Teacher:MollyMacDougall

School:WindsorHighSchool

Date:Friday4/12/16

Grade:9

ContentArea:EarthSpaceScience

Title:Fossils!

Lesson#:Day37

Standard:
Science3: EarthScience
Substandard1: Thehistoryoftheuniverse,solarsystemandEarthcanbeinferredfromevidenceleft
frompastevents
a. Develop,communicate,andjustifyanevidencebasedscientificexplanationaddressing
questionsaboutEarthshistory
b. AnalyzeandinterpretdataregardingEarthshistoryusingdirectandindirectevidence

Understanding:
StudentswillunderstandthattheEarthshistorycanbeinferredfromevidencefromdirectandindirect
evidenceofpastevents

EssentialQuestions:
HowdoweknowhowoldtheEarthisifhumanshaventbeenaroundforthewholetime?
Howdothedifferenttypesoffossilsprovidedifferentinformationabouttheenvironmentandorganisms
duringthattime?
Howdoscientistsidentifyspeciesbyfossils
Howdoscientistsspeculateaboutattributesoforganismsthathavediedalongtimeago?

LearningTargets:
Icandevelop,communicate,andjustifyanevidencebasedscientificexplanationabouttheEarthshistoryby
analyzingandinterpretingindirectanddirectdataabouttheEarth.

ThismeansIcanformulateexplanationsabouttheorganismsandtheenvironmentontheEarth200million
yearsagobyevaluatingfossils.

Assessments:

Fossilslab

Classdiscussionforformativeassessmentaboutpriorknowledge

NameandPurpose:
Fossils

Thepurposeisforthestudentstounderstandhowfossilsareaformofevidencetohelpexplaintheageofthe
Earthaswellasexplaintheenvironmentalconditionsandthedifferentorganismsthatexistedduringthe
differenttimeperiods.

TimeandMaterials:

90minutes

Fossilslab

Paper
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_AHNyUCxWuB2vaV4Wtj6vxbgqUrFndEzSPTEywHnf
pU/edit?usp=sharing

Backgroundinformationandfossils
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ux2rLVD2VK1l4zLJPuLqT1hR_XYaUjjOepCDfRRoFlw
/edit?usp=sharing

Boxeswithshreddedpaper

4stations(doubledsostudentsdon'tallcrowdaroundone)

Anticipation:
Thestudentswillwalkinandbeginbyreadingaverysmallarticleatalowreadinglevelaboutthevarietyof
fossilsthathavebeenfoundinColoradoinavarietyofrelevantforms.Aftertheyreadthattheywilltalkwith
theirgroupaboutthisessentialquestion:
Howdothedifferenttypesoffossilsprovidedifferentinformationabouttheenvironmentandorganisms
duringthattime?
Afterwardswellbrieflytalkaboutwhatthenextfewweekslooklike.
Activity:
AfterthediscussionIwilltransitiontothefossilspowerpointtotalkaboutthedifferenttypesoffossilsandthe
informationthattheyprovide.
Followingthatthestudentswillapplywhattheyhavelearnedandtheirpriorknowledgetoactas
paleontologists.Thereare4differentstationsaroundtheroomwherethestudentsaregoingtodigupfossils.
TherearebinswithshreddedpaperandthestudentsaretryingtopickoutthesheetsofpaperIvescatteredin
theboxesthatrepresentfossilsfromacertaintimeperiod.Theboxesalsohavebackgroundinformationsheets
aboutthelocation,environment,andinformationaboutthedigsite.Theywillusethattobeginbuildinga
imageintheirheadaboutwhatthelocationlookedlikeandthetypesoforganismsthatinhabitedthearea.
ThefourdifferentlocationstheyrelookingatisNorthernAfrica(inthecretaceousperiod),southerncanada
(pleistoceneepoch),california(pleistoceneepoch),andcolorado(latejurassicperiod).
TheNovavideoafterthefossilslabisactuallyaboutNorthernAfricaandthefirstdinosaurthatwasaquaticin
itshuntingstyle.Thestudentshavevideonotesmostlyabouttheessentialquestiontheywerediscussingatthe
beginningofclass.
Closure:

With5minutesleftofclasswearegoingtotalkabouttheessentialquestiontheyweretalkingwiththeirgroup,
especiallywhattheyfoundoutduringthelabandduringthevideoasawrapup.
Assessment:
Thefossilslabwillactasanassessmentforhowthestudentsunderstandtherolesofthedifferentfossilsand
howtheypaintapictureoftheenvironment.
Aformativeassessmentintheformoftheclassdiscussionattheendofclasswillletmeknowhowdeepthe
studentstookthelabandthevideofromtheday.
Differentiation:
Thearticleatthebeginningofclassismeantforallreadinglevelswithworkforthequickreaderstobegin
whentheyredonereading.
Fortheactivitythestudentsareworkingwiththeirgroupandwillbounceideasoffofeachother.Itwillinvolve
studentsaremorehandsonmorethanotheractivities.
Formysecondlanguagelearners,theyrewelcometowatchthevideoontheirownchromebookswith
headphonesandpauseitwhiletheyarewritingtheanswers.