Unit Plan 2
Science 495
Rachael Gonsior
Unit Title: Fantastically Fascinating Fossils
Lesson 1: What am I?
Grade Level: 4th
GLCEs
E.ST.04.31 Explain how fossils provide evidence of the history of the Earth.
E.ST.04.32 Compare and contrast life forms found in fossils and organisms that exist today.
S.IA.02.12 Share ideas about science through purposeful conversation.
S.IA.02.13 Communicate and present findings of observations.
S.RS.02.11 Demonstrate scientific concepts through various illustrations, performances, models,
exhibits, and activities.
R.IT.02.04 respond to individual and multiple texts by finding evidence, discussing, illustrating,
and/or writing to reflect, make connections, take a position, and/or show
understanding.
Objectives: Upon completion of this lesson students will be able to:
 Make predictions about specific object of study
 Evaluate their hypothesis by providing evidence to support whether an unknown object is
or isn’t a fossil
 Identify different types of fossils
Misconceptions:
 All items from the past are considered fossils
 All fossils were created at the same time in history
Materials:
Engage: Globe, Pictures or objects that remind you of your past
Explore: Mystery items that are fossils and some that may address misconceptions
Examples:
 Chicken bone, Mummy picture, Dried flower, Artifact (old pot), Imprint of shell in rock, Ink
thumb print, Insect in amber, Animal conserved in a jar (alligators), Petoskey stone, animal
track imprint in mud.
Suggested Books include:
 Fossils by Trudi Strain Trueit
 The Complete Guide to Michigan Fossils by Joseph J. Kchodl
 Fossils by Ann O. Squire
 Collecting Fossils by Steve Parker
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
Fossils by Roy A. Gallant
Eyewitness Books: Fossil by Paul D. Taylor
Science and Nature Guides: Fossils of the World by World Book, Inc.
Explain: Students may refer to materials from explore
Elaborate 1:
 http://www.teachersdomain.org/asset/ess05_int_fossilintro/
Elaborate 2:
 http://www.teachersdomain.org/asset/ess05_int_fossiltype/
 Science journals
Safety: Students should be cautious when handling “mystery objects”, not to damage or break ones
that are fragile. Students should use only their senses of sight and touch to make observations.
Requisite Knowledge for Students:
3rd grade GLCES
L.EV.E.1 Environmental Adaptation- Different kinds of organisms have characteristics that help
them to live in different environments.
E.SE.E.1 Earth Materials- Earth materials that occur in nature include rocks, minerals, soils, water,
and the gases of the atmosphere. Some Earth materials have properties which sustain plant and
animal life.
E.SE.E.2 Surface Changes- The surface of Earth changes. Some changes are due to slow processes,
such as erosion and weathering, and some changes are due to rapid processes, such as landslides,
volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.
L.OL.03.41 Classify plants on the basis of observable physical characteristics (roots, leaves, stems,
and flowers).
L.OL.03.42 Classify animals on the basis of observable physical characteristics (backbone, skin,
shell, limbs, scales).
Procedure:
Engage: Snapshot in Time
Q: How do you learn about your past? How do you know what life was like when you were a child?
S: Pictures, parents telling us about the past, memories based off of objects (teddy bears, artwork)
As students brainstorm, display various object your brought in that tell a story about your past.
Teacher brings out a globe.
T: What about the earth’s past? What about before there were any people? One way that people
tried to understand the past was by making up stories called legends! Read Mama Bear’s Tears with
students (legend of the Petoskey stone). Discuss the idea of legends and how people came up with
legends because they didn’t have the scientific evidence we do today.
T: Where do we look today to find out what life was like in the past? If
there were animals, what things looked like, what the environment was
like???
S: Possible answers may include: (Research, go on the internet, artifacts,
fossils)
T: Just like pictures and legends tell us a story about our past, fossils give
us a snapshot of what life was like during the time period that different
plant and animal species lived. We don’t have to make up stories
because we have the resources to explore on our own. And now we are
going to explore what IS a fossil, and what ISN’T!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Embedded Reflection: At this point in the lesson students are already asking a lot of questions.
