Thursday October 9, 2014
Fossils As Evidence

LTLT:  I can identify and analyze data to describe how major geologic events have changed organisms over time. LT: I can determine what fossils tell us about the story of our Earth. Criteria for Success: -I can identify geologic events -I can infer what the environment and ecosystems once looked like.  Agenda: 1.     Warm up 2.     Share outs 3.     McCoy Fossil Reading & drawing 4.     Discussion & Evidence Gathering 5.     Fossils Tell a Story Reading & Notecatcher 6.     Evidence Chart (extra)

         7.   Debrief 
 

1. Warm up: If we COULD fossilize a hamster…What kind of fossil would it be and why? Ex: it would be a trace fossil because….  Review LTLT & LT & CS Q: How do you explain sea shells found in the CO mountains??? -How did they get there??? Jot down your thoughts, and tak with your table group 2. Share outs *We will be gathering evidence  about our Earth from rocks and fossils, As you go though each section, record some evidence about the story of the Earth. *Set up notebook…    3. McCoy Fossils Reading Read your assigned section with your table group, and draw a picture of what happened *Each table has 2 sections, and each pair at the table is responsible for 1 drawing   We will put these pictures together to try to create a timeline of events 4. Discussion: What do you see? *Gather some evidence from the pictures to put into your notebook…   5. Fossils Tell A Story *Read the Article, and fill out the notecatcher with every section. 6. Evidence Chart (extra)

 

