critical thinking questions about fossils

Free Printable fossils Worksheets for 10th Grade

Science fossils worksheets: Discover the fascinating world of fossils with our free printable resources for Grade 10 students. Enhance learning and explore the mysteries of Earth's history with Quizizz.

10th - 12th

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Explore printable fossils worksheets for 10th Grade

Fossils worksheets for Grade 10 are an excellent resource for teachers looking to engage their students in the fascinating world of paleontology and the history of life on Earth. These worksheets, designed specifically for high school students studying Science and Biology, provide a comprehensive and interactive learning experience. Covering topics such as the formation of fossils, types of fossils, and the importance of fossils in understanding the evolution of species, these worksheets are an essential tool for educators. With a variety of activities, including labeling diagrams, matching exercises, and critical thinking questions, fossils worksheets for Grade 10 are sure to capture the interest of students and enhance their understanding of this important subject matter.

Quizizz, a popular online platform for creating and sharing educational quizzes and games, offers a wide range of resources for teachers, including fossils worksheets for Grade 10. By incorporating Quizizz into their lesson plans, educators can provide an interactive and engaging learning experience for their students. In addition to the fossils worksheets, Quizizz also offers a variety of quizzes and games related to Science and Biology topics, allowing teachers to assess their students' understanding and progress in real-time. With the ability to customize quizzes and track student performance, Quizizz is an invaluable tool for educators teaching Grade 10 Science and Biology. By utilizing both fossils worksheets and Quizizz, teachers can create a dynamic and comprehensive learning environment for their students.

5 Lessons to Smash Earth’s History (with Fossil Activities!)

• Planning , Science

If you could bring your kiddos (safely) back in time to any period of Earth’s history, where would you go? Imagine the enthusiasm for learning they’d have! Your classroom engagement would be off the charts! It’s a wonderful thought, isn’t it?

Well, what if I told you that you can bring them back in time?

I come bearing the solution: not a time machine, but rather fossil activities ! It’s no secret that kiddos love exploring fossils and making discoveries about the Earth’s past. I guarantee that if you take a stroll through the nearest toy aisle at any store, you’ll find more than a few children’s toys recreating the excitement of paleontology and the penultimate dinosaur fossils.

Ultimately, paleontology is such an important way to teach upper elementary students about evidence of organisms from long ago. In addition, studying fossils and engaging with fossil activities provides us with a window to the ancient world, offering insights into the diverse life forms and environments that have graced our planet over the past millions of years.

Of course, we know how exciting learning can be, but students can sometimes be skeptical. Thankfully, I have just what you’re looking for to convince them that this kind of learning is worth it. Get your students learning about Earth’s illustrious history through paleontology and these fossil activities!

Fossil Activities and Lessons

1. types of fossils.

Paleontology isn’t always as cut and dry as finding a dinosaur bone and shipping it off to the nearest museum. There are a variety of different types of fossils that paleontologists study, as your kiddos are about to find out with these fossil activities!

There are primarily two types of fossils: body fossils and trace fossils. Both of these types play a significant role in piecing together the puzzle of the Earth’s history. At first glance, it’s natural for kiddos to be more excited about body fossils—after all, body fossils are left-behind remains of ancient organisms! They’re super cool! However, trace fossils are just as neat, as your students will surely come to find.

In order to help your students explore these two ideas, one of my favorite fossil activities is to classify types of fossils! Have your students bring in pictures or even replicas of body and trace fossils and categorize them as such. Bonus points if you, the teacher, have your own examples available to share with students!

As students explore the fossil types, encourage them to discuss the differences, either through think-pair-share or as a whole class. Pose questions that incite further exploration, such as “What can we learn from one fossil type that we cannot learn from the other?” or “Do you think museums prefer body or trace fossils?” These questions don’t necessarily have or need correct answers; so long as your students are making those real-world connections about the significance of both kinds of fossils, then you’re off to a great start.

2. Fossil Formation

To fully understand the relevance of fossils, however, your kiddos will need to understand how exactly fossils are formed in the first place. To begin with, fossil formation starts when an organism dies and becomes rapidly covered with sediment. That part is important, and even offers a chance to get your classroom thinking—why is it important that the organism must be covered up quickly? If the organism isn’t covered up, will a fossil still be created? Why not?

