Download Mountaintop Fossil

Earth and Space Science Assessment Probes
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Mountaintop Fossil
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The Esposito family went hiking on a tall mountain.
Mrs. Esposito picked up a shell fossil on the top of
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the mountain. The fossil was once a shelled organism that lived in the ocean. The family had different
ideas about how the fossil ended up there. This is
what they thought:
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Mrs. Esposito: A bird picked up the organism and
dropped the shell as it flew over the mountain.
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Mt. Esposito: \fater,
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ice, or wind eventually carried
the fossil to the top of the mountain.
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Rosa: A mountain formed in an area that was once covered by ocean.
Sofia: The fossil ff-owed out of a volcano that rose up from the ocean foor.
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\flhose idea do you most agree with and why? Describe your ideas about how a fossil
could end up on the top of a tall mountain.
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Uncoverin$ Student ldeas in Science
165
Earth and Space Science Assessment Probes
Mountaintop Fossil
Yescher ffiwtws
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elic-
rock. The imprints left by the hard shells of
mollusks and even mineralized parts of their
it
shells remained
Purpose
students' ideas about mountain formation.
The probe is designed to determine whether
formed
over the fossils. Over time, these layers of rock
from the uplift of land, including areas that
were uplifted to form mountains. As moun-
were once part ofoceans.
tains formed, the fossils were elevated along
with the rock in which they were formed. To-
Related Concepts
day the processes of weathering and erosion
fossils, landforms, uplift, weathering and erosion
expose the fossils in the rock that were formed
Explanation
millions of years ago. The sediments may end
up in the ocean and again turn to rock over
students recognize
that mountains
The best answer is Rosas. Over long periods
of
geologic time, the Earth's crust goes through
several changes.
\fhere oceans' shallow
long periods of time, possibly forming new
mountains many millions of years from now.
seas'
may be mountains. Ancient marine organisms
Curricular and lnstructional
Gonsiderations
died and w€re covered with sediments that,
over time, hardened and formed sedimentary
Elementary Students
and muddy marshes once existed, today there
166
in the sedimentary rock' Additional layers of sedimentary rock formed
National Science Teachers Association
Earth and Space Science Assessment Probes
tunity to examine different types of landforms
and rocks, including fossils, with the emphasis
until late in middle school or high school. It
is also important to note that vast intervals
of geologic time are difficult for students to
on observations and descriptions. Explanations
comprehend.
Students at this level should have the oppor-
ir"ffi
should be based on processes and changes that
students can experience and observe.
It
is dif-
ficult for students at this level to comprehend
the very long periods of geologic time it takes
High School Students
At this level students transition from descrip-
tive understandings of geologic phenomena
they learned about in middle school to modern
for rocks and mountains to form.
explanations, including plate tectonics. They
Middle School Students
It is important for students at this
should have an integrated knowledge about
to un-
the Earth system that includes the rock cycle,
derstand how sedimentary rock is formed, in-
crustal dynamics, geochemical processes, and
cluding the embedding of plant and animal
remains that leave a record of the appearance
the expanded concept of geologic time. They
and disappearance ofdifferent species and the
for determining the story of the Earth's crust,
environment that existed at that time. The
climate, and evolving life forms.
age
should understand and use the evidence base
study of the Earth's history provides evidence
cluding the distribution of land and sea, fea-
Administering the Probe
It may be helpful to show students an example
tures of the crust such as mountains, and the
of a shell fossil. You might also show a picture
populations of living organisms that existed
of a tall mountain chain, such as the Andes,
at different times. Students should have opportunities to study a variety of landforms, in-
where shell fossils have been found.
cluding mountains, and how they came to be.
gone through many changes and that where
Related ldeas tn National
Science Edueation Standards
(NRC 1ee6)
oceans once existed, mountains may exist
today. The theory of plate tectonics is intro-
K-4 Properties of Earth Materials
duced at this level.
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about the evolution of the Earth's features, in-
They should understand that the Earth has
Because students do not have direct con-
tact with the phenomena of uplift and wear-
ing down of mountains as well as the longterm nature of geologic processes' instruction and hands-on experiences should be descriptive. Detailed explanations should wait
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Fossils provide evidence about plants and
animals that lived a long time ago and the
nature of the environment at that time.
5-8 Structure of the Earth
k Landforms are the result of a combination ofconstructive and destructive forces.
lndicates a strong match between the ideas elicited by the probe and a national standard's learning goal.
Uncovering Student ldeas in Science
L67
Earth and Space Science Assessment Probes
Constructive forces include crustal deformation, volcanic eruption' and deposition
of
sedimenu destructive forces include
3-5 Processes That ShaPe the Earth
. Rock is composed of different combinations of minerals. Smaller rocks come
from the breakage and weathering ofbedrock and larger rocks' Soil is made partly
weatheri ng and erosion.
from weathered rock, partly from plant
remains-and also contains many living
5-8 Earth's HistorY
.
The Earth processes we see today, including
erosion, movement of lithospheric plates'
and changes in the atmospheric composi-
tion, are similar to those that occurred in
the past. Earth history is also influenced
by occasional catastrophes, such as the im-
organisms.
6-8 Ptocesses That ShaPe the Earth
. Sediments of sand and smaller particles
(sometimes containing the remains of organisms) are gradually buried and cemented together by dissolved minerals and form
pact of an asteroid or comet'
9-12 The Origin and Evolution of the
Earth SYstem
o
solid rock again.
.
