Topic: Interactions within Habitats (Fossils)

Transcription

1 2 nd Grade Science Unit: 2.LS.2 FOSSILS Unit Snapshot Topic: Interactions within Habitats (Fossils) Grade Level: 2 Duration: 10 days Summary The students will learn about fossils and the organisms that they represent. They will use their knowledge of living organisms to identify fossils and to describe the habitat in which the ancient organism lived. They will understand that some animals which lived in the past are now extinct though they may still resemble organisms that are alive today. Various factors can play a role in the extinction of an organism. CLEAR LEARNING TARGETS I can statements The students can understand that fossils are representations of organisms that lived in the past. The students can understand that fossils may represent extinct organisms or resemble organisms which are living today. The students can examine fossils to determine the type of organism and the environment in which it lived. The students can evaluate the importance of fossils to our understanding of prehistory. The students can identify many conditions necessary for fossilization and create possible scenario for the formation of fossils. The students can understand how organisms are adapted to their environment and understand the relationships of modern and ancient communities within their environments. Activity Highlights and Suggested Timeframe Engage Days 1-2 Explore Days 3-7 Explain Ongoing throughout unit The students will learn about fossils and the paleontologists that study them. They will discover that fossils give clues about organisms that lived long ago and the habitats in which they lived. The students will explore how fossilized skeletons give paleontologists information about different animals. They will explore possible ways that animals died out in the past and realize that only a few of these animals left fossilized remains that give us evidence as to how and when they lived. Students will review what they learned about fossils and ancient organisms from the Explore phase. The class will participate in read alouds, watch videos, and use the Internet to research fossils, the organisms that left them, and the people who study them. They will demonstrate an understanding by explaining how fossilized remains can teach us about past organisms and the environment in which they lived.

2 Elaborate Days 8-10 Evaluate Day 1-10 and ongoing Students will demonstrate their understanding of how fossils represent once-living organisms. They will use their knowledge of living organisms to make educated guesses about a specific fossil. Evaluation: Students can demonstrate their knowledge of fossils and animals of the past through discussions and written assignments. LESSON PLANS NEW LEARNING STANDARDS: 2.LS.2 Some kinds of individuals that once lived on Earth have completely disappeared, although they were something like others that are alive today. Living things that once lived on Earth no longer exist; their basic needs were no longer met. CONTENT ELABORATION (as stated in Ohio s Learning Standards) Fossils are physical traces of living things that are preserved in rock. By examining fossils, it can determine that some fossils look similar to plants and animals that are alive today, while others are very different from anything alive today. Extinction refers to the disappearance of the last member of a living thing s kind. Sometimes extinction is described as the dying out of all members of the living thing s kind. Extinction generally occurs as a result of changed conditions to which the living thing s kind is not suited. Some kinds of living things that once lived on Earth have completely disappeared (e.g., the Sabretooth Cat, Smilodon). Some kinds of living things that once lived on Earth are something like others that are alive today (e.g., horses). Explore and compare a vast array of organisms, both extinct (e.g., Rugosa Coral, Sphenopsids) and extant (e.g., Brain Coral, Equisetum). Research and exposure should focus on the organism and its environment for both extinct and extant organisms. Photographs, video, websites, books, local parks and museums can be used to visualize past environments and the organisms that lived in them. SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY and APPLICATION PRACTICES: During the years of PreK-4, all students must become proficient in the use of the following scientific processes, with appropriate laboratory safety techniques, to construct their knowledge and understanding in all science content areas: Observe and ask questions about the natural environment; Plan and conduct simple investigations; Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses; Use appropriate mathematics with data to construct reasonable explanations; Communicate about observations, investigations and explanations; and Review and ask questions about the observations and explanations of others. Student Knowledge: Prior Concepts Regarding Relationship of Water and Air PreK-1: Living things have physical traits, which enable them to live in different environments. Future Application of Concepts Grades 3-5: Fossils will be addressed in more detail. Grades 6-8: This concept will be expanded to providing a partial explanation of biodiversity. COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS for LITERACY in SCIENCE: See attached First grade ELA standards the end of this unit *For more information: Standards/English/ELA-Standards.pdf.aspx