Once the organism is buried naturally, the sediment hardens over time. The preserved remains or traces of the organism are left behind as fossils for a lucky paleontologist to discover! … Or maybe for your students to discover, if you’re into the next of our fossil activities!

To cover fossil formation, allow students to create their own “fossils” using clay, plaster, or even Play-Doh; whichever is easiest for you to dole out to your kiddos. Then, demonstrate for students what happens when you press objects such as leaves or small toys (like tiny plastic dinosaurs) into the clay. This simulates the fossilization process and encourages student-led exploration of the concept. Besides, who doesn’t love creating their own little relics of history?

3. Layer Dating and Earth’s History

Fossils are excellent discoveries in and of themselves, but it’s just as important to discover where a fossil is in order to glean as much information as possible from the discovery. Paleontologists do this through layer dating, and your kiddos will do this through the next of our fossil activities!

By examining the layers of rock where fossils are found, scientists can determine the relative ages of fossils. The deeper the layer, the older the fossils within it. Layer dating, though insightful, is generally used to estimate a general age of fossils rather than the absolute age—this is an important distinction to make, and opens up the discussion to further inquiry, such as “Why do Earth layers give us general ages rather than specific ones?”

Once your classroom has been introduced to the subject, introduce a fossil activity that’s all about layer dating. Once again, you’ll dole out modeling clay or Play-Doh in different colors to your kiddos and have them place small objects (again the tiny dinosaurs come in clutch!) in each layer to represent fossils. For an extra step, have students record which fossils they buried in what order. Then, swap their layer creations with a partner and have them guess which “fossils” are oldest and which are youngest!

Encourage class discussion on how deeper layers contain older fossils, and then move on to deeper critical-thinking questions, like “are fossils in the same layer always going to be the same age?” or “can a fossil be in a deeper layer and be younger than a fossil in a higher layer?” Watch their gears turn as they sharpen those critical thinking skills!

4. Purpose of Fossils

With so much ado about fossils, what exactly is their purpose, besides just being neat to look at? Well, fossils serve as a tangible historical record of life on Earth. They help scientists and your classroom alike learn about extinct species, their behaviors, and their interactions with their environments. Paleontology shows us the Earth’s history and early organisms, and can even give us clues on where life on Earth may be headed next!

After sharing and brainstorming the purpose of fossils, organize a scavenger hunt where students search for pictures or models of fossils hidden around the classroom, each accompanied by a fact about the fossil’s significance. For added critical thinking, have students group up after finding their fossils and work together to come up with as many ways as possible for how each specific fossil could help scientists learn.

5. What Fossils Show

Fossils reveal a wealth of information about ancient organisms and their environments, showcasing to your science students the diversity of life forms that have existed on Earth as well as offering clues about the Earth’s changing climates and landscapes. This is partially why dialogue around the fossil activities are so important—there is so much information to glean about Earth’s history and the implications of fossils.

Class discussions are a vital factor in learning about fossils. In that vein, hold a class discussion where students share their thoughts on what fossils reveal about ancient life as well as ancient environments based on the fossils they’ve studied. Encourage your students to use the evidence they’ve uncovered throughout their previous fossil activities as a basis for their thoughts!

Regardless of which of these fossil activities you choose to explore in your classroom, paleontology and the study of fossils are key for your upper elementary students to learn all about Earth’s varied history. It’s vital to ignite students’ curiosity, especially when it comes to dinosaurs, rocks, fossils, and all things paleontology! Spark your kiddos’ interests in Earth’s history by exploring these topic-specific fossil activities in your science classroom.

There are a plethora of more options out there, too—for instance, the National Park Service offers a wealth of fossil activities that are rated for just about every grade level, regardless of what you’re looking for. There’s tons of flexibility!

Once you’ve covered fossils to your heart’s content (or your students’), make sure to check for understanding, such as with these Fossil Science Writing Prompts . However, if you’re still looking for a bit more on the lesson side of things, no worries: I have a blog post about nailing the NGSS with fossil lessons ! If your students are all set on fossils, then they’re ready to move on to nonrenewable resources and their ever-important role in our daily lives.

