Making Models of Fossils and Homework Club

Last week we did a fun little guided inquiry lab to learn about fossil imprints.

First, we used Play Doh and a plastic cube to make an imprint.

Then we wrote down how our imprint and the cube were alike and different. Size and shape were two of the ideas the kids had.

After that, the class had to secretly make an imprint of something else in the room. They shared their imprint and the rest of the class had to guess what the original object was.

The dice one was my favorite! It absolutely illustrated what we were trying to learn - that imprints and fossils look like the animal or plant that made them. And that observing and studying fossils teach us about what came before us!

We had a great time and it really drove home important information about fossils. :)

And in other news - a few people wanted to know more information about Homework Club. I actually got the idea from Molly at Lessons with Laughter. 

I made a little chart that I hung on the whiteboard in the front of the room with everyone's name on it. At the beginning of the day, I put a little sticker next to everyone's name who brought back their finished homework. After 5 days have passed, whoever has brought their finished homework back every day will get to eat in the room (instead of the cafegymatorium - haha), I'll show 20 minutes of a movie, and I'll give them a little treat. Once the initial "trial period" of 5 days is over, I'll probably extend it to a few weeks before we have a special lunch. I just wanted our first try to be doable for all the kids.

Like I said yesterday, two of my boys who have regularly missed recess for most of the year have brought their work back finished BOTH days so far, and that is a big deal to me! I wish I would have done this earlier, but now I will know for next year. :) I feel like I say that a lot!