Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Today we began our new unit in science, Earth History.  It is comprised of two main sections:  fossils and Earth changes both slow and fast.  We began with notes for the fossils section of the unit.  I have also posted the new syllabus on its page and study guide on the Notes and Study Guides page.

We began with two ungraded warm-ups to get the students started on the topic.

Afterwards, the students took notes.  This was an abbreviated day since we had Dr. Recess do an assembly as well as a special recess towards the end of the day.

Notes:  

Fossil - preserved parts or traces of animals and plants that lived in the past
Model – a limited representation of something that can help us understand its structure or how it works
Imprint - a mark or depression made by pressure
Nature – the physical world
·         Fossils are typically preserved when they are buried under many layers of sand and      mud. Under great pressure the sand and mud become sedimentary rock.
·         Most fossils are found in sedimentary rock
·         Fossils are evidence of living organisms that once existed on Earth
·         Fossils can be compared to other known fossils or to living organisms
·         Fossils share some characteristics based on where, how and from what they formed
·         Fossil formation is very rare since most dead organisms decay
·         Today’s live organisms will under the right conditions leave fossil evidence
·         Some organisms that lived long ago are similar to existing organisms, but some are quite different
Extinct - when a plant or animal species has died out and there are no more living members
Amber - a fossil resin formed from hardened tree sap that is yellow, orange, red, or brown.  It is the only thing that preserved whole animals.
Paleontologist – a scientist who studies fossils to learn about prehistoric organisms

I am working on a nice study guide that I am hoping to have completed soon.  It will be for the entire unit but it doesn't hurt to have it available now.

Lastly, as I type this while the students are at specials (3:19 pm), we are in the midst of a power outage.  Thankfully, the WiFi remains on throughout the building as well as emergency lighting.  Hopefully this will get resolved soon.