Fossils + More We discussed National Fossil

Day and all 3 kids expressed

excitement and interest in going
A General Science Lesson Plan on a fossil hunt.

I took the opportunity to create

prepared by
a unit study with a fossil hunt in
Diana Diehl the center of it to give them
something to look forward to
and something to review after
This lesson can be used as an introduction or extension our lessons.
to geology, fossil formation, and life science topics.

OBJECTIVES

Engage in and celebrate National Fossil Day during Earth Science Week - learn It was definitely
the right idea to
about the history of the holiday and find ways to participate in real life
have tall boots on
situations that day.

Strengthen knowledge and discover new information about fossils, evolution,

earth and life science - Discuss and express information and ideas about the
topics covered

Learn and play as a family using an eclectic unit study - Use YouTube videos, I was impressed that the site had
worksheets, hands on activities, and field trips to create a holistic approach to sifting trays and colanders
available for use - much better
teaching/learning while connecting with our family
than the beach toys we brought.
We decided to leave them at the
TIME NEEDED entrance for those who may not
have brought their own tools.
It’s flexible! We spent a full week (including 2 weekends) working together on
the following lessons and activities. Individual activities range from watching
short videos to taking a family vacation to dig for fossils!
We didn't find many fossils to
AGE RANGE keep, but it was a lot of fun. I
think we made some good
Assignments and activities were differentiated to match the learning levels and memories and learned a lot.

ages of my three children; 14, 12, 7.

ACTIVITIES / FIELD TRIPS

National Fossil Day

National Fossil Day (U.S. National Park Service)

I heard about National Fossil Day from one of the many Facebook pages I follow for homeschooling. I explored the
National Park Service page, then talked to the kids about National Fossil Day to gauge their interest in learning
about fossils and going on a possible dig. After some ‘digging around’ on the internet I decided on an introductory
activity. I signed up for Mystery Science, which graciously offers free mini lessons across several grades and
scientific topics.

Where can you find whales in a desert?* will bring you to the Mystery Science lesson we used. It includes
instructional and review videos, a lesson planning guide, printouts, assessments and external resources to continue
the learning experience. We watched the videos together then I printed out the worksheets.. Towards the end of
our week I had the kids do the assessments. The only cost of this activity was printing supplies which I already had
at home. *We only did the first lesson of an 8 lesson unit dedicated to Animals Through Time.

*For the older kids I had them check out the following Khan Academy videos and talk to me about what they knew
before watching the videos and what they knew after the videos.

Fossils & their formation | Heredity & Evolution | Biology | Khan Academy Fossils: Rocking the Earth (video)

Evolution | NOVA Labs

Local Fossil Hunt Day Trip

FossilGuy.com: Your guide to Fossil hunting and Paleontology - Fossil Hunting Locations, Guides,
Identification, Information, and More! The Fossil Guy site offers an abundance of information on paleontology and
fossil hunting. It is a perfect site for older kids that have a love for earth sciences or prehistoric facts.

A few days before National Fossil Day 2019 we trekked to Colts Neck, NJ to visit Big Brook to 'hunt' for cretaceous
period fossils. It was muddy and slippery. We didn't find many fossils to keep, but it was a lot of fun. I think we made
some good memories and learned a lot. I was impressed that the site had sifting trays and colanders available for
use - much better than the beach toys we brought. We decided to leave them at the entrance for those who may
not have brought their own tools. It was definitely the right idea to have tall boots on that day. I also used this
opportunity in nature to discuss the different types of flora around us. We brought home a few of our discoveries
that day, the cat was quite curious about them.

Fossilguy.com: Big Brook Fossils of New Jersey - Fossil Hunting for Cretaceous Shark Teeth

This is the local area we went to here in New Jersey USA.

The Fossil Guy also has an index of fossil locations across the US. Maybe you can find one near you! Where to
Find Fossils - Fossil Hunting Locations, directions, identification, tips, and fossil examples
MAKE

A portfolio of your fossil adventure!

Create a physical or digital collection of resources, lesson plans,

projects, sample writings, or photos from field trips. A physical
portfolio of this lesson can easily be kept in a 3 ring binder.
Powerpoint, Google Slides, Canva, and other programs can be
used to create digital portfolios as simple or creative as you’d like.

Materials for a Physical Portfolio

Feel free to customize your materials based on interest, availability and

budget. Here’s a range of what might go in:

• For the basic books, you can repurpose any three ring binders that you
have on hand, or simply get big sheets of paper, fold them in half, and
staple along the seam to create your own blank book.

• Illustrations created by your kids using colored pencils, pens, markers.

• Old magazines or books that you feel comfortable cutting up for collage
and research assemblage.

• You can blend digital research with IRL assembly by finding things
online, printing them and cutting them out to collage into your book.

Ways to customize it for your kids:

For older kids, we focused on a digital presentation using tools that

they were learning in another class.