Sedimentary rock buried deep enough may
be reformed by pressure and heat' perhaps
Geologic time can be estimated by observing
rock sequences and using fossils to correlate
melting and recrystaliizing into different
kinds of rock. These reformed rock layers
may be forced up again to become land
surface and even mountains. Rock bears
the sequences at various locations' Current
methods include using known decay rates
of radioactive isotopes present in the rocks
evidence
to measure time since the rock was formed'
o
the atmosphere, and organisms
resulted in the ongoing evolution of
have
the Earth system' \7e can observe changes
Related Research
c Students of all ages may hold the view that
the world has always been the way it is now
and any changes that occurred were sud-
such as earthquakes and volcanic erup-
tions on a human time scale, but manY
processes such as mountain building and
plate movements take place over hundreds
.
den and comprehensive (Freyberg 1985)'
Very few younger children who were inter-
viewed in a study by Happs (1982) appreciated the relationship between sedimen-
of millions of Years.
Related ldeas in Bench marks
for Science Literacy (AAAS
19e8)
temperatures,
and forces that created it.
Interactions among the solid Earth, the
oceans,
of the minerals,
tary rocks and the sedimentary process by
which they were formed.
r
Students often
ing
as
think of mountain build-
occurring only through catastrophic
ffihb"t*""ntheideaselicitedbytheprobeandanationalstandard'slearninggoal.
National Science Teachers Association
1.ffi
Earth and Space Science Assessment Probes
events such as earthquakes
or
volcanoes.
uplifts and not the catastrophic types such
They often fail to recognize the slow pro-
as volcanoes, provide a vicarious way for
of uplift over millions of years (Phil-
students to observe long-term constructive
cess
lips 1991).
o
Processes.
Some students have a landform and ocean
basin conception that involves a progressively decreasing slope from the center of
the continents to the center of the bottom of the ocean and then back up again
(Marques and Thompson 1997).
Related NSTA Science Store
Fublications and NSTA Journal
Articles
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 1993. Benchmarksfor science
eracy.
Suggestions for lnstruction and
Assessment
o Provide examples of tall mountains such
as the Himalayas and the Andes and show
examples of marine fossils that have been
found there. Encourage students to think
of all the possible ways these fossils could
have gotten there and have them research
their ideas.
.
o
New York Oxford University Press.
Driver, R., A. Squires,
P.
Rushworth, and V \7ood-
Robinson. 1994. Mahing
science: Research
sense
of
second'ary
into childrenls ideas. London:
RoutledgeFalmer.
Ford, B. 1996. Project Eartlt science: Geology. Arlingron, VA: NSTA Press.
Gilbert, S., and S. Ireton. 2003.
models
in earth and
NSTA
Press.
s?ace science.
Understanding
ArLington, VA:
many different types
Hemler, D., and T. Repine. 2002. Reconstructing
of landforms as possible to help determine
the geologic timeline: Adding a constructivist
and describe the different ways in which
slant to a classic activity. 7/te Science Teacher 69
they formed.
(4): 32-35.
Students should
see as
Elementary students can observe the ba-
Keeley, P. 2005. Science curriculum topic study:
sic processes of the rock cycle-weather-
Bridging the gap between standards and practice.
ing, erosion, transport, and deposit-using water, sandboxes, and rock tumblers'
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
National Research Council (NRC) 1995. National
Later they can connect these experiences
science ed.ucation standards.
to explanations ofhow features ofdifferent
National Academy
Earth formations came to be and how they
are always changing.
e
lit-
Films or internet simulations of mountain-
building processes, particularly the slower
Uncovering Student ldeas in Science
\Tashington, DC:
Press.
Norell, M. 2003. \X/hat is a fossil? Science
dren 40
Phillips,
\(
& Chil'
(5):20.
1991. Earth science misconceptions.
7he Science Tbacher 58
(2):21-23.
169
Earth and Space Science Assessment Probes
Freyberg, P. 1985. Implications across the curricu-
lum.In Learning in
Relatedr Currioulum, -Topic Study
Guides ,,,
(Keeley20,05)1
: ,' : I:
"
Tec-tonicsl' ',
Pro-cesses
R' Osborne and
Freyberg, 125-135. Auckland, New Zealand:
Heinemann.
' 'l
"
"FossifEvidence'' t
:"L"a,dfot*ar, ;.:' -.. 'lPlate
P.
science, eds.
Happs, J. 1982. Rocks and rninerab. LISP \Torking
'
Paper204. Hamilton, New Zealand. University
of \faikato, Science Education Research Unit.
.',,
lThat Ch4nge the Surface
olthe
Keeley, P. 2005. Science curriculurn topic studl:
Bridging the gap between standards and practice.
Earth"
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
l'Rocks ind rMinerals'r
r'WeaiherinA and Eroslonl
Marques, L., and D. Thompson.1997. Misconcep-
tions and conceptual changes concerning continental drift and plate tectonics among Portuguese students aged 76-17. Research
References
and
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 1993. Benchmarksfor science
eracy.
NewYork: Oxford University
Driver, R., A. Squires,
P.
Press.
Rushworth, and V. 'Vood-
Robinson. 1994. Mahing
science: Research
lit'
sense
of
secondary
Tbchno
in
Science
logical Education L5 (2) : 19 5-222.
National Research Council (NRC). 1996. National
science education standards.
\Tashington, DC:
National Academy Press.
Philiips,
\( i99i.
Earth science misconceptions.
Tlte Science Tbacher 58 (2):
2l-23.
into children's ideas. London:
RoutledgeFalmer.
L70
National Science Teachers Association