Fossils Tell of Long Ago

Fossils Tell of Long Ago is a non-fiction/fiction hybrid by Aliki. This book is an incredible resource for teaching many reading strategies, such as reading dialogue bubbles, observing diagrams, and using illustrations to clarify the meaning of the text. There are also great science vocabulary words in the book, such as fossils, minerals, dissolved, swampy, imprint, ancient, and preserved. Students can learn how to use the characteristics of a non-fiction book to research a topic such as fossils. In the 'story' a group of young students go on an exploration of artifacts that teach them about what fossils are, what they tell scientists, and why they are important. This book can be the introduction of a science unit, followed by a trip to a museum and examining fossils in the class room. Aliki gives a fun activity idea at the end of the book for creating fossils by making a hand imprint in clay, then burying it outside for future scientists to dig up and examine.