They will be curious to find out more about what a fossil is, and whether a Petoskey stone is or isn’t
one. This activity allows students to connect the idea of the earth’s past with their own history and
understanding of the world at this point of the life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Explore: Am I a Fossil?
During this section students will divide into groups of 3-4, depending on class size and be given a
“mystery object”. Their job is to work as a team to identify this object, and decide whether or not
this object is in fact a fossil. Students should first write a basic definition on what they think a fossil
is, and whether or not based on that definition, their object is or isn’t a fossil.
Next students will research using suggested books, internet websites, and their own background
knowledge (if any) about what is and what isn’t a fossil. Students may use resources in format
desire of teacher, perhaps a stations format would work best, where groups rotate to different
areas, spending time on computers and also with books. Students should note their findings in
their science journals. Students will compare their newly gathered information and discuss with
group members whether their hypothesis is being supported, or disproved.
Mystery items may include but are not inclusive to the following list
 Chicken bone, Mummy picture, Dried flower, Artifact (old pot), Imprint of shell in rock, Ink
thumb print, Insect in sap, Animal conserved in a jar (alligators), Petoskey stone, animal
track imprint in mud.
Suggested Books include:
 Fossils by Trudi Strain Trueit
 The Complete Guide to Michigan Fossils by Joseph J. Kchodl
 Fossils by Ann O. Squire
 Collecting Fossils by Steve Parker
 Fossils by Roy A. Gallant
 Eyewitness Books: Fossil by Paul D. Taylor
 Science and Nature Guides: Fossils of the World by World Book, Inc.
Suggested websites include:

http://stloe.most.go.th/html/lo_index/LOcanada8/804/menu_en.htm
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Description of what a fossil is, cool pictures
http://www.fossils-facts-and-finds.com/crinoids.html
Fossil facts
http://www.fossilmuseum.net/
Fossil museum
http://www.choices.web.aplus.net/guidebooks/WAV/pyramids_Chinchorro.pdf
mummies
http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.earthsys.fossilcollage/
slide show of various fossils
http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/sciences/paleontology/FossilsAndFossilisation/Am
berFossils/AmberFossils/AmberFossils.htm
Fossils in amber
http://www.discoveringfossils.co.uk/whatisafossil.htm
Great pictures, easy to follow formation sequence
http://www.fossilsdirect.co.uk/index.cfm
Collection of pictures and types of fossils
http://www.habitas.org.uk/fossils/ammonites.html
Picturess of different fossil organisms like Ammonites, Goniatites and Nautiloids
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Embeded Reflection:
At this point, students are beginning to construct their own knowledge about fossils by gathering their
own information. They have to first find a definition of a fossil, before they can apply that information
and make a judgment about their object. Even if their judgement is wrong, student are still using
blooms higher taxonomy of thinking, and working to problem solve as a team.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Explain:
Students will present their findings to the class, telling their evidence for why they think their item
IS a fossil, or why it ISN’T. Students will also comment on their original fossil definition and the
hypothesis the formed in regards to their provided object. The class will vote collectively after
listening to the evidence presented, and the items will be sorted as such in a visible location. If the
groups report misinformation, the teacher should not correct the students at this time. Instead, as
the lesson progresses, help guide students toward recognizing the error and return to the sorting,
discussing what new information may have led to a change in their understanding of what a fossil
really is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Embedded Reflection:
At the end of the unit, it is my hope that as a class, the students will write a detailed definition,
encompassing their new knowledge of what a fossil is. It is perfectly ok if they still have
misconceptions at this point, because we will address more in depth what a fossil is from different
angles throughout.
T: Now that we have an idea of what is a fossil (Insect in amber, Animal track, Imprint of shell in
rock, bones turned into minerals but not a actual chicken bone) and what isn’t (Artifact, mummy,
animal in jar, thumb print) let’s figure out what we know about fossils so far, and what we still have
questions about.
