Interactive Games and a Song About Fossils

Did you know that most prehistoric animals did not become fossils? Click the screen shot above to discover the best (and worst) places for fossils to form.

Paleontologists rarely find all of an organism's fossilized bones. Click the picture above to test your paleo puzzling skills, and see how fast you can reconstruct a dinosaur skeleton.

"I Am A Paleontologist"

I love diggin' in the dirt
With just a pick and brush
Finding fossils is my aim
So I'm never in a rush
'Cause the treasures that I seek
Are rare and ancient things
Like Velociraptor's jaw
Or Archaeopteryx's wings

Now all the kids
Who wanna see 'em
Are lining up
At our museum

I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am
I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am

Could it be an herbivore
Crushing plants with rounded teeth
Or ferocious carnivore
Who moves so quickly on its feet
It's like pieces of a puzzle
That I love to try and solve
It's so fun to think about
How a species has evolved

And all the kids
Who wanna see 'em
Can check 'em out
At our museum

I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am
I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am

Is it a T-rex? (I keep digging, digging, digging, digging)
(Digging, digging, digging, digging)
Maybe a Triceratops? (Digging, digging, digging, digging)
(Digging, digging, digging, digging)
Or a Carnotaur? (Digging, digging, digging, digging)
(Digging, digging, digging, digging)
(Digging, digging, digging, digging, diggin')
Pachycephalosaurus?

I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am
I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am

We Are Paleontologists!

After millions of years (or about a week for our models), fossils form in sedimentary rock under intense pressure. The class creates cast and mold models with clay and glue, then the skilled paleontologists carefully remove shell-shaped casts from molds, while singing along with They Might Be Giants. Scroll down to listen.

 

"I Am A Paleontologist"

I love diggin' in the dirt
With just a pick and brush
Finding fossils is my aim
So I'm never in a rush
'Cause the treasures that I seek
Are rare and ancient things
Like Velociraptor's jaw
Or Archaeopteryx's wings

Now all the kids
Who wanna see 'em
Are lining up
At our museum

I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am
I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am

Could it be an herbivore
Crushing plants with rounded teeth
Or ferocious carnivore
Who moves so quickly on its feet
It's like pieces of a puzzle
That I love to try and solve
It's so fun to think about
How a species has evolved

And all the kids
Who wanna see 'em
Can check 'em out
At our museum

I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am
I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am

Is it a T-rex? (I keep digging, digging, digging, digging)
(Digging, digging, digging, digging)
Maybe a Triceratops? (Digging, digging, digging, digging)
(Digging, digging, digging, digging)
Or a Carnotaur? (Digging, digging, digging, digging)
(Digging, digging, digging, digging)
(Digging, digging, digging, digging, diggin')
Pachycephalosaurus?

I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am
I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am

I Am A Paleontologist

After millions of years (or about a week in our case), fossils form in sedimentary rock under intense pressure. The class creates cast and mold models with sculpting clay and glue, then the skilled paleontologists carefully remove shell-shaped casts from molds, while singing along with They Might Be Giants. Scroll down to listen.

"I Am A Paleontologist"

I love diggin' in the dirt
With just a pick and brush
Finding fossils is my aim
So I'm never in a rush
'Cause the treasures that I seek
Are rare and ancient things
Like Velociraptor's jaw
Or Archaeopteryx's wings

Now all the kids
Who wanna see 'em
Are lining up
At our museum

I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am
I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am

Could it be an herbivore
Crushing plants with rounded teeth
Or ferocious carnivore
Who moves so quickly on its feet
It's like pieces of a puzzle
That I love to try and solve
It's so fun to think about
How a species has evolved

And all the kids
Who wanna see 'em
Can check 'em out
At our museum

I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am
I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am

Is it a T-rex? (I keep digging, digging, digging, digging)
(Digging, digging, digging, digging)
Maybe a Triceratops? (Digging, digging, digging, digging)
(Digging, digging, digging, digging)
Or a Carnotaur? (Digging, digging, digging, digging)
(Digging, digging, digging, digging)
(Digging, digging, digging, digging, diggin')
Pachycephalosaurus?

I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am
I am a paleontologist
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am
That's who I am, that's who I am, that's who I am

I Am A Paleontologist

After millions of years (or a couple days in our case), fossils formed in sedimentary rock under intense pressure. The class created cast and mold models last week with sculpting clay and glue. In these images, skilled paleontologists carefully remove shell and shark tooth shaped casts from molds, while singing along to They Might Be Giants. Scroll down to listen...

The first science unit of the year ends with fossils, so enjoy this song by They Might Be Giants.

Week 8 Wrap-Up

The soil and fossils unit ended this week, and the fossil models are still drying in the window.  We coated seashells in petroleum jelly, then pressed them into Play Doh.  Next, glue was poured into the mold.  When dry, they will become casts of the shells.

The screenshot above was taken during the spinner activity following the weekly spelling test.  Evelyn's colorful illustration represents the word "wheat."  She tied science to her creation with the three layers of soil: bedrock, subsoil, and topsoil.  To read more about the role of creative expression and multiple intelligences in our classroom, click here.

Pokemon cards created for "subtraction battle" were the highlight last week.  First, everyone created a character with two attacks, ranging from "Fly Fu," to "Cutie Lazer."  Next, chance determined the health points and attack strength as they rolled dice for place values and digits.  Vying for intergalactic domination (and subtracting while regrouping), Thursday and Friday's competitions were action-packed.  To create your own, click and print the graphic organizer below.

This week during writing, sensory details were the focus.  Above, a blindfolded Katie Sue provides adjectives to describe a mouthful of cereal.  Siena's a brave soul.  After warnings, she volunteered to describe the taste of wasabi peas!  During snack, everyone sampled the fire. 

Next week marks the end of the first quarter, so look for parent-teacher conference forms in Monday folders.  Click the content tabs at the top of the homepage to see what's in store for the second quarter.  

Thanks again to all the families who made it to Friday's parent breakfast.  Make the most of a perfectly fall weekend!