Download TLW explain how fossils provide evidence of the history of the Earth.

Fourth Grade Unit Three
Sun, Moon, and Earth
Section 1:
TLW explain how fossils provide evidence of the history of the Earth.
(Gist: Fossils)
Enduring Understanding(s)


Fossils provide evidence about the history of the Earth.
Fossils provide evidence that life forms have changed over time and were influenced by
changes in environmental conditions.
Essential Question
•How do fossils provide evidence about the history of the Earth?
New Vocabulary
evidence
fossil
life forms
Concepts & Information
Changes in the Earth have occurred over a long time and are still occurring. Changes occur
slowly through the rock cycle and erosion and quickly with catastrophic events like earthquakes
and volcanoes. We can trace the history of these age-old changes through fossil evidence.
Analysis of the rock layers has helped map previously existing life. These fossils have, in turn,
given clues to the age of the rocks in which they are embedded.
Earth’s surface is constantly changing. Rock layers provide a record of Earth’s geologic history,
and fossils in sedimentary rock help scientists infer how the Earth’s surface has changed. The
fossil record provides evidence that many different organisms have existed at different times and
that groups of organisms have changed over time. Some organisms have become extinct. The
fossils in older rocks are simpler organisms, while the fossils in younger rocks are more
complex. Scientific theory traces possible evolutionary relationships between these ancient
organisms and present life forms.
Rocks and fossils are used to determine the relative age and geologic history of the Earth by their
position in rock layers. Index fossils are specific organisms that lived during only a limited
period of time, allowing them to provide information about the relative ages of the rock layers in
which they occur. Radioactive dating provides a more accurate measurement of the geologic age.
Radioactive dating
is a process through which actual ages of events can be determined. Radioactive dating is based
on the premise that certain radioactive elements decay to other elements at known rates. After
one half-life, one half of the original amount of the element remains. After two half-lives, one
quarter of the element remains. For example, potassium 40 decays to argon 40 with a half-life of
1.3 billion years. Uranium 235 decays to lead 207 with a half-life of 713 million years. Carbon14 (C-14) dating has a half-life of 5,730 years. Therefore, potassium-argon dating is useful in
dating extremely old events and carbon-14 dating is useful for dating more recent events, with
uranium-lead (U-PB) useful for dating those in between.
Principles related to determination of age and geologic history are uniformitarianism and
superposition. Uniformitarianism assumes that changes occur over long periods of time (e.g., the
Grand Canyon being cut by the Colorado River over millions of years). The Law of
Superposition assumes that layers are deposited in order and that lower layers are older than
upper layers.
Real World Context
Fossils are evidence that dinosaurs existed. Natural history museums preserve and display
dinosaur skeletons. The information archeologists and paleontologists learn from fossils gives
evidence of one living organisms and the changes in climate over long periods of time.
Fossils of similar species of animals have been found on different continents. Scientists use this
evidence to show the continents were once connected.
Common Misconceptions
Everything that dies turns into a fossil. (Students don’t understand that "right" conditions are
necessary for fossilization to occur.)
Dinosaurs are the only organisms that become fossilized. (Dinosaurs are more familiar than most
fossils because they are bigger and more likely to be included in the instruction of young
children, but many other organisms become fossils.)
Lesson Ideas:
1. TLW explain that layers of rocks and fossils are used to understand past life. CCSS/CE(s): E.ST.04.31;
E.ST.04.32; S.IP.04.11; S.IP.04.12;
(Resources: Fossils-A Record of Earth's Past; Finding Evidence of Fossils; Black Gold)
Draw sets of tracks on the board, such as dog, cat, a bicycle, two children, an adult. The tracks cross
each other and go in different directions. Students make up scenarios to fit the tracks and defend their
versions. Who/what made the tracks? How can you tell? (What is your evidence?)
Students look at two different rocks. One of the rocks has clear fossil evidence and the other rock has no
fossil evidence. Students make observations and generate questions about the pictures of the fossils in
the rock.