List on the board what information the students have gathered thus far about fossils.
Possible student questions to investigate: Where did fossils come from? How old are they? Who
studies them? How do they form? Are there different types?
Elaborate 1:
Chose questions your students generate to fuel this section. “How they form?” and “Are there
different types?” are great questions to explore during this section.
The following animation gives a step-by-step look at the fossilization process, introducing students
to the idea of sedimentary rock stratification or layering. It also exposes them to the idea that
fossils take a long time to form, and through erosion, eventually they resurface.
http://www.teachersdomain.org/asset/ess05_int_fossilintro/
Elaborate 2:
Write the following words, “Body
and Trace” on the board. Tell
students to predict in their science
journals what they terms could
mean, and draw a picture of what
they would look like in regards to
fossil types.
Have students work in the same
groups as during the explore, and
go visit the website below, taking
notes of several examples of body
and Trace fossils, and drawing a
picture of each.
Track is made
Mud hardens
Sediment is
deposited
Rock layers form
Print exposed by
erosion
Figure: The process by which most fossils are made.
http://www.teachersdomain.org/asset/ess05_int_fossiltype/
Evaluate:
Engage: Assessment will take place in the form of the teacher gauging where the students
are at. Prior knowledge will be exposed as the students comment on how we find out the
earth’s past, and whether or not they realize how old the earth really is. No formal
assessment will take place at this time.
Explore and Explain: The teacher will collect the student’s science journals to see what type
of information they gathered in regards to their mystery object, and what they could find
out about fossils. The journals will be graded with a sample rubric provided below. The
teacher will also look for consistency between presentation of material in explain, versus
documented information in their journals.
Points
4
Description
Participating in activity, prediction made,
prediction compared with result useful
information about fossils collected, and
participating in discussion
3
Participating in activity, prediction made,
and prediction compared with result, facts
about fossils
2
Participating in activity and prediction made
1
Participating in activity
0
Did not complete any of the above
requirements
Elaborate: Students should try and identify which “type of fossil” the fossils were that were
presented during the explore. Students will also complete a matching worksheet entitled,
“What type am I?”
Scientific Background:
Fossils are found on every continent on Earth as preserved evidence that a living organism once
lived on Earth. The word “fossil” means dug up, which is appropriate because the majority of fossils
found today are “dug up” by fossil hunters called Paleontologist. Most fossils are buried in
sedimentary rock, but some are trapped in organic matter. The oldest fossils found are over 3
billion years old and the youngest date back to the ice age, around 10,000 years ago (website).
There are two main types of fossils, body fossils and trace fossils. Body fossils include dinosaur
bones, insects in amber, seashell in rock, mammoth frozen in ice, tooth of reptile. Most body fossils
are the casting of the organisms “hard exterior parts”, from bone into stones. This process is called
permineralization as overtime, minerals replace the decaying hard parts, creating an exact
duplicate.
Trace fossils are the evidence plants and animals leave behind, such as footprints,trail drags,
coprolites(droppings), burrows, bite marks, nests, eggs, etc. These fossils can give us evidence to
how organisms of that time period lived. Footprints and trails can tell us the weight and movement
patterns of an organism while droppings can show us the kind of food an animal ate and the climate
it lived in.
Only 1-2% of all life forms become fossils. The most common way for a fossil to form is after it dies
to be buried quickly by soil or mud, which hardens and eventually turns to slate over time. More
layers are added overtime, creating sedimentary rock. Sandstone, limestone, and shale are all
types of rock found in sedimentary layers. A mold or hollowed out area is created as the dead
organism decays, and if it is filled by minerals, a cast if formed. Freezing and preservation in
amber are also ways that fossils are formed.
