Muskingum University

Teacher Education Programs

Lesson Plan Format revised 6/20/14

Teacher: Katrena Grantham Subject: Science

School Building: Caldwell Elementary Grade: 8th

I. Learning Goals
Identify the new Ohio Learning Standard(s)
OR Common Core Standard(s) addressed in this lesson:
Evidence of the dynamic changes of Earths surface through time is found in
the geologic record
Describe the interconnections among the
components of the content within the discipline and the relationship of the
content to at least two other content areas. Specifically describe how the
content taught in your lesson relates to at least two other content areas.
Language Arts: study root words, prefixes and suffixes of words within the
Powerpoint

Social Studies: talk about the history of fossils (what people thought they were/
how they formed originally)
What will your students know and be able to
do at the end of this lesson? (Include the student learning target I
can/am able to )
Students will be able to explain what a fossil is
I can explain what a fossil is
Students will be able to list the five types of fossils and describe how they each
form
I can list the five types of fossils and describe how they were formed
Students will be able to explain how index fossils can be used to date the
nearby rock
I am able to explain how index fossils are used to date the rock around
them
Students will be able to understand how fossils can help scientists interpret
what the Earth looked like long ago
I am able to understand how fossils can help scientists determine what
the Earth looked like in the past

II. Student Background Knowledge and Experience

What prior knowledge and skills do students need

in order to be successful in reaching the goals of this lesson?
Students will need to understand that in Earths history, the majority of animal
species have gone extinct or have evolved drastically

Students will need to have a basic understanding of fossils and the five types of
fossils in order to complete the activity

Students will need to have an understanding that organisms decay after they
die due to natural processes and other organisms
 What are preconceptions, common errors, and
misunderstandings related to the content of this lesson?
Students may struggle to understand that 99.9% of the species on
Earth have existed and then gone extinct
This topic will be discussed more in the next unit that covers
the geological timeline
Students may find it difficult to understand that invisible organisms
will break down an organism
To address this, explain to students that these organisms are
what causes food to go bad (ex// an apple or banana browning)
There may be students who believe in creationism and will disagree with the
study of fossils or discussion of evolution
Address this and mention that that is their opinion and they are
welcome to it, and to approach these notes as a tool to better understand
an opposing opinion (its not good to only know one side of an
argument)
Students struggle to understand that a fossil must be prehistoric (older than
~3,500 years old) and does not have to be permineralized bones
The teacher will explain that fossils are any organisms remains or
traces that are older than 3,500 years old using examples of mummies
vs. Australopithecus
How do you know if students have the
knowledge and skills they need in order to be successful?
Students will be formatively assessed during the notes and activity
to monitor for confusion or misunderstandings about the topic of
fossils

Although students have not been taught about the age and history of
the Earth, students should have a basic understanding that the Earth
is incredibly old and that many animal species have gone extinct

If a student believes in creationism and challenges the concept of

evolution or the Big Bang, the teacher will address that the student
should approach the lesson as an insight to an opposing opinions
beliefs

By using the example of rotting food as an example of how invisible

organisms begin to break down dead organisms, the teacher will
help students to relate their experiences to what they are learning

Students have begun to learn about the definition of fossils and have been told
what the five types of fossils are (we have not gone into depth about the types
of fossils)
 How will you use or accommodate the diverse experiences that your
students bring to class (gender, race/ethnicity, English language
proficiency, economic status, exceptionalities, skill level, learning
styles)?
Students will be introduced to the material through all three learning
styles:
Visual: The powerpoint and pictures that accompany the
notes
Auditory: The teacher will lecture on the notes after students
complete each slide
Kinesthetic: Writing notes and handling the fossils that will
be brought, students will also be creating the different types
of fossils using salt dough
Students will be addressed, disciplined, and held to the same
standards equally and regardless of their gender (as studies show
that the genders are treated differently in the classroom)

III. Instructional Procedures

Content summary, including concepts and essential
understandings:
Students are beginning to study fossils and how the Earths history has been
dated and determined. The PowerPoint looks at the definition and history of
fossils, the five types of fossils, and how we use fossils to determine the
relative age of fossils
Teaching methods:
Notes will be used to deliver the needed information and facts to students on
Fossils and will be either typed or written
The teacher will use video and allow students to handle different types of
fossils
Students will be doing an activity where they will create the different types of
fossils with salt-dough
Because students have not been taught about the five types of fossils in-
depth, this activity will be an introductory and exploratory lesson

Academic Language (content vocabulary AND

general academic vocabulary used across the discipline e.g. Blooms
Taxonomy, key words, phrases, and symbols: Note: address each of these
specifically listing the academic language students are expected to learn and
use.
Paleontologist: a scientist who studies fossils
Fossils: the remains, imprints, or traces of prehistoric organisms
Cladogram: a visual tool used to show the evolutionary family tree of
organisms
Permineralized remains:fossils where the spaces inside are filled with
minerals from groundwater
Carbon Films: a thin film of carbon residue is left, forming a silhouette of
the original organism
Coal: when plants in swampy areas are pressed together into clumps of
carbon that is used by humans as fuel
 Molds: when the hard parts of an organism decays or dissolves and leave
behind a cavity in the rock
Casts: mineral-rich water or sediment will enter the cavity, form new rock and
make a copy of the original organism
Original Remains: when organisms are so quickly covered and protected that
even the soft material can be preserved
Trace Fossils: the fossilized tracks and other evidence of the activity of an
organism
Index fossils: the remains of species that existed on Earth for a short period
of time, were abundant, and were widespread

IV. Classroom Environment

Identify the components of the classroom environment (room arrangement,
grouping patterns, learning resources, and materials) needed for teaching the entire
planned lesson. Provide a strong rationale for each of the environmental decisions
made.