7. Debrief: Q: What evidence do we have about the story of the Earth? ***Fossils ARE the evidence about the story of the Earth. Q: What are some specific things you found today?? 8. Exit Ticket 1. Based on class today, what evidence did you gather about our Earth from rocks & fossils? 2. Create TWO test questions for your classmates, based on today's classwork.   The Minturn Formation and McCoy Fossils Table 1a: What do the rocks and fossils in McCoy tell us about the story of this area? All rocks and fossils tell a story about the history and geology of a place. Table 1b: The formations in McCoy, CO provide us with a theory about the geologic events that occurred here millions of years ago, the environment and ecosystems that existed, and the plants and animals that lived here. Table 2a: Sedimentary rocks make up a great deal of the Rocky Mountains. Sedimentary rocks are rocks that have been deposited one layer on top of another. This simple arrangement can be used to assume that the rocks nearest the surface will always be younger than rocks deeper down. Table 2b: Digging through the layers, geologists (scientists that study rocks) can analyze their composition, and determine much about the climate and landscape during the time of their formation. Table 3a: In the Rocky Mountains, this organized arrangement has been shattered. Older rocks have been piled up on top of younger rocks. They have been bent, folded, cracked, and eroded. Table 3b. The original order is often impossible to determine, however geologists have done an amazing job of reconstructing the various layers. By knowing the formations, they can estimate the age of the rocks, anticipate how they will react to erosion, and get a better understanding of why the landscape looks the way it does. Table 4a: For many years, geologists puzzled over how seashells could wind up on the tops of mountains. Fossil seashells are now recognized as the remains of ancient sea floors raised to high altitudes by mountain building. Table 4b: Based on what has been found in McCoy, CO and many other areas in the Rocky Mountains, scientists believe that roughly 300 million years ago, the western base of an ancient chain of the Rocky Mountains was an inland sea. Over time, they became completely eroded, leaving Colorado a flat place. Shallow seas alternately invaded and retreated in the tens of millions of years that followed. Table 5a: The current Rocky Mountains began to rise about 70 million years ago. This new mountain-building process pushed areas that were once on the ocean floor high above today’s sea level. Table 5b: One of those areas is the Minturn Formation of central Colorado. Many of the marine rocks of the Minturn Formation at McCoy have a number of fossils found in them. Fossils are any remains, impressions, or traces of a living thing from former geologic age. Land and plant fossils are also abundant in places around McCoy. Table 6a: The fossils have been studied at least since the early 1900s, when a scientist named Junius Henderson collected them for the University of Colorado. Two scientists named Roth and Skinner published a fossil list of the McCoy area in 1930. They named the area at McCoy where the fossils were found the McCoy Formation. In 1958, scientists realized that these fossils were equivalent in age to those near the town of Minturn, Colorado, and re-named the area the Minturn Formation. Table 6b: The Minturn Formation preserves evidence of the ancient sea that was found here, including fossil fish, mollusks, echinoderms (creatures related to modern starfish and sea urchins), and corals.                           Fossils Tell A Story                                               By Patti Hutchison SECTION #1 Imagine you are hiking in the woods. As you walk up a steep hill, you find a fossil. It is a mold of many tiny seashells. What would seashells be doing in the middle of the woods? Most fossils are found in sedimentary rocks. These rocks form on the surface of the earth. They record the processes that have happened on the surface, including life. Scientists are able to arrange fossils according to age. This is called the fossil record. By studying the fossil record, scientists have found that the earth and its life forms have gone through many changes in the past. Fossils have taught us how and when rock layers have formed. They have also helped scientists learn about life forms that have come and gone. Fossils have even taught us about the climate of the earth long ago. SECTION #2 Geologic time is divided into huge blocks of time called eras. Eras are defined by major changes in the fossils found in the sedimentary rock layers that were formed during those time spans. Some species of organisms can be found on both sides of a time period. Usually, however, fossils found in one rock layer are different than fossils found in the layers above and below. This shows that over time, many organisms have become extinct. In fact, scientists believe that for every organism alive today, at least one hundred others have become extinct. A common example of extinct organisms is the dinosaurs. Hundreds of different kinds of dinosaurs lived on earth millions of years ago. But we don't see any today. Many other animals such as wooly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers have also become extinct. SECTION #3 By studying the fossil record, scientists have found that many organisms that are alive today have changed over time. For example, fossil evidence has shown that the ancestors of horses were once only the size of dogs. Fossils can even tell scientists how past life forms looked and behaved. Footprints help them to know how heavy an animal was. The shapes of teeth give clues about what the animal ate. SECTION #4 So, what does the fossil of the seashells found in the woods tell scientists? It tells them that the earth once looked very different than it does now. This fossil indicates that those woods were once covered by an ocean. The fossil record can also show us how the earth's climate has changed over time. For example, fossils of coral have been found in arctic regions. Coral is an organism that lives in warm water. This tells us that these frigid areas were once much warmer than they are today. Each time period has left its own impressions in the rock layers. The fossil record has shown how earth and its life forms have affected each other throughout time. By studying fossils, scientists have been able to tell the story of the history of our earth.                           Fossils Tell A Story                                               By Patti Hutchison **Differentiated Version SECTION #1 Imagine you are hiking in the woods. As you walk up a steep hill, you find a fossil. It is a mold of many tiny seashells. What would seashells be doing in the middle of the woods? Fossils record what has happened on the surface of the earth, including life. Scientists are able to arrange fossils according to age. This is called the fossil record. By studying the fossil record, scientists have found that the earth and its life forms have gone through many changes in the past. Fossils have taught us how and when rock layers have formed. SECTION #2 Geologic time is divided into huge blocks of time called eras. Eras are defined by major changes in the fossils found in the sedimentary rock layers that were formed during those time spans. Some species of organisms can be found on both sides of a time period. Usually, however, fossils found in one rock layer are different than fossils found in the layers above and below. This shows that over time, many organisms have become extinct. In fact, scientists believe that for every organism alive today, at least one hundred others have become extinct. SECTION #3 By studying the fossil record, scientists have found that many animals and plants that are alive today have changed over time. For example, fossil evidence has shown that the ancestors of horses were once only the size of dogs. Fossils can even tell scientists how past life forms looked and behaved. Footprints help them to know how heavy an animal was. The shapes of teeth give clues about what the animal ate. SECTION #4 So, what does the fossil of the seashells found in the woods tell scientists? It tells them that the earth once looked very different than it does now. This fossil indicates that those woods were once covered by an ocean. The fossil record can also show us how the earth's climate has changed over time. For example, fossils of coral have been found in arctic regions. Coral is an organism that lives in warm water. This tells us that these frigid areas were once much warmer than they are today. Each time period has left its own impressions in the rock layers. The fossil record has shown how earth and its life forms have affected each other throughout time. By studying fossils, scientists have been able to tell the story of the history of our earth.   LT: I can determine what fossils tell us about the story of our Earth. FOSSILS TELL A STORY READING *Glue this into your notebooks Instructions: As you read “Fossils Tell A Story” use the organizer below to track your comprehension. This is called MONITORING COMPREHENSION!!! Section # What is something you understood well from this section? Summarize it. What is something you didn’t really understand? What did you not understand or what is a question you still have? ONE TWO THREE FOUR Exit Ticket LT: I can determine what fossils tell us about the story of our Earth. Name: _______________________ Date: _________________ Period: ___________________________ 1. Based on class today, what evidence did you gather about our Earth from rocks and fossils? 2. Create two test questions for your classmates based on these readings. Exit Ticket LT: I can determine what fossils tell us about the story of our Earth. Name: _______________________ Date: _________________ Period: ___________________________ 1. Based on class today, what evidence did you gather about our Earth from rocks and fossils? 2. Create two test questions for your classmates based on these readings.