The Earth we live in is estimated to be around 4.6 billion years old. It wasn’t until the last 550
million years that complex organisms made an appearance on the planet. This time has been
known as the Phanerozoic Eon, meaning “time of life”. The prior (550mil-4.6bil) is known as the
precambion and is not addressed in this lesson. The three main time periods during the
Phanerozoic Eon are addressed however and known as the Cenozoic (new life), Mesozoic (middle
life), and Paleozoic (ancient life). These periods lasted from 0-65million years, 65-248 million
years, and 248-544 million years, respectively.
Fossils are our record from the past that give us evidence to this past life. The principle of fossil
succession states that fossils are found in a consistent vertical order throughout the world in
sedimentary rock, with the oldest fossils being found in the deepest layers, and the youngest fossils
found in the upper layers. Fossils take thousands to millions of years to form, but can be exposed
overtime through erosion, as layers of the earth are exposed. The Grand Canyon is a great
sedimentary rock example of this.
Fossils also give us a window into the past life of how different species have changed or evolved
over time (fish and bird), as well as a look into the lives of species that have become extinct
(dinosaurs, trilobites).
Below is a breakdown of the eras and major changes in plant and animal life seen:
Cenozoic
(0-2million years ago)Humans, mass extinction of large land mammals, saber-toothed cats,
mastodons, and mammoths
(2- 65million) Primates(apes), birds, horses camels, whales, dolphins, grasses
Mesozoic
65-145: Snakes flowering plants *Mass extinction of dinosaurs, flying reptiles and many marine life
forms, all ammonites go extinct
145-213- Large Dinosaurs, crocodiles, flying and marine reptiles, early birds
213-248- Lizards, dinosaurs, turtles, Mass extinction or many ammonites, brachiopods, amphibians,
and reptiles
Paleozoic
248-286 Early reptiles, Worst mass extinction ever; forest plants, reptiles, many marine life forms
(trilobites, corals, and crinoids
286-325 Amphibians flying insects, coniferous swamp forest
325-360 Seed ferns
360-410 Cartilaginous and bony fish, amphibians, ammonites, seed plants
410-440 Jawed fish, insects, land plants
440-505 Jawless fish, bivalves, fresh water plants
505-544 Marine invertebrates: sponges, trilobites, brachiopods, echinoderms, enidarians
Precambrain
544-4,500- Worms, stromatolites, bacteria
Resources:
INSTRUCTOR'S NOTES . Retrieved March 14, 2009, from http://gardening.about.com Web site:
http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/sciences/paleontology/FossilsAndFossilisation/Am
berFossils/AmberFossils/AmberFossils.htm
Jansma , N (2008). The Source Workbook. Retrieved March 5, 2009, from Ch 6. The language of the
Earth Web site:
http://thebeginning.us/Chapters/Ch-6/Ch-6.htm
Mann, D What is a Fossil Anyway?. Retrieved March 6, 2009, from Fossil Facts and Finds Web site:
http://www.fossils-facts-and-finds.com/what_is_a_fossil.html
Trueit, T (2003). Fossils. Canada: Franklin Watts.
WHAT Fossil AM I?
Directions: Students may cut fossils out below doted line and glue
them in the appropriate category
Trace
vs.
Body
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Word Bank
Lesson 2: Layers, Layers, Layers!!!
GLCEs
E.ST.04.31 Explain how fossils provide evidence of the history of the Earth.
E.ST.04.32 Compare and contrast life forms found in fossils and
organisms that exist today.
S.IA.02.12 Share ideas about science through purposeful conversation.
S.IA.02.13 Communicate and present findings of observations.
S.RS.02.11 Demonstrate scientific concepts through various illustrations, performances, models,
exhibits, and activities.
Objectives: Upon completion of this lesson students will be able to:
 Sequence fossils according to time period by matching pictures
 Compare and contrast different time periods and the fossils present in each
Misconceptions:
o A common misconception is that all fossils were created at the same time in history.
o The earth isn’t very old, maybe a couple thousand years
Materials: The following materials may be purchased at Meijer unless otherwise indicated.
