Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you doing today?

Hope you're feeling really, really good.

My name is Ms. Afzal, and I'll be your teacher for this lesson.

I am feeling very excited about this because today we're going to be exploring someone who is, I think, so inspiring and fascinating.

Her name is Mary Anning.

Have you heard of her, I wonder?

Don't worry if you haven't.

We are going to be learning all about her life and her work today, her really inspirational work.

Our lesson is called "Mary Anning," and it comes from the unit of work "Rocks and Soils.

" So, if you're ready to get into the life, the work, the discoveries of Mary Anning, if you have some energy, some focus, some enthusiasm, then we'll get started.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can talk about the importance of Mary Anning's work as a fossil hunter.

Hope that sounds interesting to you.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them one at a time so we can really remember them.

My turn, your turn.

"Fossil.

" "Paleontologist.

" "Discovered.

" "Evidence.

" It was great to hear those keywords.

I'm going to read them through one more time.

"Fossil," "paleontologist," "discovered," and "evidence.

" Turn to someone nearby and tell them, "Have you heard of any of these keywords before?

" Thanks for sharing.

Let's find out what these keywords mean.

A fossil is the bones or remains of living things that are sometimes preserved in rocks.

A paleontologist is a scientist who studies fossils and how life on Earth has changed over millions of years.

Discovered is when something has been found, especially if this is for the first time.

And evidence is information which helps us to prove that something is true or not true.

These are our keywords.

"Fossil," "paleontologist," "discovered," an "evidence.

" Let's look out for them.

Let's listen out for them.

Let's think carefully about these keywords that will be coming up in our lesson today.

Our lesson is called "Mary Anning," and it has two learning cycles.

First of all, "One of the greatest fossil hunters" and next, "Mary Anning's legacy.

" Let's begin by finding out more about one of the greatest fossil hunters of all time.

Mary Anning is one of the greatest fossil hunters of all time.

She's remembered for her amazing contribution to science.

And there she is, digging away, with her dog by her side.

She's known as a famous paleontologist from England, a long time ago.

Do you know what else made Mary Anning so amazing?

Pause here and share with someone, do you?

Thanks for sharing or perhaps just having a guess.

Mary Anning was born in 1799 in Lyme Regis, a coastal town in Dorset.

And there we can see a beach in Lyme Regis.

Oh my goodness.

I want to be there.

And we can see an image of Mary Anning as a child.

Mary's family was very poor.

Her father collected fossils to sell to make some extra money.

He taught Mary and her brother Joseph how to find fossils on the beach and cliffs.

When her father died, Mary carried on looking for fossils to sell to pay for food and clothes for her family.

During this period of history, women rarely went out to work.

It was their job to look after the home and the children.

Because of this, most girls didn't go to school to learn.

Mary had other ideas.

I like your thinking, Mary.

She taught herself about geology so she could understand more about the fossils she discovered.

And there we can see an image of some fossils on a beach.

Pause here and share with someone, what's your impression of these fossils?

What do you think of them?

Thanks for sharing.

I think they're amazing.

So intricate.

Such a marvel.

Let's have a check for understanding.

What type of scientist was Mary Anning?

Was she A, a geologist, B, a physicist, or C, a paleontologist?

Pause here and share with someone.

What type of scientist was Mary Anning?

Well done if you selected an answer C.

Indeed, Mary Anning was a paleontologist.

Mary and her brother discovered many fossils.

In 1810, they found a first known Ichthyosaurus fossil.

And there we can see the fossil of an Ichthyosaurus.

Oh my goodness.

How incredible.

Joseph found part of the skull and Mary, aged 12, spent days uncovering the rest of the fossil's body.

Scientists at the time first thought it was some sort of ancient crocodile.

Mary didn't think it was a crocodile, instead she thought it was some sort of ancient type lizard that lived in the sea.

"Ichthy" means "fishy," and "osaur" means "lizard.

" So Ichthyosaurus the means "fishy lizard.

" That's quite funny.

As Mary grew older, she went on to make more astounding discoveries.

In 1823, she became the first paleontologist to discover a complete plesiosaur fossil in the cliff's off Lyme Regis.

A plesiosaur was similar to the Ichthyosaurus but had a much longer neck.

"Plesi" means "close to.

" So plesiosaur means "close to a lizard.

" Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of these things did Mary Anning discover?

A, electricity, B, fossils, or C, space travel?

Pause here while you decide which of these things Mary Anning discovered.

Well done if you selected fossils.

