Dinosaur Fossil

Introduction

Hey there young investigator! Today, you're going to be a paleontologist. Do you know what a paleontologist is? A paleontologist is someone that studies Earth's history with fossils. How cool is that!? 

You just received a phone call that a fossil of a dinosaur skull was discovered at Desert Rocks National Parks. They are unsure of what kind of dinosaur it is and what time period it is from. The first step is to learn how to tell how old a fossil is by learning what the different levels of earth are.

Grab your gear, pack your bags, and let's head off to Desert Rocks National Parks for some investigating!

 

Task

To begin, watch the video below and answer the following questions on your note-taking worksheet.

https://www.generationgenius.com/videolessons/earths-landscapes-video-for-kids/#

1. Why is it possible to find ancient fossils right at the Earth's surface?

2. Is there any evidence that a volcano caused all the animals to die here?

3. How do the rock layers above and below the bone bed compare in age?

4. Where would you look for evidence of what it was like before the bone bed formed?

5. How do we know the central part of the United States was once covered by the ocean?

Next, read these pages about Earth's Landscapes and highlight any information you feel is important.

https://www.generationgenius.com/wp-content/uploads/reading-material/earths-landscapes-reading-material-grades-3-5.pdf

Process

Now we need to find out when this dinosaur was alive. Let's play this game to learn some more information about the time periods of different dinosaurs and just how far down they are usually found. As you play the game, complete the worksheet by drawing the fossils you discover in the correct layer as well as the time period they are from.

Game: Excavate: A Code to The Past  (Teacher Code: WILSON8522)

Worksheet: Rock and Fossil Patterns

Evaluation

You've finally arrived at your destination and have had a chance to examine the dinosaur. You discovered it's actually just a T-Rex skull, so you are able to tell about how old it is. Refer back to your notes from the game you played and find the T-Rex and answer how old the T-Rex is estimated to be. Then complete the following questions: Google Form

Credits
Teacher Page

4-ESS1-1 Identify evidence from patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers to support an explanation for changes in landforms over time.

Science and Engineering Practice: Constructing explanations and designing solutions.

Disciplinary Core Ideas: The history of planet earth; local, regional, and global patterns of rock formations reveal changes over time due to Earth's forces such as earthquakes and volcanoes. The presence and location of certain fossil types indicate the order in which rock layers were formed.

Objective: The learner will identify the layers of the earth and what time period the dinosaur fossil is from with 80% accuracy.

In this webquest, students will become paleontologists for the day. They are on their way to examine a dinosaur skull fossil that was discovered. They must first learn the different layers of the earth and then learn how each of those layers can tell us about how old a fossil is. Once they have learned and discovered what they need to know, they will then be able to identify the dinosaur skull, what layer of earth it was found in, and then what time period it was from.