ScienceEnglish Language Arts6-8
Fossils and the Indian Ladder Trail Sub Plan
By Julianna N.
A substitute-ready reading packet for 6th graders staying behind from a field trip to Thacher State Park's Indian Ladder Trail. Students build geology vocabulary such as escarpment, fossiliferous, limestone, and karst while learning how the Devonian rock layers formed, and the packet is designed for an independent or small-group block of roughly 45 minutes.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Suggested context: Use this as a stand-in lesson for students who did not attend the field trip, so they can still access the same geology concepts the class is studying on site.
- Discussion question: Why do you think the cliffs at Thacher State Park contain so many fossils, and what does that tell us about what this area looked like millions of years ago?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Have students work from the vocabulary table first, matching each term to a sentence in the reading before attempting any longer questions.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to compare limestone formation with another sedimentary rock and explain how the two environments would differ.
- Estimated time: About 45 minutes, including vocabulary review, reading, and written responses.
ScienceEnglish Language Arts6-8
Fossils and the Indian Ladder Trail Sub Plan
By Julianna N.
A substitute-ready reading packet for 6th graders staying behind from a field trip to Thacher State Park's Indian Ladder Trail. Students build geology vocabulary such as escarpment, fossiliferous, limestone, and karst while learning how the Devonian rock layers formed, and the packet is designed for an independent or small-group block of roughly 45 minutes.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Suggested context: Use this as a stand-in lesson for students who did not attend the field trip, so they can still access the same geology concepts the class is studying on site.
- Discussion question: Why do you think the cliffs at Thacher State Park contain so many fossils, and what does that tell us about what this area looked like millions of years ago?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Have students work from the vocabulary table first, matching each term to a sentence in the reading before attempting any longer questions.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to compare limestone formation with another sedimentary rock and explain how the two environments would differ.
- Estimated time: About 45 minutes, including vocabulary review, reading, and written responses.