Title:

Type:
Subject:
Grade Range:
Description:

Metaphorical Expression
Lesson Plan
Science
Third
Fossils

Duration:
Author(s):

60 Minutes
Jessica Foster

Instructional Unit Content

Standard(s)/Element(s)
Content Area Standard
S3E2. Students will investigate fossils as evidence of organisms that lived
long ago.
S3E2. a. Investigate fossils by observing authentic fossils or models of fossils
or view information resources about fossils as evidence of organisms that
lived long ago.
S3E2. b. Describe how a fossil is formed.

TAG Standard
Creative Thinking & Creative Problem Solving Skills
7. The student uses analogies, metaphors, and/or models to explain
complex concepts.
Summary/Overview
The focus of this lesson is to give students the opportunity to develop new
insights and provide powerful explanations of the characteristics of how a
fossil is formed.

Enduring Understanding(s)
At the end of this lesson the student will understand that
Fossils are the hardened remains of living things from long ago.
It takes many, many years for a fossil to form.
Fossils are formed when plant and/or animal remains are buried
underground, then sediment continues to cover the remains, the
sediment is compressed and squeezed over time, and eventually the
parts of the plant or animal will turn into a fossil.
Essential Question(s)

What is a fossil?
How are fossils formed?
How do fossils provide evidence of living organisms from long ago?
Why are fossils important?

Concept(s) to Maintain

Evidence of Learning
What students should know:
Fossils are preserved remains from plants and animals from long ago.
It takes a long period of time for a fossil to form.
Fossils are important in order to get information about living organisms
from long ago.
What students should be able to do:
Uses direct, personal, and compressed analogies to explain the
formation of fossils.

Suggested Vocabulary
Fossils
Extinct
Sedimentary Rock
Cast
Mold
Imprint
Plant
Animals
Procedure(s)
Phase 1: Hook
Students will participate in a Carousel Brainstorming Activity with
Mental Stretchers to get students thinking in figurative language.
Students will inspect the question posed at each station,
develop/record all ideas, and rotate to expand ideas at another
station.
2. After discussing the mental stretching questions, the teacher will
introduce the three types of metaphorical expressions experienced by
the students: direct analogies, personal analogies, and compressed
conflict. The teacher will state the following to students: Today in
science we are going to learn a new concept using these three types
of metaphors.
1.

Phase 2: Examine the Content

Set the Scene: The instructor will ask students: What are some animals
that are extinct? How do we still remember them today?
4. Pose the Essential Question. What is a fossil? How do fossils provide
evidence of living organisms from long ago? How is our essential
question connected to our discussion and your list of extinct animals?
5. The teacher will show the students the BrainPopJr.com video on
Fossils. Each student will fill out the Content Organizer while watching
the video to take notes on fossils. Upon completion, the students will
share their responses with a partner. The students will share three things
they learned.
3.

Phase 3: Analogies
Direct Analogy: Students will answer the first type of analogy by answering
the following question: How is a fossil like a photograph? In groups of 4,
record how they are alike and different using the visual organizer.
2. Personal Analogy: Students will compare themselves to a fossil. Individually
record answers to these questions:
How old are you?
How were you created?
Why are you important?
How does it feel knowing that you were preserved?
Students will write a paragraph, poem, or song in the first person about their life
as a fossil.
3. Compressed Conflict: Students will brainstorm antonyms of fossils in order to
create one compressed conflict phrase. Then students will answer the
following analogy: How is a fossil extinct, yet existing?
1.

Phase 4: Synthesis Activity

4.

Candidates will generate another direct analogy by completing the

following sentence: A fossil is like a _________. The students will give 3 reasons
of why fossils are like the item in your sentence.

Summarizing Activity

Ticket out the Door: Why do fossils play an important role in understanding
plants and animals from long ago? Explain your thinking.
Resource(s)

Technology:
Fossils
http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/land/fossils/
Handouts:
Handout 1: Mental Stretchers
Handout 2: Content Organizer
Handout 3: Direct Analogy Organizer
Handout 4: Personal Analogy Organizer
Handout 5: Compressed Conflict Organizer
Handout 6: Synthesis Activity
Handout 7: Ticket out the Door

Mental Stretchers
1.) How would you feel if you were a yummy casserole that was
never eaten?
2.) If you were a cookie, what kind of cookie matches your
personality, and why?
3.) Would you rather be a lonely millionaire or a poor peasant with
many friends? Explain.
4.) How is family like war?
5) What are some things that are both guilty and innocent?

What is it?

What does it look like? (Pictures

and words)

How is it created?

Where did it come from?

What are the different kinds?

Why is it important?

Direct Analogy:
Identify the similarities and differences between fossils and photographs.

Comparisons

Fossils

Photographs

Personal Analogy
Fossil
Pretend that you are a fossil, and answer the following questions as if you
were that fossil.
How old are you?
How were you created?

Why are you important?

How does it feel knowing that you

were preserved?

Write a paragraph, poem, or song from the point of view of a fossil.

_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

Compressed Conflict
Fossils
List five important words to describe a List an antonym (opposite meaning) for
fossil.
each word to the left.
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
5.
5.

Create one compressed conflict based on the list of words above.

____________________________________________
Answer this question after completing the compressed conflict:
How is a fossil extinct, yet existing?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________.

Synthesis Activity
A fossil is like _______________. Give at least 3
reasons why a fossil is like the item in the
sentence.
1._________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
2._________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.
3._________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________.

Name: _______________________
Ticket out the Door: Why do fossils play an important role in understanding plants and
animals from long ago? Explain your thinking.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________.

Name: _______________________
Ticket out the Door: Why do fossils play an important role in understanding plants and
animals from long ago? Explain your thinking.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________.

Name: _______________________
Ticket out the Door: Why do fossils play an important role in understanding plants and
animals from long ago? Explain your thinking.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________.

Name: _______________________
Ticket out the Door: Why do fossils play an important role in understanding plants and
animals from long ago? Explain your thinking.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________.