Many other famous male paleontologists of the time often took Mary's scientific evidence and claimed it as their own in scientific papers they wrote.

And here we can see some of the Royal Geological Society in 1800s.

Mary was not invited to an important meeting at the Royal Geological Society, where they discussed the plesiosaur fossil she had discovered.

Why do you think this happened?

Pause here and share with someone.

What do you think?

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Mary Anning's life was a difficult one.

Here's Izzy.

"I read that Mary Anning was not recognized as a paleontologist at the time because she was a woman and other fossil scientists were men.

" And Sam.

"She was not included in important meetings and discussions because she came from a poor background and had not been to school!

" Talk to a partner about whether or not you think this was fair and why.

Pause here while you do this.

Thanks for sharing.

It was a really unfair thing that happened to Mary Anning, when she's the one that made those discoveries.

But not being recognized for it was really hard and unfair.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false?

Male scientists in the 1800s often did not credit Mary Anning for her discoveries.

Pause here and decide, is this true or false?

Well done if you selected true.

And now I'd like you to justify your answer.

Is it that they thought she had just copied her discoveries from other more famous people?

Or is it they thought she didn't know what she was talking about because she was a woman from a poor background?

Pause here and share with someone.

What do you think?

How would you justify your answer?

Well done if you selected answer B.

Mary's fossil discoveries led to an increase in public interest in geology and paleontology.

Before Mary's discoveries, people in the 1800s often thought that fossils came from monsters and creatures that lived in other parts of the world.

In 1828, Mary discovered the long tail and wings of a pterosaur fossil.

And we can see a drawing of a pterosaur.

What do you think the other scientists and people thought this evidence showed?

Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Some thought it was a dragon.

Mary thought it was some sort of flying reptile and yes, she was right.

"Ptero" means "wing" or "feather.

" So pterosaur means "winged lizard.

" Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false?

Mary Anning's discoveries led to an increase in public interest in space and the moon.

Pause here and decide, is this true or false?

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to justify your answer by choosing from one of these statements, either A, Mary Anning's discoveries were not correct so people ignored her, or B, Mary Anning's discoveries led to an increase in public interest in geology and paleontology.

Pause here while you choose.

Well done if you selected statement B.

Indeed, Mary Anning's discoveries led to an increase in public interest in geology and paleontology.

And now it's time for your first task.

Mary Anning often spent days uncovering different fossils.

She would need to decide how to put the fossils together to show an animal that she had discovered.

So here we can see some mystery fossil parts.

I'd like you to A, use the mixed-up fossil bones on the worksheet, and B, arrange them to make a complete skeleton of one of Mary's famous fossil discoveries.

So pause here while you put together the fossil bones.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's great to be back with you.

So, how did you get on with using the worksheet of mixed-up fossil bones and arranging them to make a complete skeleton of one of Mary's famous fossil discoveries?

Hopefully you came up with something like this and this is the fossil skeleton of an Ichthyosaurus.

Well done.

Next, I would like you to explain why it was difficult for Mary Anning to be a paleontologist in the 1800s.

You could talk to a partner about your ideas or you could write a short diary entry as Mary Anning explaining some of the difficulties that she faced.

So, pause here while you have a go at this next part of your task.

Why was it difficult for Mary Anning to be a paleontologist in the 1800s?

Good to be back with you.

Perhaps you came up with something like this.

"It was difficult for Mary Anning to be recognized as a paleontologist in the 1800s because she was female, came from a poor background, and had not gone to school.

Male scientists did not credit her work in scientific papers because they looked down on her and did not think she was as good as them, even though they sometimes said that her discoveries were made by them!

" Oh my goodness.

How frustrating for Mary Anning.

Well done for having a go at this task.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle, "Mary Anning's legacy.

" Mary died in 1847 at the age of 47.

Sadly, Mary's contribution as one of the greatest fossil hunters of all time, was not recognized.

However, we now recognize how her discoveries have provided evidence for us to understand how the world has changed over time.

We remember the life she led and how she has set an example for others.

We call this her legacy.

Today, the Natural History Museum in London showcases several of Mary Anning's spectacular fossils.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which museum would you visit in London to see some of Mary Anning's spectacular finds?

Is it A, the Florence Nightingale Museum, B, the Natural History Museum, or C, the London Transport Museum?

Pause here while you choose.

Well done if you selected answer B.

Indeed, it's the Natural History Museum which houses some of Mary Anning's spectacular finds.

