Macky Lynn, Natalie Deppe, Katie Howard, Megan Flipse, Brant Morgan

Fossils
4th grade
Lesson Outcome: The students will gain knowledge about evolution, adaptation and fossils.
Standards:
L.EV: Develop an understanding that plants and animals have observable parts and
characteristics that help them survive and flourish in their environments. Understand that fossils
provide evidence that life forms have changed over time and were influenced by changes in
environmental conditions. Understand that life forms either change(evolve) over time or risk
extinction due to environmental changes and describe how scientists identify the relatedness of
various organisms based on similarities in anatomical features.
L.EV. E.2: Survival-Individuals of the same kind differ in their characteristics, and sometimes the
differences give individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing.
L.EV. 04.21: Identify individual differences (color, leg, length, size, wing size, shape, etc.) in
organisms of the same kind.
L.EV.04.22: Identify how variations in physical characteristics of individual organisms give them
an advantage for survival and reproduction.
E.ST.E.3 Fossils- Fossils provide evidence about the plants and
animals that lived long ago and the nature of the environment at that
time.
E.ST.04.31 Explain how fossils provide evidence of the history of the Earth.
Purpose: The students will understand that animals change over time and have to adapt to
their environments and if they dont adapt they die out (extinct) and eventually become fossils.
Assessment: This lesson will be graded on participation and effort during the activities. They
will also be graded on their reflection on the understanding of the process.
Criteria: The students will work in a group and individually to complete each activity.
Resources:
Open space
Table space
Elements: The elements included in this lesson are fossils, evolution and adaption

Introduction:
We will introduce this lesson by reading a paragraph about fossils from the book, Eye WitnessNatural World. (p. 147) and explain to students what we will be accomplishing with this lesson.
Introduce vocabulary:

Evolution: The process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have
developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth. Gradual
development
Adaptation: A change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes
better suited to its environment.
Procedures:
1. Game
Survival in Your Environment
Materials:Random toys and blocks are used for food. Note cards are used telling what
part they are playing in the game.
Instructions:The game would consist of these playing rules. There is a pile of food
(blocks or some other toys easily picked up) placed in the center of the area. A big area is
necessary for the game, maybe outside. Your goal is to gather food ( 1 at a time) and bring it
back to your starting point or den. The starting points can vary with your what space is available
to play the game. Everyone is given a card with what characteristic they have to have while the
game is played. The different characteristics are 1) blind -blindfolded, 2)injured -have to jump
on one foot, 3)Normal, 4)family -they have to hold hands, and 5)old- they have to walk toe to
heal. You can divide those up to how big your class size is. You will also have a certain
amount, 2-3, of scavengers that will go around and steal food from the dens of the others if they
are not guarding it. If another student tags the scavenger they have to go back to their starting
point. The scavengers will then bring the stolen food back to teacher who will replenish the
food pile in the center. For the first 3 minutes each person will have to work by themselves to
get what they can, no help or plans. (except the family they still have to hold hands, but all must
be present at the food pile). The next 3 minutes have the students adapt to their characteristics
and environment and see what they come up with. Repeat the game with the students
repicking their characteristic card and starting over.
Follow up questions: How did you learn to adapt to your needs to get food? What's
going to happen to the not so fortunate animals like the blind and the elderly? Ask the
scavengers who they picked on and why?
2. Art (Pass and analyze fossils)
-FossilsMaterials:
ingredients
1 cup of coffee grounds
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
shells or plastic bugs to make imprints
big bowl
stirring spoon
tin foil
rolling pin
Instructions:

mix all ingredients together in large bowl

take mixture out of bowl and flatten using rolling pin onto the tin foil
cut into sizes of shells or plastic bugs and press the object into the mixture
let harden for one day
Follow up Questions:
How did the ingredients we used represent rocks and sediments?
Looking at the fossils through a magnifying glass what differences do you see?
3. Dance
Fossil Rock Anthem

Steps:

Lyrics:

Clap hands above head

Intro - instrumental

:33 Spirit fingers and slowly bend down

towards ground-

Fossil rocks are in the ground tonight

:35 Tap wrist like pointing to time on a watch

Theyve been down there for a really long

time

:38 arm movement out toward each side of

body

They contain the history of life

:44 Tap wrist like pointing to time on a watch

Theyve been down there for a really long

time

Spirit fingers and slowly bend down towards

ground-

Fossil rocks are in the ground tonight

roll arms over one another in tight circular

motion

They are literally on the grind

:58 Pretend to hammer/ break rocks step right Take your hammer out and break that
4 counts, then step left 4 counts (repeat)
1:15 point to ground with left hand, after few
counts point to ground with right hand

Look at the ground, partly rock

!;19 Stack arms on top of one another

Each new layer stacking up

1:29 Move arms + legs in slow motion like

gooey lava

I got that lava flow

1:36 Blast/ Explode like lava

Thats a blast

Repeat Steps 2-6

Shovel sand taking steps between each
shovel (4 to left, 4 to right: repeat)

Everyday Im shovelin

2:33 Brush off shoulders

Brush it off

2:37 Hands up in stop motion - move to new

spot in the room acting like any bug you
choose

stop do the trilobite- continental plates are

drifting

Push arms up to sky-Blinking dinosaur shows

up start clapping

slow moves long time push the mountains up

to the sky

Explode up and fall to ground

Boom theres an asteroid

4. Book (Puppet)
Here Comes T-Rex Cottontail - Written by Lois G. Grambling
Illustrated by Jack E. Davis
Adapt to Here Comes Peter Cottontail after reading and sing together
or
My teacher is a Dinosaur- written and Illustrated by Loreen Leedy
( T- rex puppet sings some of the poems)
Optional Materials: T-Rex Puppet
extra references:
The Berenstain Bears Dinosaur Dig- written by Jan and Mike Berenstain
Reflection: Reflection questions are included in the procedures