LS.4.2.2
Analyze and interpret data to explain how fossils suggest ideas about Earth's early environment.
Embedded Files
District Recommended Resources for 4th Grade Science
Rocks and Minerals
Kit rental options are available. See your administrator.
Appalachian State University - Fossils and Geologic Time
Next Generation Science Standards YouTube Channel
Step 1: Lesson Standards & Learning Goals
Clarification Statement:
Examples of fossils and environments could include marine fossils found on dry land, tropical plant fossils found in Arctic areas, and fossils of extinct organisms.
Students are not expected to know eras of time.
Dimension 1:
Science and Engineering Practice: Analyze and Interpret Data: Compare data collected by different groups in order to discuss similarities and differences in their findings (NSTA SEP Matrix).
Dimension 2:
Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns
Dimension 3:
Disciplinary Core Ideas:
LS4.A Fossils provide evidence about the types of organisms (both visible and microscopic) that lived long ago and also about the nature of their environments.
ESS1.C Earth has changed over time. The presence and location of certain fossil types indicate the order in which rock layers were formed (A Framework for K-12 Science Education).
Sample Essential Questions
Sample Essential Questions
How do scientists use fossils to understand the environment and climate of the past?
How do fossils provide evidence about organisms that lived long ago?
What can the location of fossils tell us about past geological events and changes in the Earth’s surface?
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
early environments
environmental conditions
fossils
organism
preserved parts
surface
Students will be able to...
Students will be able to...
Recognize some remains (fossils) of animals and plants that lived on Earth a long time ago are found in rocks and make simple deductions about changes in Earth’s surface from the location of these remains.(TIMSS)
Analyze and Interpret Data- Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena, using logical reasoning, mathematics, and/or computation. Fossil location should provide information about where, when, (early environment) and how the organism lived.
Students will know...
Students will know...
Fossils provide information about the environmental conditions that existed when the fossil organism was alive, as well as information about where, when and how, the organism lived.
Step 2: Assessment
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessments
Writing Prompts
Shell Fossils:
Imagine you found a fossil of a shell high up in the mountains. Write about what this shell fossil suggests about the Earth's past environment. How could a sea creature's shell end up in the mountains, and what does this tell us about geological changes over time?
What can fossils tell us about the environment of a certain area in the past? ?(e.g. it may have once been an aquatic environment if fossilized marine organisms are found there today.)
If fossilized dragonflies had similar body structures to a modern day dragonfly what type of environment would you infer that the fossilized dragonflies lived in? (e.g. an environment similar to modern day).
How is ____________ changing over time? (e.g. the environment - the present day coastal plain of North Carolina used to be underwater which is why Megalodon teeth and ancient whales can be found there)
What is one way you could classify or group these ________ (fossils), to create groups of _________ (animals or plants) that are similar to each other? Describe the attributes (characteristics) you are using to classify the __________ (fossils).
Mini Projects and Investigations
Research Mini Project
Read Saber-Toothed Cats by Sara Gilbert and Saber-Toothed Cats by Susan Gray
Create Create a print or digital presentation showing the following information:
What was the Saber-Toothed Cats environment like? How do we know?
Why did the Saber-Toothed Cat become extinct?
How do Saber-Toothed Cats compare to lions and tigers of today?
Plant Fossils:
Look at the fossil of a plant with large leaves found in a cold, icy region. Write about what this fossil suggests about the climate and environment of that area in the past. What might the presence of large leaves indicate about the temperature and conditions during that time period?
Fossil Museum Option 1:
Create a plant and animal fossils by tracing a leaf or by making a mold or cast.
Name your fossil and write a short description of it.
Place the fossils on a table or in an area where they can be viewed as if in a museum.
Have students ask their classmates questions about their fossil and what information it might provide for people hundreds of years from now.
Fossil Museum Option 2:
Create a brochure for a new museum exhibit on fossils. Include descriptions of different types of fossils (molds, casts, preserved parts) and compare each type to living organisms. Why are these fossils important for understanding the past?
NCDPI Formative Assessment Samples
Mastery Connect
Mastery Connect
Mastery Connect: LS.4.2 Summative-Biamby-WCS
Culminating Activity
Imagine you are a paleontologist who just discovered a new fossil.
Create a replica of your fossil. Make your Own Fossil Activity or Alternative - Use cookie cutters, play-doh molds, seashells, or other items to create fossils using clay and play-doh.
Create a newspaper article describing your discovery. Use information gained throughout the unit to help you write your artice.
What is the name of your discovery?
What does the fossil look like?
How does it compare to a living organism you know?
Where did it live?
What did it eat?
Why did it become extinct?
Step 3: Lesson Instructions
Possible Activating Strategies
Possible Activating Strategies
Dinosaur Fairy Tale
Start a story with “Once upon a time, there was a dinosaur.” Pass the story (either read-aloud or written will work) to the next student in order through the class. Each student gets to add one sentence to the story. Talk about dinosaurs and what we can find out about past environments.
Exploration
Place plastic dinosaurs in cups of water and freeze.
Have students use popsicle sticks and or toothpicks to "dig" out their fossil.
Follow up with having students write a story about why their "fossil" did not survive the ice age.
Image:
What do you notice and wonder?
Read the article:
Megalodon to learn about this extinct ocean giant!
Additional Literacy Connections
epic! (Search epic! for over 100 titles of fossils)
CommonLit:
ReadWorks:
EBSCO:
Fossils: Uncovering the Past (E-Book)
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