The Fossil Record
Take a look at actual fossils, discover the clues that they hold, and learn how to interpret their stories which unfolded millions of years ago.
Experience live, interactive programs right in your classroom! Our educators use videoconferencing technology to share science, nature and math activities with your students, engaging them in a dynamic, hands-on learning experience.
Cost: $175
To Register: We book our Distance Learning programs through the Center for Interactive Learning & Collaboration (CILC). Book your program, today!
We provide:
A kit with materials for interactive experiments for 30 students.
A Teacher’s Guide to prepare you, your classroom, and your students before the experience.
Extension activities and resources for further exploration.
Grade Level: 3-5
Duration: 50 minutes
Group Size: 30 students
Set up: You can use H.323 videoconferencing system or a computer with Zoom, a webcam, speakers, and microphone.
Next Generation Science Standards
Students participating in this program will explore science content as stated in the Disciplinary Core Ideas. They will engage in science and engineering practices as they plan and conduct investigations to answer questions regarding fossils.
LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity
Some kinds of plants and animals that once lived on Earth are no longer found anywhere. (Note: Moved from K–2)
Fossils provide evidence about the types of organisms that lived long ago and also about the nature of their environments.
ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth
Local, regional, and global patterns of rock formations reveal changes over time due to earth forces, such as earthquakes. The presence and location of certain fossil types indicate the order in which rock layers were formed.
ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems
Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles and move them around.
Fossil Record Pre-visit Vocabulary
Carbon: A non-metallic, naturally occurring element essential to the structure of all organic compounds.
Carnivore: An animal that eats only other animals.
Fossil: Any trace of an organism from a previous geological era.
Fossilization: The process by which all the organic compounds in an organism are replaced with minerals.
Geological Time: A measure of time used to describe the formation of the earth.
Herbivore: An animal that eats only non-animals.
Omnivore: An animal that eats both animals and non-animals.
Organic Compounds: Chemicals derived from organisms and containing carbon.
Post-visit Activity
Post-visit activities provide your students with an opportunity to review workshop-presented concepts and introduce related subjects. Below you will find a classroom extension activity and a list of suggested resources for further exploration. We hope that you enjoyed our Outreach Hands-On Workshop and we look forward to visiting your students again!
Hands-on Activity: Make a Fossil
Materials
1 or 2 small paper cups per student (bathroom cups work well)
Modeling clay or moist sand
Plaster of Paris
Small re-sealable plastic bags
Small items (shells, marbles, etc.)
Scissors
Procedure
To pre-prep the Plaster, place 4 spoons of powder into a small re-sealable plastic bags. (Attention! Plaster of Paris can be dangerous to inhale.) Make enough for 1 bag per student.
Have each participant fill their paper cup about ½ ways with clay or moist sand. (Modeling clay usually works much better than sand. If you have to use sand, pre-moisten it so that it holds its shape when you press your finger into it.)
Carefully press your object into the clay or sand to make an impression. Carefully remove it. If you don’t see an impression, smooth over the clay and try again. If you use sand, make sure it is not too wet or too dry, otherwise it won’t hold the impression.
Add one spoon of water to your plastic bag and mix it into the plaster by massaging the outside of the bag. Continue to add a small amount of water to the plaster until it is about the consistency of pancake batter.
Cut the corner off the bag and carefully squeeze the plaster into your cup.
Let the plaster settle overnight.
Carefully rip the paper away from the plaster and lift the solid chunk off of the clay. You can reuse the clay without any trouble.
Discussion
What you have just made is a mold or a cast fossil. The plaster filled in the depression and took the shape of your original object. A variation of this experiment can be done if you leave the original object poking out of the clay or sand with the “interesting” side up. Before you pour the plaster over this, it is a good idea to spray it with butter (or substitute). This will help you get the object out of the plaster smoothly. After your plaster dries, peal away the paper cup and you’ll have an impression fossil.
The fossils that you’ve made took about a day to form. In real life, the time involved is over 10,000 years and the liklihood of a fossil forming is very rare. Encourage a discussion about the meaning of “geologic time” and have students construct a geologic time scale to display in your classroom.
Suggested Resources
Books
DK Publishing. Fossil. DK Children. 2004.
Aliki. Fossils Tell of Long Ago. Harper Trophy. 1990.
Perrault, Chris. The Best Book of Fossils, Rocks and Minerals. Kingfisher. 2000.
Blobaum, Cindy and Michael Kline. Geology Rocks!: 50 Hands-On Activities to Explore the Earth. Williamson Publishing Company. 1999.
Internet