Engage:
 Globe
 How much is a Million? By David Schwartz
Explore: One per group of two students unless otherwise indicated
 150ml beaker
 1 funnel per group of four
 3 colored fossil pictures, (red, yellow, green, see explore for details)
 3 Sand Art colored bottles per table or four students
o Suggested: red, yellow, green
 Plastic spoons, one per person
Procedure:
Engage 1: What’s your age?
Bring the Globe back out.
T: If the Earth had it’s birthday today, how old would it be?
Read How much is one million? by David Schwartz
After reading: T: Today class we are going to talk about time, how
old our Earth is, and how fossils have played a large role in helping
scientists figure out about the environment and what life was like
back in the past before we were born. We have an activity that will
help us to see how discovering fossils in different locations will
teach us new things about the past.
T: After reading this story about 1 million, does anyone think our
Earth could be that old? What about 1 billion?
Review excerpt from the book:
"How big is a billion? If a billion kids made a human tower, they
would stand up past the moon. If you sat down to count from one to one billion, you would be
counting for 95 years. If you found a goldfish bowl large enough hold a billion goldfish, it would be
as big as a stadium."
T: Wow that’s big, and guess what, the earth is actually 4.6 Billions Years old! Can you believe that?
How many more times than 1 billion is that? Almost 5 times, very good. Only in the last 550 million
years have we seen a timeline of complex life establish. So let’s take a look at what’s been
happening in our earth over this large span of time!
Explore:
Provide students pairs each with a 150ml beaker and each table with three different colored bottles
of Sand Art. Also pass out one funnel per group.
Explain to students that they are going to create a stratification or layering model of what the earth
beneath them looks like. The sand will represent sandstone, and each color will represent a
different time period. For example green could represent the ancient life era (Paleozoic), yellow
could represent the middle life era (Mesozoic), and red could represent the Cenozoic era (new life).
In this stratification is also the same order that a stop light is presented which may be an easy
reference connection. Note: Do not explain the era name correspondence with students at this
point, just stick to colors.
The teacher will pass out various fossil pictures on green, yellow, and red paper. Instruct students
that they will be burying each fossil picture with it’s corresponding sand color layer, (example red
picture is buried on top layer in red sand.)
o
Fossil picture examples: http://www.fossilmuseum.net/FossilGalleries.htm
Green(550-248)
Early reptiles
Jawless fish
Amphibians
flying insects
fresh water plants
Seed ferns
sponges
trilobites
Yellow 248-65
Snakes
flowering plants
Large Dinosaurs
Crocodiles
Early birds
Flying/marine reptiles
Lizards
Turtles
Red 65-0 million
Humans
Primates
Birds
Horses
Camels
Whales
Dolphins
Grasses
Brachiopods
enidarians
coniferous swamp forest
Event: Two Mass extinctions
occurred, first one of many
ammonites, brachiopods, amphibians
2nd: dinosaurs, flying/marine
reptiles and all ammonites
Event: Worst Mass
Extinction ever
Forest plants, reptiles
Marine life forms
(trilobites, corals, crinoids)
Event: 2 million years ago
mass extinction of
large land mammals and
reptiles saber-toothed cats,
mastodons, mammoth
Instruct students to make a layered Sand Art portrayal of the earth, making three layers, starting
with green, and finishing with red. Students may decide on thickness/height of layers and where to
place the fossil in each layer.
Once students have completed their earth stratification pass out plastic spoons to each group. Have
the students “dig” through each layer to simulate how paleontologists (people who study fossils)
find and uncover them. Tell students they may not move on to lower layers until a fossil in the first
layer has been found. After students have uncovered each of their three fossils, have them lay them
out on their desks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Embedded Refection: During the explore, students are constructing knowledge by going through
the process of how layers of sedimentary rock are layered and the concept of principle of fossil
succession. By having students “dig out” their hidden fossils, a physical connection is made since
the fossils at the top are easiest to get, they must be the youngest. By using different sand color and
paper color, connections between layers and layer position is reinforced visually.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Explain:
Explain to students that those three colors, Red, Green, and Yellow actually represent three eras or
time periods in earth’s “Time of life calendar” (Phanerozoic Eon). Have the students collectively
decide which color represents which of the following three categories, Ancient life, Middle life, and
New life.
