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    Subject: ELA (English Language Arts)

    Lesson Length: 45 mins

    Topic: Paleontology

    Grade Level: 6, 7, 8

    Standards / Framework:

    Brief Description: Students will create a comic based on the fossil record.

    Know Before You Start: Students should know what a fossil is and that older fossils are found in deeper rock layers than more recent fossils.

    Hook:

    • Show students various images of dinosaurs and ask how we know dinosaurs existed. Responses should indicate that fossils provide evidence that dinosaurs existed. 

    Activity:

    • Engage students in a discussion about fossils and the fossil record. 
    • Have students research fossils and create a three-to-five-panel comic about a dinosaur or other prehistoric animal based on evidence from the fossil record (e.g., how long ago did it live, what other organisms have been found from this same time period, what did it likely eat, etc.) Use captions as needed to explain reasoning.

     

    Closure:

    • Have students share their comics in small groups. 

    Differentiation:

    • Allow students to use the speech-to-text feature.
    • Allow students to use the voiceover feature to read their comics aloud.
    • Provide a list of prehistoric animals from which to choose.

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    Related Ideas

    Sequencing Time and Events

    Students will use sequence words to describe the order of events in a story when speaking and writing.

    Where’s the Evidence?

    Students will practice speaking and writing arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

    Transition Words

    Students will create a comic using transition words to convey sequence.