You and a group of friends are digging on the playground when one of you notices a rock that resembles a tooth. You begin to dig a little further and find another mysterious looking rock. Maybe they are fossils! Everyone is excited about the discovery but isn’t sure what to do next. So, of course, you run to tell your teacher, Ms. Inquisitive.
Ms. Inquisitive decides you will need to solve the mystery together (she never just gives you the answers). As a group, you compile a list of questions you have about your mysterious find. Your teacher suggests you form a team and divide up the work to find the answers to your questions. Roles are assigned by your teacher to help you gather your needed information. Your team consists of a reporter, an archaeologist, a paleontologist , and a geologist. Each member of the team will collect information and help organize it in a visual format to present your findings.
Many questions begin to be asked that need answers so you find a pencil and record your questions on a piece of paper. These are questions that need further research to solve the playground mystery.
*What is a fossil?
*What do fossils look like?
*How are fossils formed?
*How long has it been here?
*What can we learn from fossils about the past?
*How should we go about digging more without harming
any other treasures we may find?
*How do we mark off the area to be searched?
*What tools should we use to continue searching?
Ms. Inquisitive loves the questions you are generating and sees you need her guidance to lead you in the right direction. She gives each member of the team tasks to complete to help the team solve the many questions you have.
Roles:
REPORTER
*Assists other team members with their tasks.
*Organizes information on chart.
*Keep team members on task.
*Collect all answer sheets and surveying grid from group members to turn into your teacher.
PALEONTOLOGIST
You are responsible for answering the following questions:
*What are fossils and what do they look like?
*How are fossils formed?
*How can the age of a fossil be found?
Print the answer sheet to record the answers for the questions you have been assigned.
Start by clicking on the first link and reading the information.
http://www.fossilsforkids.com/
Click these links to discover more answers. http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/explorations/tours/fossil/5to8/Intro.html
ARCHAEOLOGIST
You are responsible for answering the following questions:
*How should we go about digging more without harming
any other treasures we may find?
*What tools should we use to continue searching?
*What can we learn from fossils about the past?
Print the answer sheet to record the answers for the questions you have been assigned.
Start by clicking on the first link and reading the information.
http://www.fossilsforkids.com/
Click these links to discover more answers.
http://www.sdnhm.org/kids/fossils/
http://idahoptv.org/dialogue4kids/archive/agespast.cfm
GEOLOGIST
You are responsible for answering the following questions:
*How do we mark off the area to be searched?
*How do we use a grid to plan the surveying of the area?
Print the answer sheet to record the answers for the questions you have been assigned.
Start by clicking on the first link and reading the information.
http://www.fossilsforkids.com/
Click this link to discover more answers:
Print the survey grid to make a plan of how your group would mark off the area to be excavated. Add illustrations of possible discoveries you may find if you were to actually perform the digging. You must include all group members in the decisions made to construct the survey grid.
Print this scoring rubric to guide your group in the construction of your project. Your teacher will use this tool to evaluate your group work.
You may not know what your mysterious find’s true identity is but you were sure to learn many interesting facts about fossils. If you would like to learn more about fossils, check out these links to continue the fun. Maybe one day you will enter a career that leads to an important discovery about the past. Happy digging!!!
State fossils on this link:
http://www.kidskonnect.com/subject-index/15-science/79-fossils.html
Geo Mysteries link:
http://www.childrensmuseum.org/geomysteries/faqs.html
More fossils explanations:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/dinofossils/index.html