3 MATERIALS: Engage Clay or playdough, enough for all students paper plates photos or examples of real fossils book about paleontologists (see Teacher Notes, below) Explore Illustration of horse skeleton, included Illustration of stegosaurus skeleton, included, one per student Blank drawing paper Chart paper Fossilization Cards, included Blank adhesive mailing labels Pictures of wooly mammoth and elephant skeletons Book or video about wooly mammoths (The Ice Age Tracker s Guide by Adrian Lister and Martin Ursell is recommended) Copies of Venn Diagram VOCABULARY: Ancestors Climate Environment Extant Extinct Fossils Habitat Organism Paleontologist Prehistoric Represent Resemble Skeleton Venn Diagram Explain Books on fossils, prehistoric organisms, paleontologists Online videos and website Paper and writing utensils Elaborate Images of fossils (provided in this lesson or they can be created) Paper and writing/drawing utensils Grid with topics/headings about a fossilized organism (if desired) Evaluate Paper and writing utensils Science Journal/Notebook (if applicable) Written/Illustrated work from lessons in previous sections SAFETY During the Explore Role Playing activity, remind students to move carefully in their own space. Never attempt to eat any of the science materials, even if homemade playdough is made with food sources.

4 ADVANCED PREPARATION Collect the materials listed above for the activities Research and print photos of fossils (or show on Smartboard) Copy needed worksheets/cards for activities Collect fossil and paleontologist books from the library or other sources Research online sites for images, videos, and research information (some are listed below in the Resource section) Objective: The students will think about fossils as representations of animals that lived in the past. ENGAGE (2 days) (Day 1) Remind students that fossils are preserved clues left from a plant or animal that lived long ago. Children should understand that a fossil does not necessarily mean a piece of a bone or plant part, but could be any remnant of life, such as a footprint, nest, or even droppings. Fossils can form in many ways, and the process can take millions of years. Display for the class some pictures of fossils (these can be found online and/or on the Smart Exchange website) or actual fossils. Encourage students to tell what animal or plant they think left each fossil behind. Have them make educated guesses about the habitats and lifestyles of each of the animals and plants, and tell why they ve made these assumptions. What clues did they use to help them make their guesses? A Paleontologist is a scientist that studies fossils. Paleontologists use clues they find in fossils as well to help them make hypotheses about the organisms that left the fossils behind. Today, the students will act as paleontologists and follow the clues in the fossils they ll make to determine who made each fossil. 1. Read a book about paleontology (suggestion: Paleontology: The Study of Prehistoric Life by Susan H. Gray or Bones Rock! Everything You Need to Know to Be a Paleontologist by Peter L. Larson) that will give students greater insight into how scientists look for clues in fossils to learn more about the organisms that left the fossils behind. (Day 2) 2. Distribute paper plates to each student and have them write their names on the backs of their plates in pencil. Give each student a small amount of clay or playdough (the party-size packs of playdough would be ideal) and have them spread it on their plates to form a rectangle. (It should be at least ½ thick.) Students should make an impression of their hand or their foot (no shoes!), then place the plate on a table or on the floor with the impressions made by the rest of the class. 3. Invite the children to look over all the playdough impressions made by the class. What clues can they use to figure out who made each impression? For examples, if a handprint shows that the creator wore a ring, which students are wearing rings? If the print shows a large hand or foot, which students fit that bill? Students can narrow down the possible answers by examining their classmates. Encourage students to share their strategies and theories with the class, then check the bottoms of the plates to see if their ideas match up. Objective: The students will explore how fossilized skeletons give paleontologists information about different animals. They will explore possible ways that animals died out in the past and realize that only a few of these animals left fossilized remains that give us evidence as to how and when they lived. The students will understand that some organisms that lived in the past resemble organisms that are still living today.