Ultimately, there’s no need to dredge up the funds to transport your kiddos to a huge historical science museum in order to study fossils. It would be amazing for sure, but no one has that kind of money laying around! Instead, you can bring the science to your classroom with these (budget-friendly!) fossil activities for your upper elementary students.

The learning doesn’t have to stop with fossils, either; sign up for my weekly email newsletter and you’ll be privy to plenty of in-depth, engaging science and math activities and lessons! Be sure to check it out on my home page !

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Chapter 6: Fossil Preservation

The 2 nd edition is now available click here., learning objectives.

The goals of this chapter are to:

• Explain the different ways organisms become fossilized
• Identify the mode of preservation for fossils

6.1 Introduction

Everyone has heard the word fossil! So, how do you define this term? In this lab, we will define it to mean any evidence for the existence of prehistoric life. What is difficult to explain in this definition is what is meant by prehistoric. For example, would you consider bodies preserved at Pompeii to be fossils, or how about the remains of a frozen mastodon from the Pleistocene that was preserved well enough to be eaten? Some say anything older than 11,000 years is a fossil, but this part of our definition is a matter of semantics. An excellent place to learn more about fossils and fossilization is the Digital Atlas of Ancient Life .

Exercise 6.1 – Fossilization Probability

We start this chapter on how organisms become fossilized with a quick exercise. Figure 6.1 contains three different organisms.

• Which organism do you think has the highest chance to leave behind a trace fossil? ____________________

6.2 Types of Preservation

Taphonomy is the branch of paleontology that focuses on the fossilization process. Fossils are preserved by three main methods: unaltered soft or hard parts, altered hard parts, and trace fossils. You already learned about trace fossils in Chapter 4.

Unaltered fossils are rare except as captured in amber , trapped in tar , dried out, or frozen as a preserved wooly mammoth. Amber is the fossilized tree resin that can trap flowers, worms, insects, and small amphibians and mammals. The father of one of the authors was part of a gold mining operation that discovered a wooly mammoth calf (nicknamed Effie ) in Alaska. This was the first mummified mammoth remains found in North America. Even though it was buried about 21,300 years ago, it still consists of tissue and hair. Sometimes, only organic residue is left behind and is detected by molecular, biochemical techniques. Earth’s oldest fossils are only preserved as complex organic molecules.

Soft tissue is hard to preserve because it needs to be buried before bacterial decay can occur. This preservation occurs when remains are buried rapidly in an oxygen-free, low-energy sedimentary environment. Since these conditions are uncommon, the preservation of soft tissue rarely happens. Instead, typical examples of unaltered fossils are skeletal material that has been preserved with little or no change. Many marine invertebrate fossils and microfossils were preserved in this manner. However, paleontologists are now looking closer at fossils and recognizing thin carbon layers in the rock around fossils as soft tissue. Recently, a team led by Mark Norell, a paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, identified a layer of carbon around dinosaur embryos formed over 200 million years ago that they think was a soft eggshell!

Unaltered fossils contain minerals that were biologically produced; these include apatite (in bones and teeth and rarely in exoskeletons, hardness = 5), calcite (calcium carbonate found in many organisms such as shells, hardness = 3, fizzes in acid), aragonite (similar to calcite, but an unstable polymorph) and opal (a type of silica found in marine animals and plants, hardness = 7). In addition, the hard parts (exoskeleton) of some insects and arthropods are made of chitin, a polysaccharide related to cellulose. If you can identify the minerals present in a fossil, you can distinguish if it is original material or altered.

Alteration of hard parts is much more common in fossils and happens when original skeletal material is either permineralized, recrystallized, replaced, carbonized, or dissolved (Table 6.1).

Trace fossils, which we discussed in Chapter 4, are not really fossils but the evidence that organisms affected the sediment by burrowing, walking, or even leaving behind excrement or vomit. No kidding, there is fossil poop; this kind of trace fossil is called a “coprolite,” from the Greek word kopros , meaning dung. One last rare type of trace fossil is gastroliths, extremely smooth polished stones that aided digestion in dinosaurs and crocodilia. These are more highly polished than stream-worn gravels. Gastroliths found in Jurassic sediments in Wyoming may have been carried by sauropods over 1600 kilometers from their source in Wisconsin.

