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Natali Snailcat/Shutterstock.com (background); Dinoton/Shutterstock.com (right dinosaur skull); David Herraez Calzada/Shutterstock.com (left dinosaur skull)
Debate Scavenger Hunt,

You Just Found a Dinosaur Fossil. Now What?

Mia and her brother James disagree about what to do with the dinosaur fossil they found in their backyard. Who makes the best case?

From the November 2019 Issue

Learning Objective: to analyze and evaluate two opposing argument essays  

Complexity Factors
  • Purpose
    This debate has a clear purpose: to present arguments for and against selling a dinosaur fossil.
  • Structure
    The debate consists of two short letters: one explains why selling a dinosaur fossil is a good idea, and the other explains why selling a dinosaur fossil is a bad idea, as well as why dinosaur fossil should be donated instead.
  • Language Conventionality and Clarity
    Vocabulary: some challenging domain-specific and academic vocabulary (e.g., abyss, maiden voyage, ogle, submersible) Figurative language: rhetorical questions
  • Knowledge Demands
    Some familiarity with fossils and what they are will aid in comprehension.
Featured Skill: Argument Writing,
Other Key Skills: central ideas and details
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    R.1, R.2, R.6, R.8, W.1, W.4, W.5, W.7, SL.1, L.4, L.6
  • Grade 6
    RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.6, RI.6.8, W.6.1, W.6.4, W.6.5, SL.6.1, L.6.4, L.6.6
  • Grade 7
    RI.7.1, RI.7.2, RI.7.4, W.7.2, W,7.4, W.7.5, SL.7.1, SL.7.2, L.7.4, L.7.6
  • Grade 8
    RI.8.1, RI.8.2, RI.8.6, RI.8.8, W.8.1, W.8.4, W.8.5, SL.8.1, L.8.4, L.8.6
TEKS Standards
  • Grade 6
    1a, 1c, 1d, 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, 5b, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5h, 5i, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 6j, 8d, 8e, 8f, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f, 9g, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 11c, 11d, 12d, 12f, 12g, 12h, 12i, 12j
  • Grade 7
    1a, 1c, 1d, 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, 5b, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5h, 5i, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 6j, 8d, 8e, 8f, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f, 9g, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 11c, 11d, 12d, 12f, 12g, 12h, 12i, 12j
  • Grade 8
    1a, 1c, 1d, 2a, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, 5b, 5d, 5e, 5f, 5g, 5h, 5i, 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f, 6g, 6h, 6i, 6j, 8d, 8e, 8f, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d, 9e, 9f, 9g, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 11c, 11d, 12d, 12f, 12g, 12h, 12i, 12j

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Sell It

Let's make some money

Illustration by Tom Garrett; Rob Marmion/Shutterstock.com 

Dear James,

Can you believe we found a dinosaur fossil in our backyard? Hundreds of millions of years ago, actual dinosaurs stomped around the very place where we have our birthday parties! But that isn’t what excites me most about our discovery. What I’m truly excited about is this: We could be millionaires.

According to my research, dinosaur fossils can be worth a lot of money. In June 2018, a fossilized dinosaur skeleton found in Wyoming sold for $2.3 million. Even small fossils, like dinosaur eggs, can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Imagine what we could do with that kind of cash. We could pay for college. We could take that trip to the Galápagos Islands you’re always dreaming about. We could get a dog!

I know you’re going to say that selling our fossil is wrong—that we should donate it to a scientific institution. But legally, we have the right to do whatever we want with it. According to U.S. law, when you find a fossil on your property, it belongs to you.

Besides, if we sell the fossil at an auction, museums and other scientific institutions will get a chance to buy it anyway. And even if none of them do, there’s no reason to assume the fossil will just collect dust on a shelf somewhere. Some fossil buyers actually lend their fossils to museums, so many people can enjoy them.

Still, I am willing to compromise with you. What if instead of auctioning the fossil to the highest bidder, we go to a museum or research institute and offer to sell it to them first? That way, we’ll still make money, but the fossil will end up in a place you feel good about.

Promise me you’ll at least consider what I’ve said.

Your older (and wiser) sister,

Mia

P.S. If we sell the fossil and get a dog, I’ll let you name him.


Donate It

Let’s give it to science.