5 (Days 3-4) EXPLORE (5 days) 1. On chart paper, make a student-generated list of characteristics of a horse (e.g., large size, fast runner, eats grass, has grinding teeth, long hair for tail and mane, whinnies, is intelligent, gets along well with other horses, makes a good pet if you have a barn.) 2. Display for the class the picture of the horse skeleton (or a picture of a skeleton of another animal currently found on Earth with which the students are familiar, such as an elephant or a tiger.) Ask students what animal the skeleton belongs to, and how they know. Remind them that even though we can t see a lot of the parts that we usually use to help us to identify an animal (like its skin or fur, its face, etc.) we can still identify it as an animal we ve seen before. When an organism, especially an animal, is fossilized, often only the hard parts (bones and teeth) remain to be preserved as fossils. These hard parts are what we can see in the skeleton picture. 3. Ask students to imagine for a minute that horses are extinct. Go through the list the students made about characteristics of a horse and ask students to circle the ones that we would still know if we d never seen a real horse, only its fossilized bones and teeth. We d know that it was a large animal, and we could probably make some good guesses about its weight. We d know that it had grinding teeth and therefore could probably guess that it ate some kind of tough vegetation like grass. The hooves would probably not be preserved (they re made of keratin, like fingernails, and would likely not survive) but the shape of the bones in the foot would be a good indicator that it had hooves. The skeleton would also be useful to tell us that it was a fast runner, based on the narrowness of the torso and the length of the legs. But no details of the hair or skin would be known. We would not know what color horses were, or if they had long fur like a sheepdog or very short, soft hair like a cat. We would not know if they had long tails and manes, or if they had short cotton tails like a rabbit. We would not know that they live in herds or groups, nor would we know about their vocalizations. We d have to make many guesses about what horses really looked like, and while many of our guesses might be very accurate, many of the guesses might be far from reality. This is part of the difficult job of a paleontologist. Given just a few small parts of an extinct organism, the paleontologist must compare those pieces to currently-living creatures and the work of other paleontologists when attempting to understand the fossils with which they work. 4. So what do we know about fossilized animals? Distribute copies of the fossil Stegosaurus (included) and interpret it considering what we do know. Use the list the class made when discussing the living animal. What paleontologists know comes from studying the hard anatomy, such as bones and teeth. Anything else is a guess, although in most cases it s possible to base a guess on sound biological principles. (For example, we can guess that a Stegosaurus was a slow-moving animal because of its large torso and its short legs.) 5. Students can use their imaginations to put muscles and skin on the Stegosaurus pictures. Remember, skin color and texture are largely the choice of the artists, since fossil bones don t give any indication about these traits. Have students display their work to small groups and explain why they made the choices they made in their artwork. (Day 5) Game 1. Choose an environment. Remind students that much of Ohio was once covered with water, which explains why such a large number of fossils that have been discovered in Ohio are those of underwater organisms (plants and animals.) The game will begin with the class choosing an environment in which there is a depositional setting, such as a lake, pond, stream, river in a forest, or sea floor. The

6 students should be encouraged to use their imaginations to describe the setting in as much detail as possible. 2. Choose roles. Roles that the children choose for themselves are possible animal or plant inhabitants of the chosen setting. For example, in the aquatic settings, possible roles include not only snails, clams, fish, salamanders, turtles, alligators, and other aquatic animals, but also horses, deer, monkeys, rabbits, and birds that came there to eat and drink. You may wish to distribute blank adhesive mailing labels for students to write the name of their chosen organism and to wear during this exercise. 3. Begin play. When play begins, the children act out their roles, with each one given a turn to make vocalizations or movements to mimic their organism. For example, a child playing a fish could wiggle his/her body with a fishlike motion and make gulping movements with his/her mouth. A child playing a rabbit could hop on all fours, occasionally sitting up on his/her haunches to sniff the air. A child playing a willow tree could sway gently in a breeze. The students can also interact with each other as they would in their natural environment. For example, the carnivores could chase the herbivores, which the herbivores could feast on the plants. 4. Call FREEZE! and decide the fate of each character. This is the time for possible fossilization. The students draw cards (included) which tell their fate. (Possible cards might include: You are eaten by scavengers. You rot away before being preserved. You are swallowed by a crocodile. You are buried by a mudslide and are preserved as a fossil.) (You can make several copies of the page of cards to use in this activity. If you make your own, the proportion of fossilization cards to destruction cards should be small, mimicking the small chance of becoming fossilized in the real world. 5. Discuss the meaning of this exercise. When the entire class has drawn cards, begin the discussion. Have each student tell about his or her role as an organism and what happened to their organism after it died. Make a list of these organisms on chart paper or the board. Which organisms became fossils? Which were destroyed? Remember, the only plants and animals future paleontologists will know anything about are the ones that become fossils. Were there animals or plants represented in our game that did not become fossils? What might this mean when we examine fossils from the past? (You will become aware of the important question of bias in the fossil record when you compare the list of fossils with the complete list of living animals. Is the list of fossils a good representation of the living community? Why or why not?) (Day 6) 1. Provide students with a pictorial skeleton of a wooly mammoth without naming the animal. (The skeletons and images of fossils in this activity are included below.) Have them think-pair-share with a partner: Can you identify this animal? What was its size? How do you think it moved? How did it defend itself? Do you think it ate plants, animals, or both? In what type of environment did it live? Did it live in water or on land? Is it extinct (no longer living) or extant (still in existence)? Does it resemble an animal that is living today? 2. Provide students with an image of the elephant skeleton. Have them share their observations as they compare it to the first skeleton. Then show them the illustration/picture of the wooly mammoth and the elephant to compare the actual animals. 3. Explain that the first skeleton was that of a wooly mammoth which could be found on our North American continent. Do elephants live on our continent in the wild? Do you think the wooly mammoth is extinct or extant? Review these terms. Extinct means no longer living on Earth and extant means still in existence. 4. Once it is determined that the wooly mammoth is extinct but similar animals now live in Africa and Asia, try to determine what killed off the mammoths. Inform students that prehistoric people did live in the area and the climate was different than we now

