades

4-6

Subjects

Canada, Science, Science & Technology

Hear stories of travel, study, and the discovery of some of the strangest fossils in Earth’s history in this exclusive theatre Lesson.

Book now

Friday, May 22 at 11:00 AM

Grade 4 to 6

Palaeontologists at ROM have been discovering amazing fossils in the Rocky Mountains for over 50 years. These incredibly detailed fossils give us a view of what life looked like during the Cambrian Explosion 500 million years ago. These strange creatures with interesting features may seem alien, but they actually represent all major animal groups found on Earth today.

Join Jean-Bernard Caron, ROM Richard M. Ivey Curator of Invertebrate Palaeontology, for stories of travel, study, and discovery in this special session in the Eaton Theatre at ROM. Students will hear about Jean-Bernard’s experiences working in Yoho National Park, see images of the rugged landscape, camp life, and fossils, and learn about the exciting results of ROM research.

Visit the Willner Madge Gallery of the Dawn of Life in your free time to see even more amazing prehistoric life.

Use the Learn & Explore Gallery Trail to help your students connect this lesson when they visit the galleries at ROM

Delivery Language	This lesson is offered in English only
Activities	Theatre session Museum exploration with optional Gallery Trail
Format	Theatre Lesson
Duration	1 hour
Pricing	$16/person
Minimum Group	15
Maximum Group	35

Guest Presenter

Jean-Bernard Caron

Jean-Bernard Caron became fascinated with fossils as a child in his native France. He spent the summers of his teenaged years volunteering at archaeological and palaeontological digs in France and Spain. He joined ROM Burgess Shale field crews as a volunteer in 1998,1999, and 2000 at the invitation of late Senior Curator of Invertebrate Palaeontology Dr. Desmond Collins. Dr. Caron joined ROM in early 2006 and was appointed the Richard M. Ivey Curator of Invertebrate Palaeontology in 2018.

Dr. Caron’s research focuses on fossils from the famous Burgess Shale deposit in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia. The Burgess Shale is of global significance for understanding Cambrian life. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1980 and became part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site in 1984. ROM has been conducting research at the Burgess Shale since 1975, and its collections, which are held in trust for Parks Canada, are the largest in the world.

Jean-Bernard Caron