Students should refer back to the explore activity. Guide students to think about the order in which
they layered the sand and which has “settled” for longer. Talk about which fossils were easiest to
dig out, and which took more time. This will lead to student recognition of older fossils being found
in deeper layers of rock, while younger, more recent fossils are found closer to the earth’s surface.
Sample questions:
 Which fossils were easiest to find? Why do you think this?
 Which sand layer has been in your beaker for the longest? Which fossil?
 Which fossil do think is the oldest? Does order or stratification of the layers of rock have
any significance?
The correct line up should be written on the whiteboard from left to right, starting with Ancient life
(green), Middle life (yellow), and New life (red). Have one person from each group go up to the
board and place their fossil picture under the heading. There will be some repeats but also
variation of different plant and animals forms that dominated or were first introduced during that
time period.
Discuss with students about the various life present in each time period. Put question marks next
to creatures they don’t recognize or are unsure of their proper name. This will be used later for
comparison purposes.
Note: The real headings may be used with students but I do not think knowing the exact names is as
important as the sequence order concept that is being taught.
Paleozoic-Ancient life, Mesozoic- Middle life, Cenozoic -New life
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Embedded Reflection: Students now are given the opportunity to put into perspective the idea of
geological time and visually see by placing their pictures on the board in order, how organisms
survived and changed overtime, and how organisms have died out and become extinct.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elaborate 1:
Prepare a PowerPoint of contrasting pictures of animals that have been around since the ancient
ear, that we still see today. For example, showing pictures of fish from the past, and fish now, as
well as birds from the past, and birds now, and even reptiles (dinosaurs) and reptiles now. Create a
ven diagram with the class and compare and contrast physical features you notice in organisms
from today, with their ancestors of the past.
Read pgs 18-33 from Fossils, by Ann O. Squire for added reinforcement
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Embedded Reflection: This activity will help better reinforce observations students have already
been making in regards to fossil picture’s they’ve seen on the board. In this activity, you can pick
several animals that have survived for millions of years, and show students how they’ve changed,
discussing this or writing a story about it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elaborate 2:
Show the following picture on the document camera:
Compare and contrast with students the three major time periods and the types of life that is
present in each. Talk about what changes they notice, and what things from the past we still see
today. The above picture shows the time period various life was present, from things that have
gone extinct to early life that we still see today.
Possible Questions:
What life forms are no longer present with us? (trilobites, dinosaurs)
If I found a trilobite fossil, what era would I be in?
If I found a fish fossil what era would I be in? What other details other than “I found a fish fossil”
would you need to know to identify the period?
What life forms have survived since the oldest era and we still see them today? (sharks, frogs)
In the history of the earth, have humans been a species for very long?
T: Why don’t we see dinosaurs anymore? Or trilobites?
S: They all became extinct
Have students watch the following video and discuss the idea of extinction.
http://www.teachersdomain.org/asset/ess05_vid_littlemammals/
Possible Questions:
What was the catastrophe that killed the dinosaurs?
What are other catastrophes or natural disasters that could occur today, or that have happened in
the past that may have led to mass extinctions?
Possible answers may be: Ice Age, Volcanoes, earthquakes, comet, global warming
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Embedded Reflection: This activity is great because the picture prompts the discussion, and then the
thinking can go from their. Students are applying what they are learning, to make predictions about
why some species are in some period and not in others. They are also making connections to the
environment, and how nature has an effect on our ability to survive and reproduce, for example, look
at the dinosaurs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Evaluate:
Engage: Student misconceptions will be exposed here because most will not have a concept of how
big one million really is. The teacher will use student discussion to fuel question choice for the
remainder of the lesson.