Students make their own fossil by using plaster of Paris or drywall plaster. First flatten a circle of clay of
3-4 inch diameter. Cover the clay with a light coat of petroleum jelly and press shells into the clay
leaving the print. Remove the shell and put a ring of poster board around the clay. Fill the clay with the
plaster mix to about 1- inch thickness. Mix the plaster in small amounts as it will solidify quickly and be
difficult to pour into the mold. Let the plaster set for at least a day. Remove the clay and ring and see
the shell prints left in the plaster. Which is the mold and which is the cast? Discuss how the print of the
shell is left, not the real shell. Discuss how finding shell fossils tell us that at one time water covered that
area.
Fossil teeth are evidence of the animal’s size and diet. Review the learning about animal teeth from the
owl pellets investigation in Life Science Strand: Academic Standard Adaptations and Food Webs to apply
to animals of long ago that have become fossils. Using pictures of different sizes and kinds of teeth,
students identify whether the teeth belonged to an herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore and whether the
animal was small, medium, or large. Write a paragraph supporting each decision.
A Curious Collection of Pre-Historic Animal Teeth link
http://www.soagarch.org.uk/vjun2006.html
High Pasture Cave link
or do a Google image search for fossil teeth.
Use fossil prints or pictures of plants that show different types of ecosystems (ferns-wetland, pine coneconiferous forest, maple leaves deciduous forest, coral-ocean, etc.). Match the picture with the kind of
ecosystem. Do a Google image search for fossil ferns, fossil maple leaves, fossil pine cones, and fossil
coral.
Find a spot where students are able to dig in the ground. Look for examples of dead leaves, twigs and
insects. Remove them carefully and clean up with a toothbrush. Did the things leave an imprint in the
soil? Discuss how this is similar to what a paleontologist does as he/she studies fossils in rocks.
Students draw an underground picture showing what might be found in the schoolyard by a future
paleontologist. Plants, animals and humans would leave what items? What could they tell about the
environment?
It is beneficial to bring in Petoskey stones, Michigan’s state stone. Petoskey stones were formed in warm
salt water since they are corals. Students become aware of changes at the Earth’s surface that have
affected the fossils of previously existing life.
http://www.songs4teachers.com/dinosaursongs.htm
http://www.nps.gov/archive/badl/teacher/fossils.htm
Fossil Lesson Plans link
Michigan Fossils link
http://www.statefossils.com/mi/mifossil.html
Note:
The focus of discussion using the informational text article, Black Gold, in this unit should be on fossils.
Compare and contrast the conditions that caused fossils with the condition that created fossil fuels.
2. TLW compare and contrast life forms found in fossils and organisms that exist today. CCSS/CE(s):
E.ST.04.31; E.ST.04.32; S.IA.04.11; S.IA.04.12; S.IA.04.13;
(Resource: Dinosaur Size)
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/explotime.html
Michigan is one of a few states with two state fossils. One of the Michigan fossils is the mastodon.
Students can discuss how the mastodon no longer exists today. See
http://www.statefossils.com/mi/mifossil.html for more information.
Students develop a definition that a fossil is evidence of what lived in the past. Students develop an
understanding that some fossilized animals are similar to what exists today such as shellfish; and other
animals, such as dinosaurs, no longer exist. Evidence of their existence is shown in fossils.
Other organisms found in the fossil record that no longer exist today include dinosaurs and
trilobites. Some organisms found in fossils that still exist include many different trees (leaves are
fossilized) and ferns.
Instructional Resources
Rocks and Minerals Book, Janice VanCleave
A Dinosaur Named Sue, Fay Robinson, 1999
My Life as an Explorer (Hunt for the Past), Sue Hendrickson, 2001
New Dinos, Shelley Tanaka, 2003
Fossils, Melissa Stewart, 2002
Evolution, Linda Gamlin, 2000
Section 2:
TLW compare and contrast characteristics and predictable patterns of
movement of the Sun, Moon, and Earth.
(Gist: Sun Moon and Earth)
Enduring Understanding(s)



The Moon appears to be the same size as the Sun because it is closer to the Earth.
The predictable patterns of the Earth and Moon define a day, year and moon phase.