7 experience. Remind them that scientists can only use an educated guess to determine what happened since there was no written record. However, they believed that mammoths may have died out due to changes in the climate which killed off the plants that they ate. Overhunting may also have played a role. Articles for teacher background: If possible, share a book on wooly mammoths. The Ice Age Tracker s Guide by Adrian Lister and Martin Ursell and Prehistoric Mammals are also a good resources as they describe many animals that were alive during prehistoric times. (Day 7 continued from Day 6) 6. One at a time, show the students the other fossil images included in this lesson (or research images from the websites in the Resources section). These include a frog, a guitar fish/skate, a fish, a fern found in Antarctica, a relative to the moth, and a turtle. Ask the students to try to identify each organism and its environment (using what they know about plants and animals that are living today). Some of the organisms may still have living ancestors or resemble organisms that are alive today - while others may have died out completely (or at least in the area where they once lived). What could have caused them to die off? Students should understand that as the environment and/or climate changes, the organism may not be able to survive. As an example, the fern fossil was found in Antarctica (which is now a polar region). What does that tell the students about why the ferns, which enjoy warm, moist environments, there may have died off? 7. Venn Diagrams can be used to compare a fossilized organism with a plant or animal that is alive today. 8. See the Elaborate section to extend this lesson. Objective: Students will review what they learned about fossils and ancient organisms from the Explore phase. The class will participate in read alouds, watch videos, and use the Internet to research fossils, the organisms that left them, and the people who study them. They will demonstrate an understanding by explaining how fossilized remains can teach us about past organisms and the environment in which they lived. EXPLAIN (3 weeks, ongoing during unit) (Day 1- and ongoing throughout unit) 1. During the Explore lessons, teachers share fossil and paleontologist books, videos, and websites with students throughout the unit. These sources should be used to further the students understanding of what fossils teach us as well as to clarify misconceptions. 2. If students are keeping a Science Journal or Notebook, have them include any information they have learned about fossils.

