Science – Grade 3 Monday, May 11 – Friday, May 15

PURPOSE

3-LS4-4 (New Material) I can analyze fossils to gather data and find evidence of organisms and the environments that they lived in long ago.

WATCH

Tuesday – SafeShare TV: Fossils Thursday – YouTube: Mary Anning: Fossil Hunter Optional: Study Jams slideshow - Fossils

PRACTICE

Monday – After viewing the real world connection, record what you notice and wonder about the photograph. What questions do you have? Read the article “Ancient Penguin Almost as Big as a Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey Player!” Tuesday – Create a note catcher like the sample. Watch the Fossils. Add the information and data you gather to this paper. Think about your questions from Monday. How did this video help answer questions that you have about the fossil? Do you have new questions? Wednesday – Draw a fact/opinion chart like the sample. Read the article “Rare Teeth from Ancient Mega-Shark Found on Australia Beach.” Add to your chart as you read.

DISCUSS

Monday – What do you wonder about the photo? What can you learn from the photograph? What are some questions you have about the photo? Tuesday – Explain the difference between carbonization and mineralization. What kind of fossil is the real world connection from Monday? How do you know? Wednesday – Explain the importance of Philip Mullaly’s fossil find. Thursday - Why is Mary Anning’s work important? Review any of the previous videos or articles about fossils. Have any of your questions been answered from the Real World connection on Monday?

PRODUCT

Friday – After studying fossils this week, complete the writing frame. Write and complete each sentence. Use any resource from the week and your knowledge of fossils to complete your writing.

Screen-Free Activities Monday: Real World Connection Photograph

Note Catcher

Screen-Free Activities

Creative Writing:

Be a Reporter - Imagine you are a reporter interviewing a paleontologist. What questions would you ask? Make a list of questions that you might ask.

Key Vocabulary Review

Dinosaur Dig!

Materials: Chocolate chip cookie, toothpick.

Paleontologists are scientists who study the history of life on Earth through the fossil record. Fossils are the evidence of past life on the planet and can include those formed from animal bodies or their imprints (body fossils). Paleontologists have to be very careful when handling fossils. Imagine you are a paleontologist on a dinosaur dig. Complete the activity:

Dinosaur Dig Question: How will you remove the chips without harming them?

Hypothesis: What do you think will happen if you use your strategy?

Try It Out! Explain what you did & draw a picture.

Observations: Did your strategy work? What changes would you make?

Conclusion: What did you discover about the job of a paleontologist?

Choose a key word from this week.

Key Words: carbonization, trace fossils, molds, casts, mineralization

Complete a graphic organizer about the word you chose.

Road to Fossilization Game

(from https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/upload/Junior_Paleontologist_Reprint_2015_Spreads.pdf)

Make a Fossil

Supplies Needed: soil, water, outdoor objects (twigs, leaves, small rocks or shells)

Find a variety of outdoor objects that you’d like to make fossils of. Things like rocks, stick, leaves and shells work well.

Once you have found what you want to make a fossil out of, add water to your soil until you develop a bread-dough like texture. Creating the right consistency is very important.

Using your hands, flatten the mixture into small pancake sized shapes. Make sure it is no more than an inch thick to minimize the time needed for “fossilizing.”

Now you are ready to begin making your fossils. Press your favorite nature objects firmly into your soil.

After you have pressed and removed your objects, move the pressed mud into the sun for it to dry. Once the mud has dried, you have your own fossils to show all of your friends.