The Sun, Moon, and Earth have observable characteristics and predictable patterns of
movement.
Essential Questions



What are the apparent movements of the Sun, Moon, and Earth?
Why does the Moon appear to be the same size as the Sun?
Why does the Moon change shape during the course of a month?
New Vocabulary
ability to support life
apparent movement
breathable atmosphere
capable
cycle
day
distance
Earth's axis
Moon
natural satellite
night
orbit
phases of the Moon
predictable cycle
produce light
relative distance
revolution
rotation
star
visible shape
year
Concepts & Information
Note: See the Starlab 4th Grade Alignment to Curriculum Crafter Standards resource (in the
Resource Folder) for a lesson-by-lesson guide to the use of the STARLAB portable school
planetarium throughout this academic standard. The STARLAB portable school planetarium and
resources are available from REMC8 for participating schools in Kent Intermediate School
District's REMC8 region (616-365-2232 or 616-365-2393) http://www.starlab.com,
http://starlab.com/sl_manual.html
Sun: The Sun is a star. It gives off heat and light. Its atmosphere is made of a hot layer of gases,
mostly hydrogen and helium. The Sun’s surface is not solid; it is gaseous. It is Earth’s closest
star and gives enough energy to support life and drive our weather systems. While many other
stars are larger, the sun appears prominent in the sky because it is so close to Earth.
Earth:
The Earth is a planet and does not produce its own light but reflects sunlight. Earth’s atmosphere,
a mixture of gases (mostly nitrogen and oxygen), sustains life and has changing conditions called
weather. Its natural surfaces include craters, water, valleys, mountains, plains, soils, and
vegetation. The Earth’s surface is constantly changing by earthquakes, volcanoes, weathering,
erosion, etc. The Earth’s diameter is over 100 times smaller than the Sun’s diameter. The Earth is
capable of supporting life, as we know it, because Earth has water, a breathable atmosphere, and
light from the Sun.
Moon:
The Moon is a natural satellite of the Earth and does not produce its own light but reflects
sunlight. The Moon does not sustain life because it has no atmosphere and no moisture. The
Moon’s rocky surface includes valleys, rills (long, narrow valleys), mountains, craters, and
plains. The Moon’s surface is not actively changing because there is no water, wind, or living
thing to cause weathering or erosion. The diameter of the Moon is 1/4 the diameter of Earth. The
Moon is the closest object to Earth, and while many other objects are larger, the Moon appears
prominent in the sky because it is so close to Earth.
Earth, Moon and Sun are nearly spherical masses moving through space. Earth rotates in a
counter-clockwise direction causing night and day. A complete Earth rotation is approximately
24 hours (1 day). The Earth revolves in a counter-clockwise orbit around the Sun in 365 days (1
year), while the Moon revolves around the Earth in a cycle of approximately 28 days (1 month).
Although the rotation of the Earth occurs at great speed, matter at the Earth’s surface is moving
in the same direction and at the same speed, so the movement of the Earth’s surface isn’t
noticeable. However, from Earth, the apparent movement of the Sun, Moon and stars is
noticeable. (The Moon’s revolution and rotation are also in counter-clockwise directions. Both
movements take the same amount of time so the same side of the Moon is always facing Earth.)
Gravity is a force that pulls. Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist a change in motion. The
interaction between gravity (the attractive force between two objects) and inertia (keeping an
object moving in a straight line) is what keeps the Earth traveling in an orbit around the Sun, and
the Moon traveling in an orbit around the Earth.
Common Misconceptions
Students may think that the Sun rises exactly in the East and sets exactly in the West every day.
Students may think that the Sun is exactly overhead at noon.
Students may think that the Earth is at the center of the solar system.
Students may think that the Moon can only be seen at night.
A common misconception is the Sun and Moon are the same size.
A common misconception is the Sun is not a star.
A common misconception is the Sun orbits the Earth.
A common misconception is the stars go away during the day, and the Sun goes away at night.
A common misconception is the Moon is not a satellite.
A common misconception is the Moon has no gravity.
A common misconception is wind blows on the Moon.