Room arrangement (with rationale provided):

The room uses 5 tables that can sit 5-6 students (there is no assigned seating)
with three facing vertically and two facing horizontally. The desks are set up in
this way in the event of an active shooter, the horizontal desks can quickly be
moved to block the door and the vertical tables can be used to either block the
windows or give students a stepping stool to get out of the windows. Students
are not allowed to sit with their backs to the SmartBoard during instruction or
note-taking.
Grouping patterns (with rationale provided):
During the salt-dough worksheet students will work in four groups at four of
the tables in order to give students a chance for hands-on participation while
helping to control the amount of dough needed

Learning resources, including technology (with rationale

provided):
Students will need to have their chromebooks or their journals in order to take
notes on the material
A SmartBoard will be used to project the notes onto the chalkboard
Students will need their chromebooks to begin work on their PowerPoint
presentations on their assigned articles
The teacher will bring in fossils for the students to look at and handle in order
to pique interest and then will be used again as examples for the five types of
fossils
The teacher will prepare salt-dough and allow them to create and explore the
different types of fossils
Students will need to bring liquid white glue for the mold and cast
fossil
V. Instructional Activities
Lesson sequence (include important questions to ask students). Time Allotted Provide a
thorough description of each:
Opening:
Class will begin with the teacher explaining that students will be creating four of the five types of
fossils today using salt-dough and dinosaur figures (2 minutes)
Emphasize that we will not be making a model of a mineral replacement fossil but briefly go over
what happens during a mineral replacement fossil (2 minutes)
 Mineral-rich water gets into the holes in organisms bones and will slowly replace the actual bone
until all that is left is a rock replica
Students will then move around so that there four groups of students and the teacher will pass out the
salt-dough and the dinosaur figures (1 minute)
Main Activities:
The teacher will begin by bringing the PowerPoint to
the slide discussing Trace fossils and the teacher will briefly discuss what a trace
fossil is (2 minutes)
Students will then be given the
opportunity to work together as a group to make a model of a trace fossil in the
salt-dough (1 minute)
ex//
footprints
The teacher will pick one of the
models and will show the class while re-discussing the definition of a trace
fossil and discuss the Davenport Ranch fossils (2 minutes)
The teacher will then change slides to the carbon film
fossils and the teacher will briefly discuss what a carbon film fossil is (2 minutes)
Students will then be given the
opportunity to work together as a group to make a model of a carbon film
fossil in the salt-dough (5 minutes)
ex// trace
an outline of the dinosaur figure
The teacher will pick one of the
models and will show the class while re-discussing the definition of a carbon
film fossil (2 minutes)
The teacher will then change slides to the mold and cast
fossils and the teacher will briefly discuss what a mold and cast fossil is (2 minutes)
Students will then be given the
opportunity to work together as a group to make a model of a mold and cast
fossil in the salt-dough (5 minutes)
ex// press
the dinosaur into the dough and then fill the mold with the glue to
make a cast
The teacher will pick one of the
models and will show the class while re-discussing the definition of a mold
and cast fossil (2 minutes)
The teacher will then change slides to the original
fossils and the teacher will briefly discuss what an original fossil is (2 minutes)
Students will then be given the
opportunity to work together as a group to make a model of an original fossil
in the salt-dough (5 minutes)
ex// press
the dinosaur into the dough and leave it there
Show
students the mammoth hair again and restate that it is an original fossil
The teacher will pick one of the
models and will show the class while re-discussing the definition of an original
fossil (2 minutes)
Closing:
The teacher will let students go in groups to the
bathroom in order to wash their hands and clean up (7 minutes)
While those students are washing
their hands, we will be clean off the desks with clean wipes
 With the remaining time, the students will watch a video
on the Le Brea tar pits in order to give them a visual on how original fossil remains
can be formed (~4 minutes)
VI. Assessment/Evaluation
How will you know if each student has met the learning goals? Attach
assessments and assessment criteria.

Formative: The teacher will be monitoring understanding

throughout the activity and will end by having the students list the
five types of fossils again orally
Summative: There will be no summative assessment for this activity
but students will be later tested on the material

VII. Adaptations (e.g. IEP, 504 plans, WEP)

Modifications: If lesson objective and/or significant content learning goals need to be
changed to alter the expectations for a student (e.g. reduced number of problems, or lower
level Blooms or for gifted student(s) extensions to advance progress).
Accommodations: If other components such as method, activity or materials of lesson are
changed to help students meet the learning goal (e.g. extended time, scribe, reader, spell
checker, electronic device, or guided notes).

Student Name e.g. Gifted e.g. Special e.g. Special e.g. Special e.g.
(samples e.g.) Needs Needs Needs Other
(intellectual) (intellectual) (emotional) Needs
(vision,
hearing)
What needs are The student with Student has an IEP
you addressing writing and for a learning
for this student reading skills disability
in this lesson?
Learning Learning goals Learning goals
Goals remain the same remain the same
(modification but are simplified
as to what to the basic
student will be information
expected to regarding the topic
know or do)
Teaching Student receives Student receives
Methods printed notes and printed notes
questions are
asked orally
Teaching Teaching Teaching materials
Materials materials remain remain the same
the same
Academic Academic Academic
Language language remains language is
(identify the same simplified on
variation based assessments
upon student
needs)
Student Student activities Student activity
Activities will remain the will remain the
same same
Student Student will Student has a
Materials receive printed paraprofessional
notes aide and printed
notes
Assessment/ Assessment Assessments will
Evaluation remains the same be differentiated
(allows for as the student will for the student
student write for tests accordingly
demonstration
of learning)

6/20/2014