Grade Level: Kindergarten
Teacher of Lesson: Anne Regnier
Approximate Time: 30 minutes to One Hour

Objectives:

1. Students will add to current knowledge about fossils - in particular, types of fossils (bones, rock, prints in rock, tracks, amber, ice) and how they are formed.
2. Students will be able to describe and/or recognize how different fossil types are formed.
3. Students will make their own "fossils" based on what they learned today and yesterday (when we discussed what kinds of living things make good fossils).
4. Students will be able to tell other people the story their fossil tells.

Materials:

1. Fossils Tell of Long Ago by Aliki
2. Laser disc player
3. Laser disc from "Windows of Science Series" - fossils and dinosaurs v.2
4. Index cards
5. Markers, crayons, pencils
6. Homemade clay (use recipe that you can bake in order to make it hard)
7. Miscellaneous objects to make prints of : leaves, shells, paper clips, pencils, (both from nature and from children's life in the classroom).
8. Reference books on fossils that have good photographs of different types of fossils.

Procedures:

Statement of purpose: Today we will be talking about how fossils are made and the different types of formation. First, we are going to read a book about fossils, then I have some real pictures from the laser disc of the different types of fossils and we are going to talk a little bit about them, and finally, like I promised yesterday, we are going to make our own fossils! We have a lot to talk about first (before we make the fossils), so I need everyone to sit on their bottoms and be respectful of others around them so we don't waste anytime for making fossils. Are you ready?!

1. Read book by Aliki out loud. Allow room for questions or discussion during reading, but don't dwell to long on book (need to keep things moving).
2. After reading book, ask children what were some things that they learned about how fossils are made either from the book or what they already know. After discussion, show laser disk example to reinforce (shows the process of fossilization of tribolite) Laser Numbers: 32651, 32652, 32653, 32654, 32655
3. Now talk about some different types of fossil formations (that they saw in book or any others they may know about.
• bones/teeth: show picture of wooly mammoth # 32656. Bones turn into fossils when they are covered in dirt and sand. Sometimes, tiny minerals sneak into the small spaces of the bones, making them harder and heavier until they turn into fossils.
• prints in rocks: show picture # 32647 (gingko) and 32641 (scorpion) Prints are made when a animal, insect, or plant may fall onto soft dirt. The living thing dies and rots away, but the print is still left in dirt. Then the dirt turns hard, making a permanent print of the living thing.
• tracks/trace fossils: show picture # 32644 (dinosaur tracks) Tracks are made when an animal walks through mud. The mud turns into a rock called sandstone, fossilizing the prints of the animal. (Possible extensions: discuss what we can learn about animal from print - size, speed they were walking by looking at distance between tracks,etc. Children could trace own footsteps, and compare those to actual size of dinosaurs)
• ice: show picture in Aliki book (pg 18) and from Eyewitness Fossil book (pg 20). Discuss how earth got really cold in areas that weren't normally cold really fast. They were probably trapped and frozen when they fell in cracks between glaciers. May want to talk about why mammoths were still fresh enough to eat when discovered by relating it to food in the freezer.
• amber fossils: show #32643 (millipede fossil in amber) Discuss how an insect was sitting on a tree when a sticky sap came out of the tree. The insect became stuck. More of this sap kept dripping out of the tree and eventually covered the entire insect! The sap dried, and sometimes paleontologists find these beautiful pieces of amber with insects in them.
4. Finally, introduce the activity. "Now that you know what types of fossils we see in nature and what kind of life makes fossils, we are going to make our own. Are these real fossils? (no) Why not? Real fossils take a long time to form, out fossils will only take a couple of days. I have some clay for you here. You can make prints from some of the objects I brought for you, you can make trace fossils using your hands, you can make bones by shaping the clay. I have some books here with pictures of bones and other things that you may want to use to get ideas. If you like, you can also use your imagination and make up your own fossil of something that is pretend. After you make your fossil, take a note card and write your name on it and a description of your fossil (I can help you do this) Then put your fossils on the table next to your note card. Its important that you leave them there then with out changing them because I will be baking this clay so that it becomes hard (like a fossil). Next time we meet to talk about fossils, we will be burying these in the sand table, and pretending we are real life paleontologists and dig them up."
5. Children then are pretty much allowed to work on their own. I will go from child to child, allowing time to talk to them about what they are making as well as helping them to make their note cards (with name and description).

Evaluation:

Note: In kindergarten I feel that what is important about learning about this type of information is not that the children necessarily be able to recall scientific names and exact processes. What I am looking for is do they have a general understanding of what we talked about. If they don't, that is ok too. Kindergarten is a time when kids need to be exposed to the world around them and gain experience, not necessarily memorize information and facts. Therefore, I feel that assessment for this should be informal.It will be based on good conversations and discussion with children, and through observation of the degree to which they demonstrated their learning through the hands on activities. If they don't do these things as I hoped, it is important to know that it is not I note on their intelligence necessarily, but a note on their development, amount of interest in the subject matter, and/or that I didn't prepare the lesson properly.

1. Were children able to express their ideas about fossil types and formations well? (Did they show comprehension and understanding of material presented?)
2. Were their homemade fossils an extension of what we have been talking about (Do they classify them as bones, rocks, or prints? Do they recognize that they are making fossils, or do they just think they are playing with clay? Do they make statements or reference about the objects they used to make their fossils in comparison to the sort of things that make real fossils?)
3. Did they enjoy themselves? Were they well behaved?

Reflection: Did the children seemed interested in what I had to tell them? Were the activities relevant to the kind of learning I was trying to teach? Was I able to keep the group under control? Did I respond well to children's questions and comments in a way that evoked their best thoughts? Was this a valuable lesson to teach? What would I do differently next time?