Real World Context
Many misconceptions are found when observing objects in the sky. Our knowledge of space is
constantly changing; however, our understanding of the phenomena discussed in this unit is and
has been stable for a very long time. Scientists have understood the rotation of the Earth on its
axis and the revolution of the Earth around the Sun and Moon around the Earth for centuries.
Discuss why pictures are drawn or models are made either incorrectly or are misleading. For
example, the sun is always represented as a small object in a picture of the solar system simply
because it isn’t possible to draw its accurate size and distance relative to the Earth and Moon.
The paper would have to be the size of the classroom. If a model shows the correct relative sizes
of the Sun, Moon, and Earth, then the relative distances are often shown incorrectly or vice versa
because the model has to be a useful size. The news sometimes has reporters giving incorrect
information or updates on new findings by astronomers. Cartoon pictures or even pictures in
textbooks can be incorrect or misleading. What was true 10 years ago may no longer be correct.
Students need to be aware of misinformation and new information in their everyday lives.
NASA is once again planning a mission to the moon. Encourage students to visit the NASA
website to view current information about space and simulations of the movement of the Earth
and Moon.
The Sun is often in the news from solar power to causing skin cancer to solar flares disrupting
computers.
Lesson Ideas:
1. TLW identify common objects in the sky and list what is already known about the Sun
and Moon.CCSS/CE(s): E.ST.04.11;
(Resource: KWL)
Prior to instruction, students create a K-W-L chart to identify what students already know and
what they want to know. The charts should help identify prior knowledge and any
misconceptions that students have developed.
Starlab Connection: Activities for the School Planetarium, Volume 2, page 11; Starfield
Cylinder and Moon Cylinder for help in creating the K-W-L chart
2. TLW investigate the concept of relative distances of the Sun, Earth and Moon.
CCSS/CE(s): S.IA.04.14; S.IP.04.11; S.IP.04.14; S.RS.04.11; S.RS.04.15; E.ST.04.11; E.ST.04.12;
(Resources: Size of Sun and Moon; Relative Size and Distance Chart; Relative Sizes of Sun
Earth Moon)
Students are fascinated with the skies but often have misconceptions and a difficult time
understanding the concept of size and distance. Students predict the sizes of the Earth and Moon
relative to the Sun. Using play clay, the students create Earth and Moon models based on an
eight-inch diameter ball representing the Sun. After comparing their models, discuss the sizes the
clay balls should be relative to the eight-inch diameter ball. (The actual size of the Earth should
be about the size of a peppercorn and the Moon 1/4th of the Earth.
Use the Relative Size and Distance Chart Resource, the relative sizes of the Sun, Earth, and
Moon Resource and the following activity to address this concept. In the hallway, outside, or in
the gym, a student stands and holds a baseball about 10 feet away from the class. Another
student stands about 40 feet away and holds a basketball. Discuss the relative sizes of the balls
and the distances between them. Students measure the relative sizes of the two balls by fully
extending their arm and aligning their thumb between their eye and each ball. Note: the distances
may need to be adjusted. Repeat the activity with the Sun and a full Moon. Each object will be
about the size of your thumbnail.
Relative sizes and distances between the Sun, Moon, and Earth are shown outside. Use an eightinch diameter ball to represent the Sun, a peppercorn to represent the Earth, and a very small
pinhead to represent the Moon. It helps to attach the Moon and Earth to cards so they don’t get
lost. Place the Sun at one end of the playground. Use a yardstick and count out 26 lengths from
the Sun to the Earth. The Moon is 2 inches from the Earth. This model is accurate both in size
and distance. Pluto would be another 974 yardstick lengths away. Have the students reflect on
the fact that the Moon is the farthest man has been in space. Other fun facts are 109 Earths lined
up equal the diameter of the Sun and a million Earths can fit into the Sun.
Relative Distance Activity
1. Close one eye and face the wall clock in your classroom.
2. Extend your arm out away from your eye with your thumb up. Ask which is bigger... your
thumb or the clock? (clock)
3. With your thumb still up begin slowly drawing your arm in towards your eye. Once it is near
your face, ask which is bigger... your thumb or the clock? (thumb)
4. Why does your thumb now appear larger? (Because your thumb is closer, it looks bigger, so
from Earth, the Sun and Moon appear to be a similar size.)
