Learning Segment Central Focus: Phenomenon: This is a paragraph describing the backdrop and

context of the lesson described in the ESA below. Must include attention to NGSS and phenomenon-
based learning.

The teacher wants students to conduct their own research on investigating the phenomenon that fossils can
inform us about the type of environment the organism once lived in through recognizing consistent patterns
and characteristics among a group of discovered fossils. To do this, students will be analyzing and
interpreting data from fossils by conducting their own fossil dig and recording their observations in a fossil
journal. The focus of this lesson is to help students discover consistent patterns and provide evidence based
on their observations and data collected. Students will be comparing and contrasting different fossil features
to make bigger generalizations about the organisms. This lesson builds upon students’ prior knowledge of
identifying and defining what fossils are, which has been covered in the previous lesson of the Fossil unit.

The phenomenon students are investigating:

Location and type of fossil are clues to what past environments were like.

Time Allotted: 60 min Classroom organization/ groups/ labs?:

- Lesson will start with students writing individually at their desks and
then participate in a large group discussion.
- For the activity, students will work within their table groups.

Lesson plan format:

Unit name: Fossils
Class/Grade: 3rd Grade
NGSS Content Standard(s):

Parts of the NGSS being covered in this lesson are highlighted.

3-LS4-1. Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the
environments in which they lived long ago.
Science and Engineering Practices: Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Analyzing data in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to introducing quantitative approaches
to collecting data and conducting multiple trials of qualitative observations. When possible and feasible,
digital tools should be used.
- Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena using logical reasoning. (3-LS4-1)
Disciplinary Core Ideas: LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity
- Fossils provide evidence about the types of organisms that lived long ago and also about the
nature of their environments. (3-LS4-1)
Cross-Cutting Concepts: Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
- Observable phenomena exist from very short to very long time periods. (3-LS4-1)

This lesson covers analyzing and interpreting data through students observing and analyzing where the
fossil was found, the type of fossil, how deep the fossil was found, and how big the fossil is by
interpreting the fossil kit key given to them. This lesson covers the DCI through students using
observations, kit materials, and prior knowledge of fossils as evidence to support claims made about the
past environment the organism came from. Scale will be covered in this lesson for the cross-cutting
concepts when students are engaged in determining the time of existence for these fossils using kit
resources.
Language Supports: be specific regarding strategies you are choosing to support the
access of science language

- Students will be writing in their fossil journals to answer these questions:

 What are fossils?
 What do we already know about fossils?
 What observations can you make?
 What type of climate or environment can we conclude these organisms lived in
based on what we have observed from the fossils?
- Students will be asked to write down evidence for each observation.
 What evidence can you give for each observation?
- Students will formally write their claims based on reasonings and evidence in a
Claims, Reasoning, Evidence chart in their fossil journals that will be turned in for
assessment.
- Students will use scientific vocabulary in their fossil journals to communicate
observations, findings, and claims including:
 Fossil (preserved)
 Climate
 Environment
 Evidence
 Identify
 Scale (time)

Materials Needed (indicate any safety measures that need to be considered):

- Fossil journals
- Mock fossil dig boxes for each table group
- Key for fossils that can be found in each box
- tweezers
- small plates
- magnifying glasses
- markers

Safety measures include:

- Making sure students are careful with the magnifying glasses and tweezers as
they are working.

Objective(s)(be sure these are Possible Challenges /Misconceptions:

measurable and observable and aligned
with the NGSS and the assessments):
- Students will analyze and interpret
findings and observations from fossils to
Misconception that a rock is a fossil.
 Identifying what a fossil is can be
challenging for students if they
have misconceptions about what
fossils are. This misconception
provide evidence of the past environments in would be addressed in a prior
which the organisms lived. lesson, but students still might have
confusion based on differences
between rocks and fossils.