For our younger kids, we made it a craft project, with some inventive
stories and illustrations along the way. But we made sure that the
story elements reflected our actual research and science.
WATCH

“The Land Before Tim” Magic School Bus Episode

As a science lover since childhood, I could not pass up the opportunity to use a variation of Ms. Frizzle in my
teaching. I had heard about The Magic School Bus Rides Again on Netflix and S:2, Ep.1 was a hit.

“The Land Before Tim” taught us a bit about fossil formation before we headed out for our own fossil hunt. All 3 of
my kids enjoyed the show and the worksheet helped build their confidence in their understanding of the concepts.
My older boys even tried to race each other to fill in the blanks the fastest.

We used an affordable worksheet from TeachersPayTeachers as a way to take guided notes. Older kids were able to
fill the worksheet out on their own. My daughter verbally responded to fill in the blanks and I wrote the answers
for her when she needed help. We all talked during the episode and I frequently paused and rewound to make sure
we weren’t missing any details or superb educational puns.

Printable Worksheet for $1.00: The Magic School Bus Rides Again: The Land Before Tim

PLAY

Family fun game-styled reviews using ResearchParent’s paleontology card set

Paleontology Cards

We used the printable cards for vocabulary cards, flashcards and Memory Match game cards for after dinner to
review what we've learned about fossils, the history of earth, and whatnot. Having a laminator at home is so
helpful. If you don’t have a laminator you can also use clear packing tape to protect the cards. See how our cards
turned out in the Personal Images section.

I found some more resources on Scholastic.com and printed out a discussion and writing prompt. I jotted down
the kids’ responses while holding the conversation with them.

I didn’t feel it was necessary to have them write. However, the resource could be a great tool for sentence
structure, vocabulary or spelling words, and writing exercises.

OTHER

Discussion and optional writing prompt

Digging Up Fossils

Scholastic StudyJams is more suitable for younger kids but my older boys didn’t hate it`
Fossils: StudyJams! Science | Scholastic.com
LINK ROUNDUP
Printables
Paleontology Cards flash cards,
memory match game, vocabulary
builders to print, laminate, play &
learn about fossils, prehistoric
creatures.
The Magic School Bus Rides
Again: The Land Before Tim
worksheet for purchase $1.00
Places to Visit
National Fossil Day (U.S.
National Park Services) My
inspiration for our Fossils & more
Unit Study.
FossilGuy.com: Your guide to
Fossil hunting and Paleontology
- Fossil Hunting Locations,
Guides, Identification,
Information, and More!
Fossilguy.com: Big Brook Fossils
of New Jersey - Fossil Hunting
for Cretaceous Shark Teeth This
is the local area we went to here
in New Jersey USA.
The Fossil Guy also has an index
of fossil locations across the US:
Where to Find Fossils - Fossil
Hunting Locations, directions,
identification, tips, and fossil
examples
Videos / Older Learners
Fossils & their formation |
Heredity & Evolution | Biology |
Khan Academy Fossils: Rocking
the Earth (video)
Evolution | NOVA Labs
Discussion and writing prompt
Digging Up Fossils
Fossils - Educational Earth
Science Video for Elementary
Students & Kids What are
fossils? great for more advanced
learners or older kids
Videos / Younger Learners
Fossils: StudyJams! Science |
Scholastic.com
Fossils Tell Of Long Ago
engaging book read with
background mood music
The Magic School Bus Rides
Again an entertaining way to
find out about fossil formation,
dinosaurs, and more
VERIFICATION
Steps to check for
understanding
• Engage in sorting and memory
match games
• Conversational observations and
proper use of vocabulary terms
• On the way to work I double
checked their retention of our
fossil lessons.
At the beginning of the
following week:
• Ben (12) still knows coprolite is
poop.
• Evan (14) can identify
plesiosaurs.
• Amelia (7) digs Pangaea.
Responses to written
assignments
• Give your children a verbal quiz
on the research or personal
content they’ve written down or
assembled in their portfolio.
EDUCATION STANDARDS
Grade 3 Life Science Where can you find whales in the desert?
Performance 3-LS4-1
Expectations
3-LS4-3
Focus Habitats, Fossils, & Environments Over Time
Disciplinary Core Fossils provide evidence of the types of organisms that lived long ago and
Ideas (DCIs) (Lesson also about the environments in which they lived.
Conceptual Flow)
Digging into the ground, you can sometimes find fossil shark teeth or whale
bones - even when the land isn’t anywhere near an ocean!
Examining fossils and their traits can help us understand the environments
in which those organisms lived and how that environment has changed over
time.
DCIs: LS2.C, LS4.A, LS4.C, LS4.D
Scientific & Students embark on a pretend fossil dig where they analyze and interpret
Engineering Practices data from fossils.
(SEPs) Students examine fossils and gather information about traits of these
organisms of the past toinfer what environments looked like long ago.
Then, students use this evidence to engage in an argument and decide
where some Mystery Fossils came from in the fossil dig based on their
traits.
Crosscutting Concepts Students observe that organisms have traits (structures) that help them
(CCC) survive (function) in a particular environment.
Students also consider the stability and change of an environment over
time based on the different types of fossils found in one particular area.