Discuss: Why do you think there were fossils of ocean animals in the middle of Illinois?

Plesiosaur

Its long neck is a clue that this dinosaur ate leaves from the tops of trees. So this dinosaur probably lived in a forest habitat. Here is what scientists think therizonosaur might have looked like:

Plesiosaur

# Extensions

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End of Mystery Assessment and Answer Key
Reading: A Whale of a Find tells of the discovery of many whale skeletons in a South American desert.
Video: Watch children examine a "fishapod" fossil and reason from the evidence that they see. You'll find even more info on the "fishapod" here.
Resource: Students can explore how ancient plants and animals interact with the environment and with one another in an interactive website from the University of California’s Museum of Paleontology.

Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration

Arizona today by Tonda

Nebraska today by Ken Lund , used under CC BY-SA

meadow by Daniel Case , used under CC BY-SA

camel fossil by Dave Christy

map by Celestia

monkey skeleton by Franzen JL, Gingerich PD, Habersetzer J, Hurum JH, von Koenigswald W, Smith BH , used under CC BY

frozen wasteland by Michael Studinger , used under CC BY

grass by Moyan Brenn , used under CC BY

kids wating by car by Tom Brandt , used under CC BY

penguins by Liam Quinn , used under CC BY-SA

seal by Liam Quinn , used under CC BY-SA

cars driving at night by Editor , used under CC BY

fern fossil by Howard Dickins

waves crashing by Terri and Doyle Johnson

flotsam by Erich Ferdinand , used under CC BY

rain forest by Tadd and Debbie Ottman , used under CC BY

skate egg sacks by Beth Roberts , used under CC BY

shark egg by Jac Stofberg

fishermen by Harvey Barrison , used under CC BY-SA

fish fossil by Michael Popp

under water forest by John Keahey

forest by Elias Gayles , used under CC BY

quarry by Jake Slagle

grasslands by Ruben Holthuijsen , used under CC BY

jungle by Karen Blaha , used under CC BY-SA

ocean by Tiago Fioreze , used under CC BY-SA

walking in quarry by Mike Everhart , used under CC BY

fossils in rock by Rich Tatum , used under CC BY

hand by tooth fossil by Eden Trenor , used under CC BY-SA

shark by Echo Romeo

fossil crab by Rene Sylvestersen , used under CC BY-SA

fossil starfish by Herman Pijpers

beach by Joey Gannon , used under CC BY-SA

house on quarry by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources , used under CC BY-ND

digging in quarry by morebyless , used under CC BY

Credits

“The discussion we had trying to determine each habitat was amazing. The students were backing up their answers with evidence. We just finished studying habitats and are now studying Earth through time so this was the perfect lesson to start off our unit.”

“Love Mystery Science and this lesson really challenges the thinking of students because they must use their understanding of habitats and adaptations to understand why animals may have lived in unusual (to us) locations.”

“Students were continuously surprised and vocalized their reactions. The way that the videos were broken up with pauses was helpful as they felt natural and gave students time to think and discuss or share ideas. I also really liked that the handout was on display in the presentation, as it gave a more concrete path for the students to follow.”

“The examples of how places can change over time was well-presented and understandable for third graders. The variety of places that were included helped paint a broader picture for the students.”

“My students loved that this was about animals. They liked looking at different features of an animal to talk about what their habitat would be like. They also were interested in learning that habitats change over time!”

“Students were enthusiastic and attentive. They enjoyed sharing their ideas about how fossils could show up in unexpected places. This lesson really gets them to think critically about what they know and how they know it. It also requires that they extrapolate their knowledge and apply it to what they may not know yet.”

“Students LOVED this mystery. They thought it was so neat to see that habitats today are not what they once were. We even looked at Google Earth to view a nearby quarry and talk about what we think might be found there. Students have been on the hunt when we go outside to try to find fossils [😊]”

“We liked the structure; the relating of a personal story of childhood as an entry point to learning; the extension activities; and the dialogue that the lesson sparked. Thank you Mystery Science! ”

“Your narrative was excellent. I loved how you wove in childhood stories relating to the topic. And you gave additional bits of information indirectly related to the topic. Extra learning! The videos were short (3-4 minutes) and stayed on topic. The Activity (Guess the Habit) was easy, fun, and interesting. My 11 year old son loved it (and it was really interesting to me as well). I finally had to tell him... okay, enough for today. Well done! Oh, the photos were great as well.”

“connecting to the understanding of habitat change to our state, Michigan. I even had actual fossils from a quarry in Rogers City, MI that the kids were able to investigate and find out about how the land there used to look!”

“The children were wildly excited about seeing/discovering that animals of different types were found all over the world. How could these changes occur? Fossils? Wow! Large animals and small animals all over the world. Geography was woven in as well. I supplemented with my globe. We loved it.”

“Terrific visuals of how land today was so different long ago. The questions and the worksheet led the students into a deeper understanding. The worksheet helped the kids to get close to the fossils and consider how the earth has changed over time. Great 1st lesson!!! Thank you!”

“It was wonderful. I don't think my class has ever been this engrossed in a lesson. I had students that never participate in class discussions, coming up with some great thoughts. Thank Mystery Science ”

“The students really enjoyed the lesson and the video that went with it. I liked how the entire lesson looped back to the evaluation that required students to use evidence from the lesson to support their answers.”

“I love the tone of the narrator's voice-it's just like he's talking to the kids, telling them a cool story that happened to him; instead of it feeling like a "lesson"-he wasn't patronizing or "lecture-y"; it was great.”

“My students loved discovering what used to live in the different habitats. This mystery lead them to think about what our existing habitats will be like in the future and what fossils future humans will find in various parts of the world. ”

“love that the lessons are short,concise, entertaining, and informative! Activities are easy to do with little planning. My kids also love the narrator. I think because he always seems so enthusiastic about the subject.”

“We used this lesson as an introduction to our Animal unit and it was perfect! My students were amazed to realize that the world's habitats as we know them today may have been completely different in the past.”

Where can you find whales in a desert?

Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration which you just completed.

Image & Video Credits

Standards

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7 mins

30 mins

8 mins

Extend this lesson

Where can you find whales in a desert?

Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration which you just completed.

Image & Video Credits

Activity Prep

Activity Summary

7 mins

30 mins

8 mins

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