This week we watched a video on the Badlands and did some journal writing. We read some more current articles on fossil discoveries as well as looked at how fossils are preserved so they can be displayed in museums. Students learned how advances in technology, like with 3D printing, have helped scientist and paleontologists share discoveries and information around the world. They also wrote a creative writing piece called "A Day in the Life of..." and either chose to write from the perspective of a paleontologist or a dinosaur! We finished reading our Kenneth Oppel book, "Silverwing," and began watching the video series. Lastly, students read a short informational text on predators vs. scavengers and how paleontologist proved that the T-Rex was in fact a predator.
School resumes Monday, January 8. I hope everyone enjoys their time off and comes back refreshed and ready to learn! Students will have a quiz on fossils and paleontology on Monday, January 15.
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We have continued to look at Alberta's fossil and dinosaur heritage. I read the students an article about a recent fossil discovery of a soft shelled creature similar to a lobster that was found near Banff. I wanted to show students that fossil discoveries are a current thing, that it isn't just focused around dinosaur bones and that paleontology is not dead, no pun intended! Students did two reading comprehensions, one on how glaciers have shaped the land which is significant in Alberta as well as one on different forms of fossils, like petrified wood and amber. They also finished their research on an Alberta dinosaur and began typing up a paragraph using the research they found. Lastly they created an art piece using q-tips and white glue to re-create their dinosaur skeleton!
Last week we started learning about Alberta's fossil heritage. We watched a video on how fossils are formed. Students learned that fossils don't have to be bones but can also be imprints like from a plant. In order for a fossil to form, something must die (or leave an imprint) and then be buried. Over millions of years, layers of dirt, mud, or tree sap cover the bone and the pressure forces the air out of the bone. Minerals in the dirt then fill the spaces in the bone and this results in the bone turning to stone or fossilizing. Students wrote in their journals about what they already knew about fossils, paleontology and dinosaurs as well as what they would like to learn about this topic. Later in the week, they used two websites to find information about paleontology and fossils. Students also had to answer some open-ended questions on why they think these topics are important to Alberta. On Thursday, each student found an Alberta dinosaur they wanted to research and printed out its skeleton to be used for an art project we are starting this week. Due to the PD Day on Friday and skiing on Tuesday, it was a short week. This week students will research their chosen Alberta dinosaur and write a paragraph to accompany an art piece we will start.
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AuthorMrs. Moldovan has been teaching for 9 years. She has taught Grade 4 for the past 6 years at Nose Creek! Archives
June 2018
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