Illustration by Tom Garrett; Puwadol Jaturawutthichai/Shutterstock.com (dinosaur body); AJP/Shutterstock.com (boy)

Dear Mia,

I completely agree that finding that fossil was EPIC. Now every time I look out the window, I picture a massive Stegosaurus stomping around our yard.

But I disagree that the best part of our discovery is the chance to get rich. The best part is what we can do for science. We still have so much to learn about dinosaurs and what Earth was like millions of years ago when these creatures were roaming around our planet. Our fossil could help! That’s why it is essential that we donate this fossil to a place where paleontologists will be able to study it.

You say that if we put the fossil up for auction, museums could purchase it. But museums often can’t afford to pay the millions of dollars that fossils sell for these days. Our fossil would likely end up as a piece of decor in some rich person’s house.

Plus, donating this fossil to a museum ensures that it will be properly cared for. If we sell it to just anyone, who knows what will happen to it. What if it gets damaged? Or worse?

But you know what? I don’t think the fossil is ours to sell anyway. Yes, legally it belongs to us. But is it right to claim a precious piece of Earth history as our personal property just because it happened to be in our backyard?

And this is about a lot more than just our one fossil. As more fossils are sold for outrageous prices, more people will go hunting for fossils as a way to get rich. This means more fossils will get snatched up and sold for prices that museums and researchers cannot afford. In other words, if the trend of selling fossils continues, more fossils will be lost to science. I don’t want to be a part of that, and you shouldn’t want to be either.

Your younger (and wiser) brother,

James

P.S. I’m sure we’ll get a dog someday; maybe I’ll name him “Clear Conscience.”


Scavenger Hunt

Directions: Hunt through each letter for the following elements.

    1. The central idea, or central claim.

    2. Two pieces of supporting evidence.

    3. The counterargument.

    4. The writer’s rebuttal.

YOU decide: Who made the stronger argument?

This was originally published in the November 2019 issue.    

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Activities (7)
Reference
Skill-Building Activities
Skills Activities
Writing Support
Answer Key (1)
Slideshows (1)
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Activities (7) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Reference
Skill-Building Activities
Skills Activities
Writing Support
Answer Key (1)
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

Download the Lesson Plan

1. PREPARING TO READ

  • Give students a minute to preview the text features­—the headlines, illustrations or photos, any charts or graphs, etc. Ask students what they think the article is going to be about.
  • Project the Vocabulary and Definitions.
  • Follow up with the Vocabulary Activity to practice using the words that are highlighted in bold in the debate.

2. READING AND TEXT MARKING

  • Read both articles once through as a class.
  • Ask: “No matter what you personally think about the issue, which author do you think makes the better argument?” Take a poll and tally the results on the board.
  • Project the first article. For this article only, have students complete the Scavenger Hunt box at the end of the article, modeling text marking on your whiteboard while students mark their magazines. Or print and distribute the Scavenger Hunt graphic organizer to help students develop their arguments. Note that a lower-level version of the graphic organizer that does not include counterargument is available.
  • Have students complete the Scavenger Hunt box in the magazine and/or the Scavenger Hunt graphic organizer for the second article in small groups.

3. DISCUSS

As a class, discuss the question at the end of the Scavenger Hunt: Who makes the stronger argument? Then ask:
        1. What do the authors agree about? What do they disagree about?
        2. How do the images support each author’s argument?
        3. What is each author’s tone? Explain your answer.

4. DEBATE

  • Divide students into groups according to which author they think makes the best argument. Have the groups stand on opposite sides of the room.
  • Students should then debate: One student offers a reason (support) for his or her opinion; a student from the other group responds.
  • Students should quietly switch sides if at any point during the debate they change their position on the issue; be sure to ask any student who does this why he or she did so. Encourage students to use evidence to support their opinions.
  • At the end of the debate, compare the number of students who support each author with the number who supported each author before the debate.

5. WRITING

  • Have students work individually to complete the Essay Kit guided-writing activity to write an argument essay supporting their points of view. Students can use the Argument Essay Checklist to evaluate and edit their essays.
  • If they are provided, use the extension resources provided in the “Resource” tab that bring in other articles to deepen the conversation. NOTE: Extra resources are not provided with every debate.  
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