Formative Assessment strategies (indicate WHY these are chosen – WHAT are you
assessing – concepts, skills):
 Fossil journals will be used as the assessment because it allows students to
write their ideas down first in an informal way, noting their observations and
wonderings.
- This assessment will be only to gauge how students are interacting with the
unit, so that I can assess student interest and engagement. Students can write
down visual observations or wonderings about what they have seen or heard.

 I will be more formally assessing the use of scientific vocabulary learned

throughout the unit within the student’s journals, verbal communication of their
observations, and whole-group discussions.
- Observations that I will be assessing will include how students classify and
identify the fossils they found, and how they used their observations to make
those distinctions. What about the fossil made them identify the type, location
found, and other important details that could help in determining past
environments?
- During whole-group discussions, I will be assessing the correct usage of the
scientific vocabulary within the unit. For example, when asking students about
what they know of fossils, I will be listening if students use terms such as
environment, fossils, preserved, and scale correctly.

LESSON PLAN STRUCTURE: (could include the use of the 5Es as indicated)
Opening: (engage)
Activate prior knowledge and
student interest- teacher
presents an interesting situation,
phenomenon, or dilemma/
controversial issue that helps
students connect to the content.
Teacher Actions
- Have students gather
around the carpet area in a
circle with their fossil journals.
Activating Prior Knowledge:
- Ask students: “What is a
fossil” and allow time for
students to look through their
journals.
- Have students then turn to
an elbow partner and discuss
the answer to the question.
- Bring attention back
together after enough time for
students to discuss and have
students share with the class
what a fossil is.
Student Actions
- Students will sit in a circle
around the carpet area and
bring their fossil journals with
them.
- Students will quietly think to
themselves about what a
fossil is. (Students can open
their fossil journals to
formulate their ideas based
on what they have already
learned)
- Students will turn to an
elbow partner and talk about
their answers and then will

Engage:
- Then tell students: “I want
you to think about what we
already know about fossils
and apply it to what we are
exploring today. If fossils are
preserved remains of a once
living organism, I want us to
think about where these
organisms lived and how we
might be able to tell what
environments these
organisms lived in based on
what we notice when we
become the paleontologists
who discover and analyze
fossils.”
share their ideas to the whole
group.
- Students will then listen to
the days lesson introduction
and ask questions if needed
for clarification.
- Students will return to their
seats and open their journals.
They will label three new
entries as:
- My Fossil
Observations
- Claims, Reasoning,
and Evidence

- Tell the class that they will

be conducting a fossil dig to
explore how fossils can tell
us about the environment the
organism once lived in. (The
phenomenon being
investigated)

- Have students go back to

their desks with the fossil
journals open. Have students
label their new journal entries
as:
- My Fossil
Observations
- Claims, Reasoning,
and Evidence

Introduction: As students are finishing Students will listen to the

Getting students ready - teacher
introduces the task and makes
sure students understand what
they are trying to accomplish,
but not how they are to do it
up labeling their journal
entries, write on the board
for everyone to see:
Journal focus: Be sure to use
observations as evidence to
your discoveries and claims.
Write down any comparisons
you notice and take note of
patterns and characteristics.
teacher as the teacher
introduces the lesson
activity.
Students will listen to the
journal focus of the day
and have their journals
open so they can see
where they have created
(Verbalize the journal focus
of the day so that students
know what they should be
including in their journal
entries.)
Teacher will have a fossil kit,
fossil kit key, magnifying lens,
tweezer, and small plate at
the front of the class.
Tell the students:
“I will be bringing to your
table a fossil dig kit. With
your kit is a key that you can
use as a reference during
your dig. There might be
some fossils that look very
similar, so you and your
group will be given
magnifying lens. Take notes
of your observations. As
paleontologists, you will want
to organize your observations
and thoughts. Small tweezers
will also be in the kit to use
for small fossils.”
Allow time for questions if
needed for clarification.
Hand out fossil dig key before
the fossil dig kit.
“Once you get your kit, your
group can start exploring. As
you start finding fossils, what
kind of questions might you
ask yourself when comparing
the fossils, you find to the
fossil on the key kit?”
“What do you notice about
the key?” (Prompting
students to think about how
the key can be a resource of
determining where the fossil
was found and how that can
help determine the past
environment.)
their new fossil dig
sections.
Students will watch as the
teacher shows and
explains each item or tool
they will be getting.
Students can ask
questions about the
procedures of the fossil dig
and what is expected of
them during this time.
As the teacher hands out
the fossil kit key, they will
look at the key together as
a group.
- Looking at the key,
students can ask
questions or make
comments about
what they notice or
wonder.
- They will thoroughly
look through the key
and kit materials
and begin
brainstorming how
they will use these
materials in their
fossil dig.
- When asked about
what they notice on
the key, students
can answer how the
key labels fossils
with names, dates,
identification
numbers, location of
fossils, and different
measurements.
Once the teacher is done
answering questions, the

