Lesson 4
Fabulous Fossils
Objectives:
Students will explain what a fossil is and where they are found.
Students will describe how a fossil is formed.
Students will explain how we use fossils to learn about the past.
Students will explain who a paleontologist is and what he does.
Time Required:
3 - one hour sessions
Vocabulary:
fossils - are the remains of skeletons and shells of animals from the past.
paleontologist - scientist who specialize in the study of fossils to learn about plants and animals that lived long ago.
Materials:
Children's Book: Aliki. Digging Up Dinosaurs. New York: HarperCollins, 1981. (A similar children's book about fossils may be substituted.)
Making Fossils Activity Sheet For Teacher (Materials for that activity are provided in Activity Sheet)
Computer With Internet Access
Samples of fossils
Pictures of Paleontologist at work
Poem Dinosaur Bones
Procedures:
Revisit K-W-L and write new information students have learned.
Teacher will begin with a quick poem and read "Dinosaur Bones"
Teacher will read story Digging Up Dinosaurs by Aliki to introduce. This story briefly introduces various types of dinosaurs whose skeletons and reconstructions are seen in museums and explains how scientists uncover, preserve, and study fossilized dinosaur bones.
Show pictures of a Paleontologist at work and ask students who they think a Paleontologist is and what he does.
Pass out samples of fossils for students to examine. Discuss with students how they think the fossils were made and why Paleontologists use them as keys to our past.
Explain what a fossil is and how fossils are formed.
Have students create fossil imprints using play-dough. Click here for Making Fossils Activity Sheet.
Have students share the fossils they created.
Students will answer questions about fossils on a Fossils Questionnaire Sheet. Students will obtain the information from the following sites:
Play fossil games at Fun Activities with Fossils
Evaluation:
Teacher will evaluate students' participation in making fossils activity.
Teacher will evaluate students' answers on Fossils Questionnaire. For the answers to the Fossils Questionnaire click here: Answers
Extension Activities:
Students will practice being paleontologists. Give each student a chocolate chip cookie. Tell students that they will pretend that this cookie is a piece of rock that they found on a geological dig. This rock contains many dinosaur fossils (which are the chips). Give each student a toothpick and see who can dig the most fossils without breaking them.
Students can also write about their dig.
Students can be paleontologists and put dinosaur pieces together. Visit Billy Bear 4 Kids.
Home Learning:
Students can write stories from a fossil's point of view using desktop publishing. The students can act as the fossil explaining such things as what animal it was, how it died, what happened to it when it was alive, where it was found, etc.
Field Trip:
Take a virtual field trip to learn about fossils at Fossils Cyber Display.
Home
