Starter quiz
- Which of these are living things?
lizard ✓
fern ✓
rock
volcano
- Which of these animals are predators?
shark ✓
cow
rabbit
crocodile ✓
- What is an imprint?
- the mark or impression left on a surface by something ✓
- the amount of time it takes for a fossil to form
- the mass of a very heavy object
-
- Fossils give us evidence about life in prehistoric times. What is evidence?
- a collection of theories created by famous scientists
- a collection of ideas written down in a book
- information we can use to prove or disprove scientific ideas ✓
- information which has been gathered a very long time ago
-
- We can learn more about things by carrying out research using secondary sources. What are secondary sources?
- sources created using information that cannot be proved
- sources created using information that is very old
- sources created using information gathered by others ✓
-
- Animals with a backbone and internal skeleton are called ...
- 'vertebrates' ✓
Exit quiz
- We can find out about fossil discoveries by carrying out ______ using secondary sources.
- 'research' ✓
- Which of these are common types of fossils?
- skeletons ✓
- tongues
- shells ✓
- teeth ✓
- eyeballs
-
- What is a fossil?
- evidence of prehistoric life from millions of years ago ✓
- evidence of life 100 years ago
- evidence of prehistoric palaeontology
- evidence of rocks from thousands of years ago
-
Fossils are mainly found in a type of rock called ______ rock.- 'sedimentary' ✓
- Which of these locations would not be a good place to hunt for fossils?
- a river valley
- an active volcano ✓
- coastal cliffs
- a quarry
-
- Order the statements to show how fossils are formed in sedimentary rock.
- 1⇔An animal dies in the sea or a lake and sinks to the bottom.
- 2⇔The soft parts of the animal decay, leaving behind the hard parts.
- 3⇔Layers of sediment build up on top of the hard remains.
- 4⇔Over time, more layers build up on top creating sedimentary rock.
- 5⇔Over many years, the hard remains are replaced by minerals creating a fossil.
Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- A fossil is any evidence of prehistoric life from millions of years ago.
- Palaeontologists tell us that the most common fossils are bones, teeth and shells.
- Fossils are mainly found within sedimentary rocks, such as cliffs and river valleys, formed over thousands of years.
- Fossil discoveries can be researched using secondary sources of information.
Common misconception
Pupils may think that fossils can be found anywhere on Earth and in any type of rock.
Use the lesson resources to explain how and why fossils are mainly found in sedimentary rock and the common locations these tend to be, such as cliffs, hillsides and quarries.
Keywords
Fossil - A fossil is the remains or imprint of living things that are sometimes preserved in rock.
Prehistoric - Prehistoric times are time periods which came before written records began.
Palaeontologist - Palaeontologists study fossils as a guide to the history of life on Earth.
Sedimentary rock - Sedimentary rock is formed when sediment collects at the bottom of a lake or sea.
Secondary sources - Secondary sources are texts, images or objects created using information gathered by others.