8 3. Have the students complete a Quick-Write on a topic concerning fossils. Give the students a picture of a fossil or a scenario and have them write about it. Examples: - How do we know about plants and animals that have lived in the past? - What can fossils teach us? - What might cause an organism to die off and become extinct? - Tell about an animal that is extinct. Tell about an animal that is extant (still living). - Look at the image of a fossil. What can you tell about the organism by studying its fossil? 4. Students will also give explanations during their discussions and written work in the Explore and Elaborate sections. ELABORATE (3 days) Objective: Students will demonstrate their understanding of how fossils represent once-living organisms. They will use their knowledge of living organisms to make educated guesses about given fossils. (Day 8-10) 1. Students will be given a picture of a fossil. They will write a short story about their fossil as an organism that once lived on this earth. Teacher should discuss and write the following questions on the board for possible questions to consider: - What type of organism was this? Was it a plant or an animal? - What was the size of your organism? - How long ago did your organism live? - In what type of habitat/environment did your organism live? - What did it eat? - Did it have any special behaviors? - Did it resemble anything living today? - How did it most likely die? 2. The students can then draw and label a picture of how the organism looked when it was alive. 3. Students share their writing/illustrations with the class, explaining how they determined the answers to the questions. 4. Students can work with partners or upper-grade level peers if needed. This may be an opportunity to work with the 4 th grade teacher in your building to team teach this activity because 4 th graders study fossils. 5. Worksheets can be used for this activity. An example is included in this lesson.

9 Example: Picture of the fossil What was your organism? What size was it? When did it live? What was its habitat? What were its behaviors? Does it resemble anything that is alive today? How did your organism die? Picture of the actual organism Objective: Students can demonstrate their knowledge of fossils and animals of the past through discussions and written assignments. EVALUATE (on-going) (What opportunities will students have to express their thinking? When will students reflect on what they have learned? How will you measure learning as it occurs? What evidence of student learning will you be looking for and/or collecting?) EXTENSION/ INTERVENTION Formative How will you measure learning as it occurs? 1. If students have a Science Journal or Notebook, they can frequently write throughout the unit to explain what they are learning and what they are still confused about with fossils. 2. Quick-writes and exit tickets can be used to gauge student understanding. 3. Written work has been suggested in each section. These can be evaluated for understanding and/or a grade. 4. The teacher should observe students during activities and discussions to determine understanding of the concepts. EXTENSION 1. Draw a picture of a made-up creature with adaptations for a special way of life. Examples: a fast flier that eats leaves from the tops of trees; a burrowing animal that digs holes so fast no other animal can catch it. Describe how this animal is special and how it accomplishes what it does. Could paleontologists find out about this way of life from the fossil record? Students should label the specialized parts of the creature and explain in writing how the specializations help it to survive. Summative What evidence of learning will demonstrate to you that a student has met the learning objectives? 1. Quick-writes and exit tickets can be used to gauge student understanding. 2. Written work has been suggested in each section. These can be evaluated for understanding and/or a grade. INTERVENTION 1. Literature available for read alouds or personal book baskets. 2. Books and videos about fossils and prehistoric life are available at various reading and learning levels. See the resources section or search online. 3. Reading Fossil Records INVESTIGATION from the 5 th grade Harcourt Brace textbook. A copy of the directions are included in this lesson.

10 2. Glue a fossil photo to paper. Draw and label a habitat in which the organism could have survived. Remember to meet all of the organism s basic needs. 3. Students can compare an image of a fossil to an image of an organism that is living today. Make a Venn Diagram of similarities and differences shared by the organisms. 4. In a small group (or with upper gradelevel peers), research an organism that lived in the past. Create and present a skit to teach other about the organism. COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS Common Misconceptions: Science Daily provides a rich source of information on the relationship between mammoths and elephants. The Annenberg Media series Essential Science for Teachers: Life Science: Session 2: Children s Ideas provides greater insight to misconceptions children hold about classifying living things and strategies to address those misconceptions. AAAS Benchmarks 2061 Online, Chapter 15, The Research Base, provides a comprehensive list of research findings that served as guidelines for the development of this book. Scroll down to Classification of Life. Students may think that fossils are the actual bones and body parts of organisms, instead of a cast or a mold. Students may only associate fossils with dinosaurs, not realizing that a variety of organisms left fossilized remains. Not all fossils are created from extinct organisms such as dinosaurs. Some fossilized organisms have ancestors that are living today. Our earth has not changed over time. Students may not realize the areas of land such as deserts, even areas of Ohio, were once covered by water. Climate has changed as well as fossils of fern leaves have been found in polar regions. Lower-level: Consider providing trade books or other appropriate reading-level materials for students. Show additional videos about fossils and prehistoric life. DIFFERENTIATION Higher-Level: Students can research certain types of fossils or organisms that are now extinct. They can share their findings with their peers. Higher-level books and websites should be available as needed. Strategies for meeting the needs of all learners including gifted students, English Language Learners (ELL) and students with disabilities can be found at this site. Resources based on the Universal Design for Learning principles are available at

