5 E Inquiry Model Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level/Duration:

4th grade

45-50 minutes

Lesson Objectives:
By the end of the fossil lesson, students will understand that fossils are a record.

Colorado P-6 Academic Standards:

Content Area: Science

Standard: 2. Life Science

Concepts and skills students master: 2. Comparing fossils to each other or o living organisms
reveals features of prehistoric environments and provides information about organisms
today.

Evidence outcomes: a. Use evidence to develop a scientific explanation for:

1. What fossils tell us about a prehistoric environment

2. What conclusions can be drawn from similarities between fossil evidence and living
organisms (DOK 1-3)

Materials:
Paper

Pencils

Fossils

Book: Fossil by Bill Thomson (I changed this book because I feel like there could be a lot of
inquiry-based questions with this book since it is wordless.)

Engage:
Students will draw a picture of a dinosaur.

Questions to consider after they have drawn their picture to start a discussion:

Have you ever seen a dinosaur?

How do you know that is what a dinosaur looks like?

How do scientists know what dinosaurs look like?

What evidence do they use to find this out?

Explore:
Students will explore fossils and begin discussing what they notice about them.

Consideration: Have students group fossils based on similar characteristics.

Questions to ask during this time:

What is this a fossil of?

How was it formed?

Where was this fossil formed?

What can we learn from fossils?

How are fossils formed?

Explain:
Show the book Fossils by Bill Thomson (this is a wordless book that can spark many
questions)

Questions for the book:

What kind of fossil is this? (Can go into the types of fossils there are.)

How do you think this fossil was formed?

Why do you think this fossil was formed?

This fossil is of a shell, but there isnt any water around the area; why might this be?

Vocabulary:

Fossilization

Mold fossils

Cast fossils

Trace fossils

True form fossils

Imprint

Elaboration:
Break students into groups of 4-5.
Allow students to have time to research more about the vocabulary words introduced during
the explain portion. Assign one vocabulary word to each group. The groups will become
experts on their words, create mini posters, and then share out to the rest of the class.
Students can look at the fossils again and have a few examples to go along with their
vocabulary word they researched.

Evaluation:

Students will draw a fossil (of any type the choose) that their dinosaur may leave
behind. Students need to label the type of fossil and explain why this type of fossil
could have been formed.