3-D Model Box 6.1 – Molds

This model shows a preserved fossil shell on the right (not a cast, original) and an external mold on the left of the ammonoid cephalopod Gunnarites sp. from the Cretaceous Lopez de Bertodano Formation of Snow Hill Island, Antarctica. The fossil specimen is from the collections of the Paleontological Research Institution , Ithaca, New York. The diameter of the specimen (not including surrounding rock) is approximately 9 cm.

Cephalopod: Gunnarites sp. (PRI 61543) by Digital Atlas of Ancient Life on Sketchfab

This is an example of an internal (1) and external (2) mold of the gastropod Cassidaria mirabilis from the Cretaceous of Snow Hill Island, Antarctica. The specimen is from the collections of the Paleontological Research Institution , Ithaca, New York. It is approximately 6 cm in length (not including surrounding rock).

Gastropod: Cassidaria mirabilis (PRI 58468) by Digital Atlas of Ancient Life on Sketchfab

More 3-D models on fossil preservation can be found at the Digital Atlas of Ancient Life .

If you ever get asked by a friend to help identify a fossil, watch out for pseudofossils, which are accidents of diagenesis that look like a fossil but are just weird sedimentary formations. Pseudofossils include septarian nodules that are mistaken for reptile skin or turtle shells, concretions are mistaken for eggs, and manganese oxide dendrites mistaken for ferns moss.

6.3 Handling of Fossils

Some fossils are incredibly fragile. Some delicate samples are prepared by air abrasion with talcum powder to remove the matrix. For some trilobite specimens, this takes thousands of hours to expose their delicate features. Some fossils you will use may be easy to replace and others impossible. Others may be part of a faculty member’s personal collection. Only handle the specimens that your instructor says you can. If you are taking this lab when teaching is face-to-face in a lab setting, you will handle both real and replica specimens of fossils. While these may have been around for millions or billions of years and seem like they are now rocks, they need to be treated with respect. Some of the fossils that you may handle may be the only specimen of their kind in the collection. Some of the larger specimens may be heavy, especially those that are molds filled with sediment. Never try to scratch the specimens for hardness. Also, never use acid as a mineral test. Finally, if you break or steal a specimen, you will be charged for its replacement.

You are free to make sketches or photograph the specimens. If you do this, you may want to put a scale in the image, such as a coin or ruler. This will help you remember the size of the object. Some specimens will have labels or numbers written on them, and others will not because they may be too fragile to even be written on. You must put each specimen back in its appropriate box or location in a lab tray. Also, do not move any of the paper labels from the boxes. This will prevent confusion for other lab students.

If you’ve wondered how to start your own fossil collection, you can either find them on your own or buy them. The price of fossils for sale ranges from cheap to outrageously expensive. For example, in 2020, an anonymous collector bought a fossil Tyrannosaurus rex, nicknamed Stan, for $31.85 million. This specimen only had 188 bones and was one of the most complete of its species. If this is beyond your budget, you can find inexpensive fossils such as fossilized snails from Morocco for only $0.30 each.

Exercise 6.2 – Identifying Types of Fossil Preservation

Inspect the first set of samples and fill out the table with information about the presence of original biologic material, positive and negative relief, and mineral composition of the samples. Identify the mode of preservation of the fossils. Use the flowchart in Figure 6.10 to help.

*Note that you may not see relief or be able to identify the mineral. Leave these blank if necessary.

Critical Thinking:  Why is replacement the most common mode of preservation?

Exercise 6.3 – Thinking about Preservation

The way an organism can become fossilized depends on many things. Below are some examples to think about.

• What is the grain size of the surrounding rock? ____________________

Exercise 6.4 – Modes of Preservation in an Ancient Reef

During the Permian time, 299 to 252 million years ago, an extensive reef system grew in west Texas at the edge of a small inland marine basin that extended over 26,000 km² (10,000 square miles). Now it is called the Delaware basin, home to a major oil field (Figure 6.11). This reef is now exposed in three mountain ranges; Apache , Guadalupe , and Glass Mountains. Elsewhere, the reef is now buried around the entire rim of the basin. The northernmost exposure of the reef is part of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. It is home to Carlsbad Caverns, which has the largest underground chamber in the United States. The reef was home to many fossils , including ammonoids, bryozoans, algae, sponges, brachiopods, gastropods, pelecypods, echinoids, fusulinids, trilobites, corals, and crinoids.