Body of lesson: (explore,
explain, elaborate)
Students working on content -
teacher observes students,
monitors their progress, and
provides clarification as
necessary
Hand out rest of materials
and let students begin.
Explore:
- As students are
exploring their fossil
dig kits, the teacher
will walk around the
room to make sure
each group doesn’t
have any other
questions about
what they are doing.
- Teacher will walk
around and stop at
each group to ask
prompting
questions.
“What are you
noticing when you
are finding and
examining the
fossils?”
Explain, Elaborate:
Teacher will also be paying
attention to student claims,
making sure students are
using all available
resources (Kit key,
journals, and collaborating
with others).
For students who are
making big generalizations
without referencing the kit
key, then prompt student
by saying:
“What do you think this
fossil might be and what
would be your evidence?”
“What other fossils have
you identified with your
group that might help you
in identifying the fossils
you can’t easily identify?”
students will begin their
fossil dig activity.
Students will be exploring
their fossil dig kits making
sure to do the following:
- Writing down
observations.
- Writing down
questions or
wondering.
- Collaborating with
their group.
- Using all available
resources given to
them.
- Making connections
to the fossil kit key
that informs
students about
where the fossil was
originally found,
depth of fossil
underground,
measurements, and
fossil identification.
Students will be using
multiple resources and
tools to assist them
throughout the fossil dig.
- Fossil dig kit key
- Markers
- Paper plates for
sorting.
- Magnifying lens to
observe smaller
fossil details.
- Tweezers to help
pick up fossils for
sorting.
Most of exploration and
planning will be student
choice, but students will be
asked to think about how
“The key has many similar
fossils, as well as the same
fossils you will be digging
up with a description of
where the fossils can be
found today. Remember
that where we find fossils
can tell us a lot about the
environments these
organisms once lived in.
Knowing this and looking
at the fossils we have
found. What can we say
about these fossils and
where they came from?”
Teacher will also walk
around to each group and
join in on the conversations
being had in each group,
being careful to not take
away from student
conversations. As students
explore and make new
observations, the teacher
can ask students to show
how they are organizing
their observations. Asking
students to share what
characteristics they are
noticing and asking
students how they can use
their observations to apply
to what they have been
learning about fossils.
Noticing if all groups have
found a good number of
fossils to complete a
claims, reasoning, and
evidence chart. Have
students stop, clean their
table of any unnecessary
materials and direct their
attention to you.
the location of the fossils
can give bigger clues to
the environment the
organism once lived in.
- the kit key will be the
student’s biggest resource;
therefore, they should be
collaborating with one
another when analyzing
the key and comparing it to
the fossils they are finding.
For fossils the students
can’t identify easily, the
students will be
encouraged to compare
the fossil to other similar
fossils already identified.
- being careful to not
make big generalizations
such as “these bones are
both long, therefore it has
to be from the same
organism”.
- Instead, students will
be encouraged to further
investigate their inquiries
about the unidentified fossil
through finding other ways
to identify the fossil.
Students will take down
observations of why fossil
identification was difficult at
times, writing down what
made the identification
difficult. (For example,
students can say the fossil
was too small to really see
with the magnifying lens.)
Students will also
collaboratively work on
their claims, reasoning,
and evidence charts.
 Tell the students: - Using observations
- As you are wrapping up and discoveries as
your fossil dig with your reasoning/support to
group, turn to your claims, their claims. Using
reasoning, and evidence prior knowledge and
chart. I want you and your other resources,
group to begin writing such as journal and
down some claims you kit key, to be
could make based on the evidence support.
fossils you found and the
characteristics or patterns
you noticed. For instance,
you might say that for one
bone you noticed it is
similar to the Megalodon
tooth on the key, therefore
you could use your
observations and
comparison to the key as a
reasoning to your claim
that the tooth you found
can tell you about the
environment the organism
once lived in. The key you
used to compare the tooth
characteristics to tells you
where the fossil came
from, which we can use to
determine the past
environment.