One of the Mary Anning exhibitions in the museum has lots of these types of fossils.

Do you know what they are?

Pause here and share with someone if you do.

Thanks for sharing.

These are called coprolites and they are fossilized feces from animals that lived millions of years ago.

Mary Anning was one of the first paleontologists to discover coprolites and realize that they were the droppings left by animals.

She broke the coprolites apart to study them and found small bones and plants.

She used this as evidence of what the animal had eaten when it was alive.

Mary Anning's discovery of coprolites has helped paleontologists answer questions about the types of food animals may have eaten millions of years ago.

A coprolite may contain bits of fossilized leaves and seeds, which would show that the animal was a herbivore.

A coprolite may have contained bits of fossilized bones and feathers, which would show the animal was a carnivore.

Microscope studies of coprolite also reveal what types of plants grew millions of years ago.

Oh my goodness.

Mary Anning has helped us to discover so much about this world and its inhabitants.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Why was Mary Anning considered to be one of the greatest fossil hunters of all time?

Was it A, Mary lived in Dorset, B, Mary discovered the first Ichthyosaurus and realized it was an ancient animal that lived a long time ago, C, Mary had a dog called Tray who she took fossil hunting with her, or D, Mary was able to show, through her discovery of coprolites, what animals may have eaten millions of years ago?

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected answers B and D.

Mary discovered the first Ichthyosaurus and she was able to show through her discovery of coprolites what animals may have eaten millions of years ago.

How incredible.

Mary Anning was absolutely one of the greatest fossil hunters of all time.

Here's Aisha.

"I think I would like to be a paleontologist like Mary Anning when I get older, but I'm worried that there won't be any fossils left to discover.

" What do you think, are there any fossils left for Aisha to find?

Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Next time you're outside near some rocky cliffs or the seaside you could follow in Mary's footsteps, and search for fossils.

As weathering and erosion continues to break down rocks, more fossils come to the surface, just waiting to be found.

There are still fossils to discover if you look carefully in the right types of rock.

Animals and plants that die today may well become fossils and be discovered by people who live 10,000 years from today.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Who do you think is correct?

Here's Andeep.

"Aisha will not be able to become a paleontologist when she grows up as all the fossils have already been found.

" Jacob.

"Aisha will be able to become a paleontologist when she's older, as weathering and erosion continue to reveal new fossils.

" And Izzy.

"Anyone can become a paleontologist, as new fossils are being formed all the time when some animals and plants die.

" Pause here while you decide who do you think is correct.

Thanks for sharing.

Well done if you selected Jacob and Izzy's statements.

They're both correct.

Absolutely Aisha can become an paleontologist when she is older.

And maybe you can as well, if that's what you'd like.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to imagine that you work at the Natural History Museum.

That would be a cool job.

You've been given the job of writing a fact file about Mary Anning to explain to visitors why she was one of the most important fossil hunters of all time.

Research, using secondary sources, at least five facts about Mary Anning and her life that you think helped to make her so important as a paleontologist.

Record the information in a way that visitors to the museum will find easy and interesting to understand-.

Pause here while you have a go at writing your fact file about Mary Anning.

I'll see you when you're finished.

So, how did you get on with that task?

Researching, using secondary sources, at least five facts about Mary Anning and her life that you think helped to make her so important as a paleontologist.

Let's have a read of this fact file.

"Mary Anning's father taught her how to look for fossils from an early age, which ignited her interest in fossils.

" "Mary was curious and spent a lot of time on the beach looking for fossils to sell to help feed her family who were poor.

" "Because she didn't go to school, she thought a lot about her own ideas rather than listening to what someone else told her.

" "Mary didn't marry but this gave her time to explore and discover more.

" "Mary was the first person to discover coprolites and use them as evidence about what animals ate when they were alive.

" Oh my goodness.

What a legacy, Mary Anning.

In our lesson "Mary Anning," we have covered the following.

Mary Anning was a famous paleontologist known as one of the greatest fossil hunters to have ever lived.

Male scientists at the time often did not credit her discoveries in their scientific papers because she was a woman.

Today, the Natural History Museum in London showcases several of Mary Anning's spectacular finds.

There are still fossils to discover.

Anyone could become a fossil hunter!

And that means you.

Keep your eyes peeled.

Fossils are out there.

You can make like Mary Anning and discover some fossils yourselves.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson.

I've really enjoyed teaching you.

And I'm looking forward to seeing you at another lesson soon.

Until then, stay curious.