Unlike modern coral reefs, such as the Great Barrier reef of Australia or the reefs off the coast of Florida and Belize , it was constructed from sponge s, algae, and lacy animals called bryozoa . One magnificent exposure of this reef is El Capitan in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park . The reef is subdivided into three parts: back reef, reef, and fore reef. Each had its own unique ecosystem as well as lithology and preservation. The deep part of this basin reached depths of almost 800 meters (½ mile) and is where a lot of organic matter was deposited, leaving black shales – the source of petroleum.

The Delaware inland sea had a narrow outlet to the Panthalassan ocean, much like the Black Sea today. However, after ~30 million years, the entrance got restricted, and the basin started to dry up, forming extensive evaporite deposits (Castille and Salado Formations). This created supersaturated, acidic brines that started to dissolve the underlying carbonate reef, forming extensive caves and karst that you can now visit at Carlsbad Caverns National Park and Lechuguilla Cave , the 8th longest explored cave in the world at ~220 km or 138 miles long. These brines also dissolved the silica-rich sponges that formed the reef and affected the fossil preservation in parts of this Permian reef system.

Google Street View in Google Maps has recorded many of the trails in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Start at either McKittrick Canyon or the trail to Guadalupe Peak and drag the orange person icon onto one of the trails to see views of the massive limestone reef.

The stratigraphy of this basin is complicated because it varies with time and position in the reef. According to recent sequence stratigraphic analysis, there were up to six transgressive-regressive sequences in this basin (Kerans and Kempter, 2002). Figure 6.13 gives a simplified stratigraphy for the basin during the Permian.

Fossils in the Capitan Formation of the Glass Mountains are uniquely preserved (see Figure 6.4). Paleontologists found that it is easy to dissolve away the host carbonate in weak acid and leave behind spectacular specimens.

• The mineral in these fossils is harder than glass and does not fizz as it is no longer a carbonate. Sometimes this mineral is just a coating, and other times the entire fossil is this new mineral.
• What is the mineral? ____________________
• What is the mode of preservation for these fossils? ____________________

• Using Figure 6.15, what type of sediment is this fossil found in? ____________________
• What is this mode of preservation for this fossil? ____________________

• What is the mode of preservation for these fossils? Note, there could be more than one mode of preservation. ____________________
• Which part of the reef were these fossils found? Back reef, reef, fore reef or basin? ____________________

Additional Information

Exercise contributions.

Virginia Sisson and Daniel Hauptvogel

Casella, L.A., Griesshaber, E., Yin, X., Ziegler, A., Mavromatis, V., Müller, D., Ritter, A.-C., Hippler, D., HarperE.M/, Dietzel, M., Immenhauser, A., Schöne, B.R., Angiolini, L., and Schmahl, W.W., 2017, Biogeosciences , 14, 1461–1492,  doi:10.5194/bg-14-1461-2017.

Cooper, G.A., and Grant, R.E., 1964, New Permian stratigraphic units in Glass Mountains, West Texas:  American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin  48: 1581-1588.

Cooper, G.A., and Grant, R.E. 1966. Permian rock units in the Glass Mountains, West Texas, In: Contributions to stratigraphy, 1966:  U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin  1244-E: E1-E9.

Kerans, C., and Kempter, K., 2002, Hierarchical stratigraphic analysis of a carbonate platform, Permian of the Guadalupe Mountains: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology (American Association of Petroleum Geologists/Datapages Discovery Series No. 5), CD-ROM.

Norell, M.A., Weimann, J., Fabbri, M., Yu, C., Marsicano, C.A., Moore-Nall, A., Varricchio, D.J., Pol, D., and Zelinitsky, D.A., 2020,  The first dinosaur egg was soft . Nature, 583, 406-410, Published online June 17, 2020. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2412-8

Olszewski, T.D. and Erwin, D.H. 2009. Change and stability in Permian brachiopod communities from western Texas.  Palaios  24: 27-40.