Explore: Students will be accessed on their Sand Art creations, and participation in the following
rubric
Points
Description
2
On task and participating, finished Sand Art
project with layers, removed all of their
fossil pieces
1
Participated but didn’t follow directions
correctly
0
Was not on task and not participating
Explain: Class assessment will take place at this time, as the teacher surveys how the students
match up the fossils with the various time periods. This will help the teacher decided how to
approach the different elaborates:
Elaborate: The teacher will assess students based off of their ven diagrams they complete
comparing and contrasting the different eras as well as how organisms of the past differ from
organisms today. A rubric method can be used as well.
References:
INSTRUCTOR'S NOTES . Retrieved March 14, 2009, from http://gardening.about.com Web site:
http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/sciences/paleontology/FossilsAndFossilisation/Am
berFossils/AmberFossils/AmberFossils.htm
Jansma , N (2008). The Source Workbook. Retrieved March 5, 2009, from Ch 6. The language of the
Earth Web site:
http://thebeginning.us/Chapters/Ch-6/Ch-6.htm
Mann, D What is a Fossil Anyway?. Retrieved March 6, 2009, from Fossil Facts and Finds Web site:
http://www.fossils-facts-and-finds.com/what_is_a_fossil.html
Trueit, T (2003). Fossils. Canada: Franklin Watts.
Lesson 3: I’m a Paleontologist!
GLCEs
E.ST.04.31 Explain how fossils provide evidence of the history of the Earth.
Objectives: Upon completion of this lesson students will be able to:
 Mimic the progression of a fossil formation and excavation
 Combine their ideas about fossils into one definition
Misconception: Egyptian mummies are fossils of humans
Materials: The following materials may be purchased at Meijer unless otherwise indicated.
Engage: Dinosaur Mummies: Beyond Bare-Bone Fossils, by Kelly Milner Halls
Explore:
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Plaster of Paris
Pitcher of water
An inexpensive fossil if you have one.
Shrimp shell (A workable fossil substitute)
Escargot shell (A workable fossil substitute)
Sifter
Fine sand- must be fine enough to go through the sifter
Glade tuberware container- one per student.
Tempera paint (earthy colors)
Small plastic or rubber dinosaur-one per student
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Tiny eyeglass screw drivers (one per student)
Vinegar drops-3 bottles
Clear nail polish remover-5 bottles
Safety goggles- one per student
Paint brushes-one per student
Before the Lesson:
For instructors fossil: Add a small portion of fine sand to several containers with plaster of Paris.
Separate the mixture into two containers and mix in a few drops of tempera paint, creating
different brown shades. These mixtures will be poured in the glade container to show different soil
layers.
For student fossils: Follow the instructions above, but also complete the process by adding a fossil,
pouring a little water to cover, and then sifting the plaster over the container until a soft mud is
formed.
Safety: Place newspaper or trash bags in areas around student desks to prevent a large mess.
Students should not ingest Plaster of Paris or any of the other materials under any circumstances.
Procedure:
Engage: Read Dinosaur Mummies: Beyond Bare-Bone Fossils, by Kelly Milner Halls
This book reviews the process of fossilization, now that students have had exposure to it from
various activities. It also addresses the differences between mineralized mummies paleontologists
study, and Egyptian mummies that were intentionally preserved by people. Six key fossil
discoveries are included, explaining their impact on our understanding of one particular fossil, the
dinosaurs.
Discuss with students the following article on
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/12/dino_mummy
About the recent discovery of a dinosaur mummy.
Embedded Reflection: This activity allows you to connect a topic, a texts, and a real life situation all
together in one. When students can see meaning behind their learning, and connect it to real life
events, they are more likely to learn and remember it.
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Explore: Dinosaur Fossils
To better help students understand the fossilization process, they are going to role play
paleontologist. The teacher will demonstrate the final fossilization process, by placing a dinosaur
or other fossil type on the Plaster of Paris layers created prior to the lesson. Pour a little water to
cover the fossil and then sift the plaster over the container until a soft mud is formed. Have
students review the steps with you of fossilization they learned in the first lesson, and the
importance of being covered quickly. Ask students how long they think the fossil will take to form.