11 Websites: SMART Exchange: Fossils (SMART Notebook dual users lesson, published by Waterford Institute links to information and activities about fossils images of fossils - pictures of dinosaurs, skeletons, and fossils Kids Dinosaurs website Wonderopolis website, What is a paleontologist? Ohio History Connection a website for teacher information ADDITIONAL RESOURCES YouTube: How Are Fossils Formed Fossils for Kids What is a Fossil? Bill Nye the Science Guy Fossils Dig In To Paleontology Mary Anning: Fossil Hunter Literature: (Section J560+) Figuring Out Fossils by Sally M. Walker Fossils by Ann O. Squire 100 Things You Should Know About Fossils by by Steve Parker Paleontology: The Study of Prehistoric Life by Susan H. Gray Bones Rock! Everything You Need to Know to Be a Paleontologist by Peter L. Larson Prehistoric Ancestors of Modern Animals by Matthew Rake Prehistoric Animals series by David West Fossilized! Sea Creature Fossils; Petrified Forests; Plant Fossils; Insect Fossils by Kathleen Connors The Ice Age Tracker s Guide by Adrian Lister and Martin Ursell Outside and Inside Wooly Mammoth by Sandra Markle Wooly Mammoth by Gerry Bailey Huge Hunters Roam the Earth by Dougal Dixon Fantastic Fossils by Christine Petersen Fossils by Richard and Louise Spilsbury Plant Fossils by Natalie Hyde

12 Teacher Background From looking at fossils it can be determined that many extinct plants and animals looked something like plants and animals that are alive today, while others were very different from anything alive today. The word fossil refers to the physical evidence of former life from a period of time prior to recorded human history. Not all parts of animals become fossilized. It may not be possible to know some details of what an ancient animal or plant was like because many parts of the anatomy may not become fossils. Fossilization is a rare event. The chances of a given individual being preserved in the fossil record are very small. Some organisms, however, have better chances than others because of the composition of their skeletons or where they lived. This also applies to the various parts of organisms. For example, plants and vertebrates (animals with bones) are made up of different parts that can separate after death. The different parts can be transported by currents to different locations and be preserved separately. A fossil toe bone might be found at one place and a fossil rib at another location. We could assume that they are from different animals when, in fact, they came from the same one. Much information is lost in the fossilization process. Think, for example, of a vertebrate (such as ourselves). Much of what we consider important about our own biology is in the soft tissues, such as skin, hair, and internal organs. These characteristics would usually be unknown in the fossil state, because most of the time only bones and teeth are preserved (there are exceptional cases where soft parts are preserved). Bones and teeth are not always preserved together. This exercise is designed to get children to think about the quality of information that comes from the fossil record. Change in environments is another important topic to discuss. It is sometimes easy to take the world's present environments for granted and assume that they have always been that way. But we know that is not true. Environments have changed in the past and they are always in the process of changing in some way. Environmental change is difficult for humans to understand because it often takes place so slowly that direct observation is difficult. Even the rapid changes that are taking place today as a result of human activity are hard to see. The fossil record contains a compressed view of many millions of years during which environments changed just as they do today. Change in the fossil record is therefore relatively easy to see. (Information from the website )

13 Teacher Notes The Ohio Department of Natural Resources provides a list of Ohio s extinct species. These organisms can be compared to organisms that are living today. Have children note the differences between the species and compare the differences in each environment. Explore organisms that once lived in Ohio and no longer exist today. National Geographic provides an article on the find of a giant cockroach fossil in Ohio. The Field Museum and Science Daily provide a rich source of information on the relationship between mammoths and elephants. The website has movies entitled Earth and Extinct and Endangered Species that give good background to the understanding of the formation of fossils. If you plan to watch the movies, you must register as a member of the website prior to viewing.

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21 Name Date Picture of the fossil What was your organism? What size was it? When did it live? What was its habitat? What were its behaviors? Does it resemble anything that is alive today? How did your organism die? Picture of the actual organism

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