AIMS, Out of This World, "Apparent Sizes," pages 8-12 in 2007 edition
Starlab Connection: Manual, Part 4: Cylinder Guides: Moon Cylinder, Moon Cylinder, page 15
3. TLW compare and contrast selected characteristics of the Earth, Sun and
Moon.CCSS/CE(s): E.ST.04.12; S.IA.04.14; S.IP.04.14; S.IP.04.15; S.RS.04.16;
(Resource: Compare and Contrast Features)
Research and take notes about selected characteristics of the Earth, Sun and Moon and put the
findings onto a class bulletin board or individual poster.
Questions to Ask About Selected Characteristics
1. Is it a planet, star or natural satellite of a planet?
2. Does it reflect or produce light?
3. What are the surface features? (mountain, valley, crater, river, oceans, desert, plains,
temperature)
4. What is its atmosphere?
5. What is its diameter?
6. What is the relative distance of the Sun and Moon from Earth?
Include atmosphere, water, and oxygen as surface features in a discussion about the ability of
Earth, Sun, and Moon to support life.
Collaboratively complete a graphic organizer. Students may collaboratively create a relief model
depicting the surface features of the Earth and Moon to assist the comparison.
AIMS, Out of This World, "How Far to the Sun," pages 3-7 in 2007 edition
The Sun produces heat and light that is reflected by the Earth and Moon. Take the temperatures
of two cups of cold water. Cover one with aluminum foil and leave the other uncovered. Put
them in the Sun for 15 minutes and take the temperatures again. The foil reflects the radiation
while the water absorbs it.
Starlab Connection: Starlab Manual, Part 2, K-6 Activities and Lessons for Use in the
STARLAB Portable Planetarium, page 81; Starlab Manual, Part 3, 7-12 Activities and Lessons
for Use in the STARLAB Portable Planetarium, pages 84, 85, Starlab Manual, Part 4: Cylinder
Guides, Moon Cylinder, pages 16, 27-34, Moon Cylinder
4. TLW describe the Earth’s orbit around the Sun.CCSS/CE(s): E.ST.04.21; E.ST.04.23; S.IP.04.14;
S.RS.04.15;
(Resources: Movements of the Earth and Moon Model; Cosmic Dance; Earth Orbit
Demonstration)
Revolution is the movement of one object on a path (orbit) around another object. The path the
Earth follows is called an orbit. The Earth follows the same imaginary path every year.
Demonstrating the Earth or moon traveling on an imaginary path also needs to be reinforced
many times. Students walk around another object or use balls and flashlights to simulate
revolution. A helpful way for students to remember revolution is that the words “revolution” and
“orbit” have the letter “O” in them, and the letter O looks like an orbit. In pairs students can have
substantive conversation about the definition of a year.
Describe the movement of Earth in a counterclockwise orbit around the Sun that takes a year
(approximately 365.25 days). Leap year occurs every fourth year to accommodate the extra 0.25
day per year. Use manipulatives, models, or role-play situations.
Students can also explain the counter-clockwise movement of the Moon around the Earth from
above and the forces causing orbits.
5. TLW explain how the spin (rotation) of the Earth causes day and night and describe the
apparent movement of the Sun across the sky through day/night and the
seasons.CCSS/CE(s): E.ST.04.22; E.ST.04.25; S.IP.04.14; S.RS.04.15;
(Resources: Shadows and the Earth's Rotation; Shadow Clock; What Goes Around Comes
Around; Pulling it All Together)
Create a visual representation that describes how the spinning (rotation) of the Earth on its axis
causes day and night during a 24 hour period on Earth.
An axis is an imaginary line through the center of an object around which that object turns.