They should say thousands or millions of years if it was real life. However, since this is just an
illustrating activity, it should only take about 30minutes.
Pass out ready made fossils for students and explain that they have the opportunity today to be
paleontologist. They have now proved they know enough about fossils and how they form that they
are ready to dig for them!
Step 1. Caution students to work to expose or remove the fossil carefully and to put their safty
goggles on.
Step 2. Have students investigate their “plaster rock” to look for an abnormalties, bumps or areas
they suspect the fossil may be closest to. Have student mark this area with their pencil based on
clues.
Step 3. Slowly but surely students may chip away at the plaster once they have identified their
starting location.
Step 4. Continue to scrape the edges until a good outline of fossil is present. Encourage students to
be patient, that fossil has been in the ground for millions of years, it doesn’t want to come out right
yet!
Step 5. Once most of fossil is exposed, students may clean the rock around the fossil and the fossil
using several drops of vinegar. Encourage students to use dry paint brushes to remove so of the
rock around the fossil.
Step 6. Next explain to students they are going to prepare their fossil, just like real paleontologists do,
by protecting the exposed parts from erosion by painting it with a special glue, which just so happens
to be clear nail polish!
Step 7. Note the type of fossil, date and time you discovered it, and it’s location. Fossils with
information may be displayed in the classroom for other classes to come see. Students write geo
time period, location, name and where fossil would have been found
Explain: Students should look back to the previous lessons, questions they may have had about
their original mystery object or ones that didn’t get answered and research or have discussion time
to see if they know the answers now with their newly constructed knowledge.
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Embedded reflection: It is important for students to be continually seeing how things connect
throughout the various lessons and that their questions are important.
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Elaborate: Students draw and illustrate their favorite type of fossil in a Wanted Poster format. They
must include requirements for a fossil to be a fossil such as:
1) Have been alive (plant or animal)
2) Must have had hard parts
3) Buried quickly to prevent decay
They also must include what time period they would find this fossil, what other fossils may have
seen it (ones that are in the same time period), three facts perhaps including exciting location
discoveries involving their fossil, and their own several sentence definition, encompassing what
they think a fossil is, and the best way to describe it using what they’ve learned.
Evaluate: Engage assessment will again be more informal and an interest in participation level of
the class. During the Explore and Explain section I would use the finished fossil project exposure to
the world and note card with facts to create grade. The cumulative assessment from the this unit
will be the picture created of their favorite fossil they learned about, where it would be found, what
we can learn from it, and their own definition of what a fossil is. The project will be worth 25 points
as an overall unit assessment.
Embedded Reflection: At the end of a unit I think it is important to access students in a format
where they can showcase their creativity, thinking, and overall learning. Having students do the
“Wanted Fossil” Ad is a fun twist giving them freedom, but enough guidelines for direction and
structure.
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References:
INSTRUCTOR'S NOTES . Retrieved March 14, 2009, from http://gardening.about.com Web site:
http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/sciences/paleontology/FossilsAndFossilisation/Am
berFossils/AmberFossils/AmberFossils.htm
Jansma , N (2008). The Source Workbook. Retrieved March 5, 2009, from Ch 6. The language of the
Earth Web site:
http://thebeginning.us/Chapters/Ch-6/Ch-6.htm
Mann, D What is a Fossil Anyway?. Retrieved March 6, 2009, from Fossil Facts and Finds Web site:
http://www.fossils-facts-and-finds.com/what_is_a_fossil.html
Trueit, T (2003). Fossils. Canada: Franklin Watts.
Integration ideas
Social Studies: Look at different landforms such as the Grand Canyon and the sedimentary rock
layers present. Check out various fossil dig sites and have a paleontologist come visit the class and
talk about their experiences in the field.
Math: Students can practice percentages by turning each period into a percentage of the larger
whole. Talk about timelines and how to write larger numbers over a thousand.