Ritter, S., and Peterson, M., 2015, Interpreting Earth History: A Manual in Historical Geology, Eighth Edition, Waveland Press Inc., 291 pp.

Scholle, P.A., Goldstein, R.H., and Ulmer-Scholle, D.S., 2007, Classic Upper Paleozoic reefs and bioherms of west Texas and New Mexico: A field guide to the Guadalupe and Sacramento Mountains of west Texas and New Mexico. New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources Open File Report 504,  178 pp.

Tapanila, L., Pruitt, J., Pradel,  A., Wilga, C.D., Ramsay, J.D., Schlader, R., and Didier, D.D., 2013, Jaws for a spiral-tooth whorl: CT images reveal novel adaptation and phylogeny in fossil Helicoprion.  Biology Letters, 9, 20130057. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2013.0057

Google Earth Locations

an animal lacking a backbone such as a clam or worm

an animal with a backbone such a dog or cat

a geologic period that spans 47 million years at the end of the Paleozoic era, from the end of the Carboniferous period (298.9 Ma) to the beginning of the Mesozoic era with Triassic period (251.902 Ma)

multicellular organisms with bodies full of pores allowing water to circulate through them. They are made of collagen and some have silica-rich spicules.

a type of aquatic invertebrate animals. They are filter feeders that extract food particles out of the water using tentacles.

a super ocean that surrounded all of the supercontinent Pangea

a type of sediment that consists of water-soluble minerals deposited after concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution

The Story of Earth: An Observational Guide Copyright © by Daniel Hauptvogel & Virginia Sisson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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10 Fossil Activities To Spark Curiosity & Wonder

April 21, 2023 //  by  Lauren Du Plessis

Get ready to embark on a thrilling adventure into the world of fossils with these captivating activities that are designed to spark students’ curiosity and wonder. Unearth the mysteries of prehistoric life as we explore the incredible processes of fossilization and paleontology. Through hands-on, interactive experiences, students will delve into Earth’s ancient past; igniting a passion for natural history and developing a deeper understanding of our ever-changing planet. So, let’s grab our excavation tools and set off on an extraordinary journey to uncover the fascinating stories hidden within these ancient treasures.

1. Fossil Excavation

Transform your classroom into an archaeological dig site and let your students become budding paleontologists! This exciting, hands-on activity allows students to uncover and analyze hidden fossils, develop observation and analysis skills, and understand how fossils are discovered.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Bury replica or model fossils in a large container filled with sand, soil, or another suitable material.

2. Provide students with excavation tools such as brushes, trowels, and magnifying glasses.

3. Instruct students to carefully excavate the fossils; documenting their findings along the way.

4. Once the fossils are unearthed, have students identify and research their discoveries.

Learn More: Little Bins For Little Hands

2. Creating Your Own Fossils

Let your students experience the fascinating process of fossilization by creating their very own fossils! Using everyday materials, they’ll craft replicas that showcase the unique features of different fossils. They’ll come to understand the process of fossilization and explore different types of fossils.

1. Gather materials such as modeling clay, plaster of Paris, and a few items that can be used to create imprints (e.g., leaves, shells, or toy dinosaurs).

2. Instruct students to press their chosen items into the clay to create a mold.

3. Fill the mold with plaster of Paris and allow it to dry.

4. Carefully remove the hardened plaster from the mold to reveal the students’ fossil replicas.

Learn More: Rainy Day Mum

3. Fossil Identification Game

Turn your students into fossil detectives with this thrilling identification game! They’ll closely examine various fossils to determine their origin, type, and age. Help your students develop their observation skills while identifying different types of fossils. 

1. Collect an assortment of replicas or model fossils for students to examine.

2. Divide students into teams and provide each team with a set of fossils.

3. Challenge students to identify each fossil using reference materials and prior knowledge.

4. Have each team present their findings and discuss the unique features of each fossil.

4. Fossil Timeline

Take your students on a journey through time with a captivating fossil timeline activity! Students will explore Earth’s history by arranging fossils in chronological order; illustrating the progression of life on our planet. They will gain an understanding of the concept of geological time while visualizing the progression of life on Earth.