Demonstrating the spinning of the Earth on its axis needs to be reinforced many times. Students
put their index finger on top of their heads and spin counterclockwise showing the Earth’s
rotation on its axis. A flashlight shining at them can simulate the Sun. When they are facing the
“Sun”, it is day for them; and when they aren’t facing the “Sun”, it is night for them. The Moon
also rotates on its axis, but it is very slow compared to the Earth. A helpful way for students to
remember the concept of rotation and day and night is that the words “rotation”, “day”, and
“axis” all have the letter “A”. In pairs students can have substantive conversation about the
words day and night.
The side of the Earth facing the Sun is experiencing daytime and the side not facing the Sun is
experiencing night.
Night/Day Demo
Mark a spot on a globe and slowly rotate or spin it on its axis in front of a light source such as an
overhead projector. Have students signal when the marked spot is in daylight and give no signal
when it is night. Explain that it takes 24 hours (1 day) to make one complete rotation.
Observe the path of the Sun by recording the movement of the shadow of an object and discuss
the predicted location of the sunrise in the east and sunset in the west.
Review shadows (first taught in Third Grade Science Academic Standard: Physical Science Sound and Light). Make observations of the Sun. Due to the length of the school day, it is not
possible to actually observe sunrise and sunset during this lesson, but students can extrapolate
from the observed path of the shadow and their own experience and knowledge. Students should
use the information about the path of a shadow to understand that the Earth is rotating.
Discuss how the Sun rises and sets in a more southerly location in the winter and a more
overhead position in the summer.
Following the Sun Through the Year link
6. TLW describe the apparent movement of the Moon across the sky through day/night
and the seasons.CCSS/CE(s): E.ST.04.25; S.IP.04.11; S.IP.04.16; S.RS.04.15;
The Moon is occasionally apparent during the day. Otherwise, the Sun is too bright and
overpowers the reflection of the Moon. Students should be aware of the rising of the Moon in the
East and the setting of the Moon in the western sky. As the phases change throughout the month,
the rising and setting times vary. The full Moon rises at dusk and sets at dawn. The appearance
of the full Moon throughout the year varies slightly and has caused people to give it special
names.
http://www.almanac.com/astronomy/moon/names/index.php
The Moon is more difficult to track but the students can create an observation chart and keep
track of the shape of the Moon for a month.
Starlab Connection: Starlab Manual, Part 2, K-6 Activities and Lessons for Use in the
STARLAB Portable Planetarium, page 13, Starlab Manual, Part 4, Cylinder Guides: Moon
Cylinder, Lesson 1, pages 18-22, Lesson 2, pages 23-26, Moon Cylinder, Star Cylinder
7. TLW explain how the visible shape of the Moon follows a predictable cycle which takes
approximately one month.CCSS/CE(s): E.ST.04.24; S.IP.04.13; S.RS.04.11;
(Resource: Moon Phases)
Phases of the Moon link
Moon phases:
http://www.stardate.org/nightsky/moon/
http://www.quia.com/rd/11412.html
Use hands to easily recognize the different phases of the moon. The start of the moon cycle is the
new moon when no moon is observed. By cupping the right hand into a backwards “C” shape,
the moon phase that fits into the curve is the first quarter or the time when the moon appears to
be getting bigger (waxing). When the left hand is cupped and the moon phase fits into the curve,
it is the last quarter or time when the moon appears to be getting smaller (waning). A full moon
is halfway through the cycle. Understanding what causes the phases is very difficult for fourth
grade students and is not something they are required to learn.
Show the phases using chocolate sandwich cookies. When they are carefully pulled apart, the
frosting stays on one cookie and looks like a full moon. Using a toothpick, the frosting is scraped
off to show the phases. The cookie without frosting looks like a new moon. Students can lay out
the cookies, and then draw pictures of the phases of the moon while looking at the cookies and
using their hands in the “C” shapes to help.
Starlab Connection: Starlab Manual, Part 2, K-6 Activities for Use in the STARLAB Portable
Planetarium, pages 13, 63; Starlab Manual, Part 3, 7-12 Activities for Use in the STARLAB
Portable Planetarium, pages 81-82, 83, 94; Starlab Manual, Part 4: Cylinder Guides, Moon
Cylinder, Lesson 2, pages 23-26; Starfield Cylinder