Download BISD Teacher`s Guide for additional fossil lessons added 2009

Observing Fossils – lesson #1
to be added to Gr. 3 Earth Materials
WHERE?
It is recommended these lessons be inserted after students read the first science story “Written in
Stone,” which is read after Investigation 1: Mock Rocks. The student notebook includes a page for
students to record observations of the fossils.
SCIENCE PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS
• Observe fossils and compare them to similar plants or animals that live today.
• Conclude from fossil evidence that once there were species on Earth that are no
longer alive.
• Given pictures of animals that are extinct, describe how these animals are different from
animals that live today.
SCIENCE CONTENT
• Fossils are often similar to parts of plants or animals that live today.
• Some fossils are very different from plants and animals that live today.
FOCUS QUESTIONS
1. What are fossils?
2. Which fossils are similar to parts of plants and animals alive today?
MATERIALS
• 1 large fossil for teacher demonstration (a fossil oyster shell or petrified wood)
• 12 bags of assorted fossils (6 bags labeled #1 and 6 bags labeled #2)
• 16 hand lenses
• 12 bags of fossil identification cards (these cards are also labeled #1 and #2 and should be
distributed to match the bag of fossils)
• a master set of fossils for identification and clean up
• CD with fossil slide show
PROCEDURES
Introduction – Mystery Rock
IMPORTANT: It is suggested this lesson be presented after students have read the science story,
“Written in Stone” and completed the student notebook page that introduces the 3 types of rocks.
1. Show students the large “mystery rock” included in the kit, which is likely a fossilized oyster or
petrified wood. DO NOT IDENTIFY THE rock. Play 20 questions (they can only ask you
questions that can be answered with yes or no) with the students to arrive at its identity.
2. Have students turn to their notebook page that identified the 3 types of rocks. Ask them in
which type of rock this fossil was most likely found. Ask for their reasoning. (l sedimentary)
Fossil Bags
1. Display the focus question, “What are fossils?” Explain they will observe some fossils before
answering this question.
2. Show students the bags of fossils they will get. Emphasize that these are real fossils and the
fragility of these very old objects. Some of the fossils are more than
300 MILLION years old! If a fossil comes in a bubble bag, please keep the fossil lying on the
bag when it is not being handled carefully. Call attention to the fact that some bags are labeled
#1 and some are labeled #2. These bags contain different fossils. Try to distribute the bags so
that each group of 4 students gets a #1 and a #2 bag. This provides opportunity for students to
see more types of fossils. Two students will share one bag of fossils.
3. Allow time for exploration. Distribute hand lenses to students.
Identifying Some of the Fossils
1. Show students the packages of blue identification cards. Challenge students to match the fossils
with the identification cards. NOTE: Not every fossil will have an identification card. Call
attention to the fact that the students receiving the fossil bag labeled #1 will receive the cards
labeled #1 and likewise for bags labeled #2.
2. Allow ample time for students to complete the matching.
3. Display the focus question, “Which fossils are similar to parts of plants and animals alive
today?”
4. Challenge students to look at all the fossils, matched or not, and sort them into 2 groups:
a. fossils that have some similarities to plants and animals alive today
b. fossils that are very different from any plant or animal alive today
5. Have students keep these groups on their desk for reference as they view the fossils CD.
Fossils Slide Show on CD
NOTE: As each slide is displayed, ask students with that fossil which of the two groups they placed it
in: having similarities to animals alive today or very different from any plant or animal today.
Emphasis the meaning of extinct. Some of the fossils are of species that are extinct, but have parts or
shapes similar to animals alive today (i.e. ammonites, orthoceras). As students view pictures of the
extinct animals have them describe how these animals are different from animals alive today.
Cleaning Up Fossil Bags and ID Cards
Remind students that some of the fossils were in bag #1 and some in bag #2. If they use the numbers
written on the BACK of the identification cards, that will help. Each bag should have 8 fossils: the set
with identification cards and 2 extra fossils – likely a plant fossil and a marine fossil – shells or coral.
A master set of the identified fossils is included to help this sorting process.
Digging Deeper into Fossils – fossil lesson #2
to be added to Gr. 3 Earth Materials
SCIENCE PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS
•
•
Describe an event that could cause the formation of a given fossil.
Infer from a picture of several fossils in a layer of rock the environmental conditions that
existed when the fossils were formed (e.g., fish fossils would indicate that a body of water
existed at the time the fossils formed).
SCIENCE CONTENT
•
•
Different kinds of events caused the formation of different kinds of fossils.
By studying the kinds of plant and animal fossils in a layer of rock, it is possible to infer what
the environment was like at the time and where the layer formed.
FOCUS QUESTIONS
1. How are fossils formed?
2. What do fossils tell us about life on the Earth in the past?
MATERIALS
• You tube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVwPLWOo9TE&feature=related
• The Best Book of Fossils, Rocks, and Minerals (included in the kit)
PROCEDURES
What is a Fossil?
1. Return to the focus question, “What are fossils” Have students share their observations, using
their notebook. Record their responses.
2. Challenge students to write an operational definition of a fossil, using the list of observations.
Record this group definition. Have students compare their definition to the definition given in
the Word Bank/Glossary in the back of the student notebook. This is a good time to identify a
paleontologist as “a scientist that studies fossils” and paleontology as the study of “the history
of the Earth.” And more specifically, the study of the history of LIFE on the Earth.
How are Fossils Formed?
1. Display the focus question.
2. Read aloud pages 16 & 17 in the book, included in the kit, Fossils, Rocks, and Minerals.
3. This focus question can also be answered watching the You Tube video link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVwPLWOo9TE&feature=related
3. After watching the video, challenge students to classify the fossil for which they recorded
observations in their notebook. How do they think the fossil was formed or what kind of a
fossil is it? Have them add their inferences to the notebook page.
What do Fossils Tell Us About Life on the Earth in the Past?
1. Display the focus question. Read pages 18 & 19 in Fossils, Rocks, and Minerals. Discuss the
illustration showing the layers of fossils. Have students focus on the layers dated 400 and 500
million years ago. Ask,
“What do you think the place (the environment) these fossils were found was like 400 and
500 million years ago?” (We can infer the place these fossils were found was covered with
water.)
2. Next have students focus on the fossils in the layer of earth 300 million years old. Again, ask
students to make inferences about the environment and state the reasoning for their inferences.
(These fossils indicate there was wet land in this place. A horsetail is a land plant found where
the habitat is very wet. The horsetails in our environment are not much different from those
found on the Earth 300 million years ago. Likewise, the early amphibian would have moved
from the land to a water source.)
Fossil Fuels
Read pages 24 & 25 to help students connect the fossils they have been studying to our #1 energy
source right now – fossil fuels. Discuss why this energy source is called a NON-RENEWABLE source
of energy.