1. Provide students with a set of fossils or images of fossils- each representing a different time period.

2. Instruct students to research the age of each fossil.

3. Have students arrange the fossils or images in chronological order to create a visual representation of Earth’s history.

4. Discuss the timeline as a class as you highlight major events and changes in Earth’s history.

5. Paleontologist Role Play

Immerse your students in the world of paleontology with an interactive role-play activity! Students will take on the roles of paleontologists, museum curators, and more, as they share their knowledge and passion for fossils. Encourage collaboration and help your students to apply their knowledge of fossils in a real-world context.

1. Divide students into groups and assign each group a specific role related to paleontology (e.g., field researchers, museum curators, or lab technicians).

2. Provide students with information and resources related to their assigned roles, and give them time to prepare a presentation or demonstration for the class.

3. Have each group present their role to the class; explaining their responsibilities, the tools they use, and how their work contributes to the study of fossils.

4. Facilitate a class discussion about the different roles and their importance in understanding Earth’s history.

Learn More: Youtube

6. Dinosaur Fossil Diorama

Let your students’ creativity shine as they craft mesmerizing dinosaur fossil dioramas! By designing a prehistoric scene, your learners will gain a deeper understanding of the environment in which these magnificent creatures lived. Learn about prehistoric environments and encourage creativity and artistic expression.

1. Provide students with a variety of materials to create their dioramas. They can use anything from shoeboxes, modeling clay, paint, and toy dinosaurs. 

2. Instruct students to research the habitat and era of their chosen dinosaurs; using this information to guide the design of their dioramas.

3. Allow students to work individually or in groups; incorporating elements such as plants, water sources, and other prehistoric creatures.

4. Have students present their dioramas to the class and explain the choices they made in designing their prehistoric scenes.

Learn More: YouTube

7. Fossil Hunt Field Trip

Embark on a thrilling fossil hunt field trip that will leave your students buzzing with excitement! Exploring local fossil sites will provide students with a hands-on learning experience that will deepen their understanding of paleontology. They’ll discover local fossils and apply their knowledge in a real-world setting.

Tips for organizing a successful field trip:

1. Research local fossil sites, museums, or parks where students can search for and learn about fossils.

2. Coordinate with the site or museum to arrange a guided tour or educational program.

3. Obtain necessary permissions and chaperones for the trip.

4. Prepare students for the field trip by discussing what they will see and do, and reviewing safety guidelines and expectations.

5. Encourage students to document their findings and experiences during the field trip, and hold a debriefing session afterward to discuss their discoveries.

8. Fossil Jigsaw Puzzle

Immerse your students in a large-scale, fossil jigsaw puzzle challenge! As they collaborate to assemble the pieces, they’ll delve into the fascinating world of various fossils; sparking insightful discussions along the way. Students will come to understand the variety of fossils while developing good teamwork and problem-solving skills.

1. Print or create large images of various fossils; dividing each image into puzzle pieces.

2. Mix up the puzzle pieces and distribute them among the students in your class.

3. Have learners then work together to assemble the puzzle; discussing each fossil as they piece the puzzle together. 

9. Fossil Fact or Fiction

Engage your students in a captivating game of Fossil Fact or Fiction! They’ll put their critical thinking skills to the test as they determine the truth behind intriguing statements about fossils. Furthermore, students will reinforce their knowledge about fossils and develop critical thinking skills.

1. Prepare a list of statements about fossils- some of which need to be true whilst the others are false. 

2. Divide students into teams and give each team a “Fact” and “Fiction” card.

3. Read the statements aloud and have the teams decide which category they fall into; holding up the appropriate card once they’ve made their decision.

4. Award points for correct answers and provide explanations for each statement.

10. Fossil Storytelling

Ignite your students’ creativity as they embark on a storytelling journey through prehistoric times! Based on their research of a specific fossil, students will craft an imaginative story or comic strip that features their assigned prehistoric creature. This is a great way to encourage creativity and get your students to apply their knowledge of fossils to imaginative scenarios.

