Fossils

Name: Chelsea Alley

Grade Level:

4th

Lesson Length: 45 min.

What Taught (Information for the Teacher)

Learning Objective and Performance of Understanding:
By the end of this 45-minute class, students will be able to clearly demonstrate an understanding of the three ways
fossils are formed through movement exploration and choreography, as well as have the opportunity to work with partners
and in groups in order to explore defining characteristics of fossils as opposed to their living counterparts.
Utah Core Science Standard:
Objective 1: Describe Utah fossils and explain how they were formed.
a. Identify features of fossils that can be used to compare them to living organisms that are familiar (e.g., shape, size and
structure of skeleton, patterns of leaves).
b. Describe three ways fossils are formed in sedimentary rock (i.e., preserved organisms, mineral replacement of
organisms, impressions or tracks).

How Evaluated (Information given to Students)

Learning Targets:
I can work respectfully with a group
I can use group shapes to explore fossils.

How Taught
Warm Up (3 minutes)
Mirroring/Flocking
EXPERIENCE/IDENTIFY
(10 minutes)

Instructional Strategies

Student Formation and Task

Paleontology is the branch of biology that

studies the forms of life that existed in former
geologic periods, chiefly by studying
fossils. Today, we are each going to be
dancing paleontologists.

Seated

The word fossil comes from the Latin word

fossilis, which means "dug up." Fossils are
remains or impressions lefts by plants and
animals that lived thousands of years ago.
Most fossils are excavated from sedimentary
rock layers. The fossil of a bone doesn't have
any bone in it! A fossilized object has the
same shape as the original object, but is
chemically more like a rock.
These fossils show us impressions of a world
long past. What does impression mean? (As
in, That left an impression on me.) A mark
or indent, a representation.

Imagine that, instead of air,

this room is filled with some
substance like play-dough that
can be easily impressed.
(Another awesome image is
the pin toys that hold
impressions of whatever is
pushed into one side.) When
you hear the music, you must
dance through the room,
carving, pressing, etc. With
focused intent, take some

moments to leave an
interesting impression of your
body in the space, then move
on, dancing until you find
another place and way to
leave a full-body impression.
EXPLORE/INVESTIGATE
(10 minutes)

CREATE/PERFORM
(10 minutes)

CONNECT/ANALYZE
(5 minutes)

Fossils have the same shape that the original

item had, but their color, density, and texture
vary widely. A fossil's color depends on what
minerals formed it. Fossils are usually heavier
than the original item since they are formed
entirely of minerals (they're essentially stone
that has replaced the original structure). Most
fossils are made of ordinary rock material, but
some are more exotic, including one
fossilized dinosaur bone, a Kakuru tibia,
which is an opal!

In partners, one chooses a

certain way to dance, then
freeze in a shape. The fossil
partner will watch. When it is
their turn, they will change the
texture, the weight, the energy,
the direction, etc. of the
movement, then freeze in the
same shape.

Fossils are made when the original organic

material is replaced by minerals. There are
three ways this can happen:
-Preserved organisms: the body of the plant or
animal is preserved when it is covered by
mud, sand, soil, or permafrost/ice.
-Mineral replacement of organisms: Cell
walls dissolve and are replaced by minerals;
the cell is then filled with mineral matter.
-Impressions or tracks: Impressions are left
when a track or body print is preserved

In groups
-1 dancer makes an interesting
shape, the others cover and fill
in spaces.
-half the partners make a
shape, then the other half
replaces them in the exact
same shape
-1 dancer makes an interesting
shape, the others cover and
fill, then the original dancer
leaves.
*encourage dancers to dance
in and out of the group shapes.
Work and perform in groups.
Others watch and give
feedback.

With a group create a paleontology dance

clear beginning and end, represent each of the
three processes. Dance movement fills in
between the shape moments.
-What can the study of fossils tell us? What
can we learn about the past world?

Accommodations
Write new words/symbols/concepts on board as well as have students repeat them verbally. Have students review the
word while moving. Demonstrate movement physically and verbally. If needed, an injured or otherwise inhibited student
may use a chair during their groups dance.
Resources
Music and speakers; drum or other signal; Whiteboard
Teacher Reflection
Step 1: Instruction and management
What went well?

Step 2: Student Learning

Did the students meet the objective?

What should be improved?

How do you know?