Module 22: History of the Earth- Science 3 - Course Guide

Module Overview:

In this module, students will learn to identify different layers of the Earth, describe how the types of organisms living on Earth have changed over time, describe how fossils can provide evidence about the plants and animals that lived long ago and the nature of the environment at that time, and create a fossil. They will explain how fossils can be compared to one another and to present-day organisms to find similarities and differences, investigate characteristics of fossils, and analyze the clues fossils provide about environments and organisms.

Module Materials:

Lesson # Lesson Title Material(s)
1 Layers of the Earth None
2 Types of Fossils plastic plant or animal toy
modeling clay
plaster of Paris
3 Fossil Detective None

Module Objectives:

Lesson # Lesson Title Objective(s)
1 Layers of the Earth
  1. Identify different layers of the Earth.
  2. Describe how the types of organisms living on Earth has changed over time.
2 Types of Fossils
  1. Describe how fossils can provide evidence about the plants and animals that lived long ago and the nature of the environment at that time.
  2. Create a fossil.
3 Fossil Detective
  1. Explain how fossils can be compared to one another and to present-day organisms to find similarities and differences.
  2. Investigate characteristics of fossils.
  3. Analyze the clues fossils provide about environments and organisms.

Module Key Words:

Key Words
Earth
crust
mantle
outer core
inner core
fossil
prehistory
fossils
organisms
paleontologists

Module Assignments:

Lesson # Lesson Title Page # Assignment Title
1 Layers of the Earth 6 Layers of the Earth Assignment
2 Types of Fossils 7 Create a Fossil Assignment
3 Fossil Detective 6 Woolly Mammoths vs. Elephants Assignment

Learning Coach Notes:

Lesson # Lesson Title Notes
1 Layers of the Earth After completing this lesson, ask your student to describe the four layers of the Earth and their composition.
2 Types of Fossils After completing this lesson, ask your student to describe the different types of fossils. If possible, go on a nature walk and look for fossils.
3 Fossil Detective After completing this assignment, ask your student to explain what fossils tell us about life on Earth long ago.

Module Guiding Questions:

When a student starts a lesson ask them questions to check for prior knowledge and understanding and to review concepts being taught. At the end of the lesson ask the questions again to see if their answer changes.

Lesson Title Question
Layers of the Earth
  1. What are the layers of the Earth?
Types of Fossils
  1. What is a fossil?
Fossil Detective
  1. How can clues from fossils give us information about plants and animals that lived long ago?

Module Video Questions:

When a student watches a video take time to ask them questions about what they watched. Suggested questions for the videos in this module are listed here. Suggestion: Have the student watch the entire video first all the way through. Then have them watch the video a second time, as they watch it pause the video and ask the questions.

Lesson Title Video Question

Module Suggested Read Aloud Books:

Take time to read to your student or have them read aloud to you. Read a different book each day. While reading the book point out concepts being taught. You may purchase these books or find them at your local library. Suggested things to discuss while reading the book:

  • What is the main idea?
  • What are three things new you learned?
  • How does this book relate to what you are learning about?

# Book Author Lexile Level
1 The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen
2 Planet Earth/Inside Out Gail Gibbons
3 Fossils Tell of Long Ago Aliki

Module Outing:

Take some time to apply what your student is learning to the real world. Suggested outings are below.

# Outing