Anchor Lesson - Fossil Finds

In this introduction, we will be exploring the Ashfall Fossil Beds to explain what killed the prehistoric animals, how their bones ended up underground, and what changes happened to the land that uncovered their fossils.

We will be returning back to our predictions after each lesson to build off of our learning!

Lesson 1 - Could a volcano pop up where you live?

In this lesson, we explored the past and present pattern of where volcanoes exist on the earth. In the activity, the students plot volcano locations on a world map and look for patterns. We analyzed these maps to discover that volcanoes form a “Ring of Fire” around the Pacific Ocean.

Lesson 2 - Why do some volcanoes explode?

In this lesson, we investigated how differences in lava types explain differences in the shape and eruption patterns among volcanoes. In the activity, we compared two different types of "lava" -- thin and thick. Then, we used this information to figure out why volcanoes have different shapes and how the type of lava explains why some volcanoes explode.

Lesson 3 - Will a mountain last forever?

In this lesson, we explored how solid rock breaks apart into smaller pieces through a process called weathering. In the activity, we used sugar cubes as a model for rocks. We used this model to understand the process of weathering and how this process explains why rocks at the tops of mountains are jagged, while those at the bottom are rounded.

Key Learning - weathering and erosion

Lesson 4 -What did your town look like 100 million years ago?

In this lesson, we gathered evidence to describe how environments on Earth have changed over time. We explored how the process of sedimentary rock formation preserves a record of those past environments. In the activity, we observed fossils found within a model canyon. The characteristics of those fossils provide evidence to support the explanation that the landscape has changed numerous times.

Lesson 5 -How could you survive a landslide?

In this lesson, we learned about the types, causes, and dangers of landslides. In the activity, students are faced with the engineering problems of protecting a house from a landslide and preventing a landslide from happening. They used a brainstorming technique to design creative solutions.