Give time for students to

write any last-minute
observations and to start
working on their claims,
reasoning, and evidence
chart.

Closure (evaluate): Ask students to tidy up Students will clean up their

Wrapping Up - teacher facilitates
group discussion, helps students
share their work/progress, helps
students make connections, and
ensures that big ideas are
brought forward. Have you
connected your lesson back to
the overarching phenomenon?
their workspace and head
back to the carpet for a big
group discussion. (bringing
their journals with them)
Ask students:
desks and workspace.
Students will head to the
carpet with their fossil
journals open.
What skills (SEPs), concepts
(DCIs) and overarching
connections (CCCs) have you
included and assessed?
“What was it like being a
paleontologist? What was
interesting or difficult about
it?”
“As you found fossils, how
did you and your group
sort those fossils?”
“What did you do to identify
the type of fossil you were
looking at?”
“Why were some fossils
more difficult to identify
than others and how did
you deal with it?”
Bring back out the key to
the fossil kit.
“How did having the key
help us to identify the
fossils we were digging
up?”
“When comparing the
fossils found to the key,
what can you conclude
about the organisms and
the environments they
lived in” (make sure
students are backing up
their claims with evidence
from their observations).
As students are answering
and discussing, assess
how students are using
observations to support
and interpret their claims
about the type of organism
identified, the environment
it came from, and the time
period they think it lived in.
(SEP, DCI, CCC)
- For assessment of these,
the teacher will be looking
for students verbalizing
their observations they
Student answer
examples:
- “Being a paleontologist
was difficult because some
of the fossils looked a lot
alike.” Or, “Being a
paleontologist was fun, and
it was really interesting to
see how much work goes
into a fossil dig”.
- “We sorted our fossils
into categories based on
size (or shape, names,
locations, etc.).”
- “We identified our fossils
using the key and
comparing the look of the
fossil we found to the
picture in the key.”
- “Some of the fossils were
difficult to identify because
they looked very similar to
other fossils we already
found”.
Students will answer
questions based on what
they observed and what
their group collaboratively
investigated. Students will
use their fossil journals to
help organize their
thoughts as well as a
reference to answer
questions.
If students have
comments, questions, or
wonderings this would be
the time for them to share
and discuss with the
teacher and classmates.
Students will use their
observations as evidence
to their claims, and will be
made during the fossil dig.
Teacher will ask then ask
the student to use those
observations to make a
claim about the
environment the organism
lived in. The teacher can
prompt the student to think
about the key,
observations made, and
other prior knowledge to
help in assisting the
student make a claim. The
teacher will reinforce the
idea of time by asking the
student to think about
depth of fossil found, which
would lead the student to
make a claim about the
period the organism lived
in compared to other
fossils that were found a
shallower depth.
Teacher will help students
formulate their thoughts by
giving prompts.
- Prompts include having
the student’s fossil dig key
to show, helping the
students create “I”
statements, and reminding
students to think about
how depth of fossils found
can be a clue to
determining time periods.
Teacher will write down
any questions or
wonderings the students
have on a big paper for
students to see. This paper
will be brought back out
throughout the entire fossil
unit.
able to identify similarities,
patterns, or other
characteristics of the
fossils to the key given to
them.
Students during the
teacher assessment will
begin their observations
with “I” statements.
“I observed…”
“I noticed…”
“When I found…I
thought…”
Students will then use their
“I” statements to elaborate
on their claims.
- “I noticed that the fossil I
found look very similar to
the leg bone of the bird on
the fossil dig key because
of the shape and size. I
think this bird fossil is older
than the shell fossils we
found, because I
remember talking about
how deeper fossils are
older. I looked at the key
and the bone I think is the
bird bone, was found a lot
deeper than the shells.
That means the bird lived
in an older time period than
when the organism who
used the shell lived.”
Students will use their
journals to help them
remember what they
observed, thought, wonder,
and questioned. They can
share their wonderings and
questions during the
discussion time.
REFLECTION ON RUBRICS:
Review the rubrics connected to this lesson. Below, indicate HOW you have addressed each one and
include this with your lesson plan/ unit outline.

