Science - 4th Grade

• Dino Detectives
  Students will learn about prehistoric life in Utah.
• Exploration of Imprint Fossils
  Have you ever noticed impressions left in the sidewalk? Have you every wondered how they got there? And who or what left them? Was it a plant? What kind? Was it an animal? What kind? How do you know? Well, this activity explores 'fossil' impressions left in cement.
• Fossil Footsteps
  After studying photos of dinosaur tracks, students will create their own tracks using clay. In addition, students will compose a story about the dinosaur / animal who created the tracks.
• Fossil Formation Fun
  The activities in this lesson will help students compare and understand the three types of fossils: preserved organisms, mineral replacement fossils, and impression fossils.
• How Big is a Dinosaur?
  Using a grid, students will help create an enlarged replica of a stegosaurus drawing.
• Mineral Replacement in Fossil Formation
  Plaster of paris is used to demonstrate two ways fossils are formed.
• TRB 4:4 - Investigation 1 - Identify & Compare Fossils
  In this investigation students will be looking at different items to see if they can recognize fossils. This will be an introduction to the different fossils they will be studying later.
• TRB 4:4 - Investigation 2 -Simulating Fossil Formations
  In this activity students will investigate four different ways fossils are made in sedimentary rock: impression, trace, preserved, and mineral replacement (petrification) fossils.
• TRB 4:4 - Investigation 3 - Examining Your Fossil
  In this investigation the students will look at the fossils they made previously. They will look at the details of the fossil with a hand lens and come up with conclusions about the fossils. They will record what they see and draw conclusions about the environment of the fossil.
• TRB 4:4 - Investigation 4 - Dinosaurs Tracks
  Students will make inferences and interpretations from sets of dinosaur tracks.