Teacher(s):  Lindsay Sanders

 

Subject(s)/Course(s):  Science                                      Grade/Level:  3

 

Unit Topic/Focus:

  Fossils

 

Estimated time for implementation: 1 week

 

Connections to previous/future learning:

During the study of earth science students will learn about fossils.

 

Standards

Academic Expectations	Program of Studies	Core Content for Assessment
Science P 11 Academic Expectations 2.2 Students identify, analyze, and use patterns such as cycles and trends to understand past and present events and predict possible future events. 2.3 Students identify and analyze systems and the ways their components work together or affect each other. 2.4 Students use the concept of scale and scientific models to explain the organization and functioning of living and nonliving things and predict other characteristics that might be observed. 2.5 Students understand that under certain conditions nature tends to remain the same or move toward a balance. 2.6 Students understand how living and nonliving things change over time and the factors that influence the changes.	Program of Studies S-P-ESS-2 Students will understand that fossils provide evidence about organisms that lived long ago.	Core Content for Assessment SC-E-2.1.3 Fossils found in Earth materials provide evidence about organisms that lived long ago and the nature of the environment at that

 

 

Interdisciplinary, Meaningful and Authentic Connections

By studying fossils, students will understand that fossils provide information that lead to a greater understanding about where they came from, how fossils were formed, how fossils vary in type, and what kind of valuable information they can provide us with.

 

Context (Unit Organizer): A narrative that

Students will extract from their prior knowledge and experiences to develop a greater understanding of what a fossil is.  In doing so, they will understand what makes a fossil a fossil, what steps are needed to discover and excavate fossils and what makes fossils an important tool in developing our understanding of historical events and life forms.  Students will participate in a virtual field trip, research information on the recent discovery of a new dinosaur species, explore the steps necessary in excavating dinosaur fossils, and take an active role in a field trip to the Falls of the Ohio.  Through these activities students will be able to broaden their knowledge and expand on what they already know so that in future experiences they will be able to understand that fossils found in Earth materials provide evidence about organisms that lived long ago and the nature of the environment at that time.

 

Essential Questions (3-5 questions that guide lesson planning/focus and demonstrate):

1.   Where do fossils come from?

2.   What kind of information can fossils tell us?

3.   How old does something have to be before it can be considered a fossil?

4.   What steps are involved in excavating and finding fossils?               

 

Culminating Activity/Assessment, A product or performance that:

Students will be assessed based on a combination of formative and summative assessments.  Formative assessments include completing an interactive quiz online via the virtual field trip, construction of fact sheet, note card flipbooks, and interactive game show assessment.  Summative assessment will consist of students writing a journal entry as if they were paleontologists and on a dig.  A rubric is provided of student performance expectations.

 

Resources / Technology:

Resources and materials needed for this unit include:

• Computer with Internet access
• Drawing Paper
• 3x5 Note Cards
• Journal

 

Outline of Daily Plans

Day 1:

Learning Objective: Students will be introduced to the term paleontology and paleontologist.  Students will participate in a virtual field trip providing information about fossils and upcoming material to be discussed throughout the unit.

• Ask students if they have heard of paleontology. What does a paleontologist do? Explain that a paleontologist is a person who finds and studies fossils, such as dinosaur fossils.

·        Inform the class that since they probably already know a good deal about different types of dinosaurs, this lesson will help them learn how dinosaur fossils are discovered and restored in order to be studied and displayed in museums.

·        Tell students that Paul Sereno is a famous paleontologist who has discovered several new species of dinosaur in Africa and South America. They will be learning about his most recent dinosaur discovery, Jobaria tiguidensis, which he found in west Africa. Point out the country of Niger on a map so students can see where Jobaria was discovered.

·        Students will learn about fossils through a virtual field trip.

Day 2:

Learning Objective: Students will read about Jobaria and make fact sheets about this recently discovered dinosaur; and explore the National Geographic announcement about the Jobaria find.

• Have students read about Jobaria.
• First have them look at the Stat Sheet.
• Ask students to make their own Jobaria fact sheets with sketches of the dinosaur and the same list of facts they find at this online Stat Sheet.
• Have them also look at the National Geographic announcement of the Jobaria find.

 

 

Day 3:

Learning Objective: Students will visit a Web site to learn about the steps involved in finding and excavating dinosaur fossils, then list these steps and explain their importance.

• Ask students what they think it would have been like to have been with Sereno in Niger participating on the search and excavation of Jobaria.
• Ask them to explore Building a Dino to find out the necessary steps in this process.
• As they explore these links, have them list each of the steps and write one or two sentences describing why each one is necessary.

 

Day 4:

Learning Objective: Students will complete an assessment.

• Students are to pretend they are on a fossil dig in an area that contains numerous dinosaur fossils. Have them write journal entries describing a productive day in the field. Their entries should explain the process by which they looked for fossils, what they did and said when they found a fossil, and the types of bones they found. They can imagine they have located a Jobaria skeleton.  A rubric is provided for student expectations.

 

Story Writing : Excavation Journal

 

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Creativity	The story contains many creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has really used his imagination.	The story contains a few creative details and/or descriptions that contribute to the reader's enjoyment. The author has used his imagination.	The story contains a few creative details and/or descriptions, but they distract from the story. The author has tried to use his imagination.	There is little evidence of creativity in the story. The author does not seem to have used much imagination.
Accuracy of Facts	All facts presented in the story are accurate.	Almost all facts presented in the story are accurate.	Most facts presented in the story are accurate (at least 70%).	There are several factual errors in the story.
Setting	Many vivid, descriptive words are used to tell when and where the story took place.	Some vivid, descriptive words are used to tell the audience when and where the story took place.	The reader can figure out when and where the story took place, but the author didn't supply much detail.	The reader has trouble figuring out when and where the story took place.
Dialogue	There is an appropriate amount of dialogue to bring the characters to life and it is always clear which character is speaking.	There is too much dialogue in this story, but it is always clear which character is speaking.	There is not quite enough dialogue in this story, but it is always clear which character is speaking.	It is not clear which character is speaking.
Description of Process	The story is clear in describing the processes that it takes to find fossils.	The story is clear in describing the processes that it takes to find fossils, but only 7-8 steps were given.	The story is somewhat clear in describing the processes, and it gives 5-6 steps.	The story is not clear and 4 or less steps were given.
Knowledge of material	The entire story is related to the assigned topic and allows the reader to understand much more about the topic.	Most of the story is related to the assigned topic. The story wanders off at one point, but the reader can still learn something about the topic.	Some of the story is related to the assigned topic, but a reader does not learn much about the topic.	No attempt has been made to relate the story to the assigned topic.

 

 

Day 5:

Learning Objective:  Students will visit Falls of the Ohio to reinforce material covered in the unit and experience hands-on activities regarding fossils; write a journal entry about the trip; participate in game show assessment activity.

• Students will attend Archaeology Day, which provides educational displays, hands-on activities, and a guest speaker.
• Students will also learn what a crinoid is and participate in building their own crinoid. 
• Upon return to school, students will write a journal article reflecting on what they have learned and their favorite part of the trip.
• Class will participate in a game show assessment.