RUBRIC # and corresponding reflection:

(see below and see EdTPA handbook on Blackboard, Course Materials):

Rubric #1:
Teacher engages students to investigate the phenomenon of fossils can tell us about past environments
that the organisms once lived in by being hands on in an investigation of fossils through a fossil dig. Students
are asked to think about questions related to fossils, paleontologist work, and how to use resources when
engaging in inquiry. Students will complete a claims, reasoning, and evidence chart to construct their
explanations based on observations made and pulling from prior knowledge of previous lessons. Students
make predictions and state their claims while using observations and classmate collaboration to support as
evidence. Students will make predictions and claims by using observation that are “I” statements. Students
will be given opportunities during the fossil dig as the teacher walks around and during whole group
discussion time to verbally share their observations, predictions, and wonderings. Student “I” statements will
then be followed by activation of prior knowledge, concepts learned, and inquiry. Students will begin by using
observations and data collected from the fossil dig to explain the phenomenon being investigated, and then
use their investigation observations to make bigger claims or ask questions about past environments and the
types of organisms common to those environments.
Rubric #2:
Students address the misconceptions of fossils during the opening of this lesson through activating prior
knowledge and reviewing previous lesson materials. The teacher meets the individual needs of students as
students are exploring their fossil kit through small group discussions. The teacher walks around the room
and joins in with each group to assess how the group is doing and to ask prompting questions to assess how
students are engaging in the material and activity. The teacher also takes that time during small group
discussions to respond to any errors or misunderstandings the students might be making. The teacher then
will pose prompting questions to help guide students away from errors or misunderstandings. Students will
use prior knowledge of fossils to help in aiding predictions and claims, such as using knowledge of fossil
depth to help in making a claim about time periods and past environments. Students will use their journals to
organize their thoughts without strict guidelines or rules to follow. Students will follow journal prompts but can
be individual in the way that they organize their writings, statements, and observations. Students will also use
their journals during small groups interactions and whole group discussions so that they have readily access
to what they observed and experienced.
Rubric #3:
Teacher also teaches about the work of paleontologists through engaging students about participating in
the same type of inquiry and work of paleontologists. Using prior knowledge of identifying fossils, students are
asked to use their prior understandings to identify the characteristics and patterns that paleontologists look for
when studying fossils. The teacher will help students think about the work of paleontologists and how the
investigations they partook in are similar. Students will use what they know about paleontologists to assist in
their observations and what they predict paleontologists inquire about when conducting larger fossil
investigations. Students will comment on they felt, pulling in their own personal experience and emotions. The
teacher will reinforce the idea of paleontologist fossil research by explaining to the students that the
investigations they performed are just a small part of the work paleontologists do. This will lead to further
lessons on fossils, paleontologist work, and other concepts surrounding fossils and what fossils can tell us
about the past.