Unit: Dinosaurs and Fossils, by Ellen Mackey and Erin Eissinger

Topics

Fossils, conservation ethics, geology, paleontology, rock layer formation, and erosion

Brief description

This is an integrated unit incorporating field study, classroom activities, and environmental ethics related to geology and paleontology.

Grade level

First grade

Outline of unit

Day	Topic/Activity	Key Concepts
1	Read: Digging Up Dinosaurs, Aliki KWL Chart	What are fossils? Why are they important? What do you want to learn about fossils and dinosaurs?
2	Read: Dinosaurs! Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle. Make mock fossils	Use Plaster of Paris, playdough and plastic dinosaurs to make mock fossils
3	Dinosaur research – note taking	Students pick a dinosaur and work in groups to answer 4 questions: Where did it live? What did it look like? What did it eat? Other interesting facts?
4	Dinosaur research	Students use their dinosaur notes to write four sentences.
5	Computer art project (using Hyperstudio or another program)	Students draw their dinosaur and its habitat on the computer
6	Author’s Chair – Hyperstudio project	Students share their research (value of sharing knowledge among scientists)
7	Play: D is For Dinosaur, Just Right Plays for Emergent Readers (Scholastic, pg. 49)	Integrating language arts into unit
8	Read If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most. Make a class book	Predicting and inferring
9	Read How Big Were the Dinosaurs? by Bernard Most. Measure mock dinosaur footprints	Length, area (using unifix cubes)
10	Video: The Magic School Bus in the Time of the Dinosaurs, Joanna Cole	Review what students have learned
11	Denver Museum of Nature and Science field trip. Guided Tour: Prehistoric Journey (60 min.) Class: Dinosaur Mask Making (60 min.)	Students see and touch real fossils. View progression of time, change in habitats. Traits of dinosaurs
12	Read: Just A Dream, Chris Van Allsburg Recycling presentation (use Eco-Cycle in Boulder)	Importance of recycling and environmental conservation Students learn to reuse, reduce and recycle. They reuse recycled materials to make art.
13	Excavation Dig activity	Field experience excavating and discussing the issues/ethics of digging up a site.
14	Student reflection of excavation	Students reflect upon the issues/problems of excavation Procedural writing: How to excavate fossils
15	What advice would the dinosaurs give us if they were here today? Create a class book	Looking into the future/making choices. Consequences of human actions on the environment. Development versus science