1. Assign each student a specific fossil or prehistoric creature to research.

2. Have students create a story or comic strip featuring their assigned creature using facts they’ve learned about the creature’s appearance, habitat, and behavior.

3. Encourage students to share their stories or comic strips with the class.

Fossils Lesson Plans

If you are an earth science teacher (or a biology teacher who is sneaking in some fossil activities during your geologic time unit) here is a list of activities to get you started!

2. Digfield School has a series of fossil lesson plans that can be found here .

4. Want to make your own fossils out of plaster of paris? Check out directions here .

9.  The American Museum of Natural History has a  drag-and-drop interactive  where students sort fossil layers from oldest to youngest. Great for relative dating practice.

13. Coprolites are fossilized dung. While that sounds pretty gross, they can be colorful and pretty! Scientists can observe coprolites and learn about what the organism ate and make inferences about their habitat. Learn how to make your own coprolite for students to explore here .

14. Here is a “fossilize me” card game from Science Friday.

If you are teaching a geology unit, be sure to check out my rocks blog post for more resources!

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Fossil Lesson Plan Intro: Using The “Magic Bag”

This fossil lesson plan is used as an introduction to fossils. It is both fun and interesting for children of all ages, with some adaptation. There are 2 variations on this page, The first is for older students, middle and high school students. The second is designed for elementary students. Scroll down for fossil lesson plan for elementary students.

Fossil Lesson Intro: Using the “magic bag” with older students

Note: I did this lesson with middle school students who were mesmerized throughout the introduction. We passed the closed bags around to give the opportunity to compare the sensory impressions. The students began to make predictions about the fossils contained in the bags. We kept passing until the students thought they were back to their original bag—this, too, inspired discussion and critical thinking.

Number of Students For This Fossil Lesson Plan:

• Best for up to 15 just for management issues; however, could do with twice that number, and have two students share one bag. With younger children, work with smaller numbers in the group.

• A few different fossils (one for each student or pair of students)
• Small “jewelry bags” to contain one fossil each
• Reference books for identification of the fossils

Fossil Lesson Plan Process:

• Have students sit in a circle on the floor—better yet, a carpeted floor, just in case the fossil falls.
• Before you hand them a “magic bag,” Talk about “What is old?” Have the children travel back in time to define old things. The distance in time will vary greatly depending on the age of the students. (I’ve done this successfully with 12-15 year olds. It was especially effective when my schedule had allowed for previous experience with the Clock of Eras.) Ask them how they would have to handle something that was 300 million years old? Emphasis is on the fragility of the fossils. Let them know that when you hand them a bag, they are only to carefully explore with their fingers through the fabric bag. NO PEEKING YET!
• Hand out a bag to each child. Ask the students to carefully feel the fossil inside without looking at it. Have them describe how it feels. They could predict the type of fossil it might be. You could include a discussion of the body parts of the animal fossil they could be holding. Depending on the age and experience of the students, you could also discuss classifications: shells often indicate mollusks, but could also be an echinoderm or arthropod. Discuss how a fossil is formed: cast, mold, actual animal body, etc. Ask the student to make a guess from feeling through the bag as to the type of fossil the bag might contain.
• Invite the students to carefully remove their fossil from the bag. Have them reflect on whether the fossil looked as they expected. Have the students make visual observations as they did with the tactile observations: body parts visible, possible classification, etc.
• Identify the fossils using reference books. Have students fill out the identification card and set up a small museum for others to enjoy. If you are doing this activity with only a few children, work on making a collection or display for the home. A Fossil Lesson Plan For: Elementary students: The Magic Bag Put one sturdy fossil in a single large bag so the children don’t see it. Fossils that are good for this are those that have deep ridges or clear shapes, like a brachiopod, an unpolished orthoceras or a trilobite. Pass the bag around and have the children feel the fossil through the bag. As children imagine the contents, have them create questions, like a “20 Questions” game, with only yes or no answers. You can give the answers, but don’t be too easy or general. The more your “yes” answers are saved for really accurate details, the better questions you’ll get. Examples: Is this an animal? Does it live in the ocean? Can you see it at a zoo? Can you see it in a museum? After the questions are answered, the students can begin to make guesses about the contents. Once the animal is exposed, identify it using research books (or you could reveal the name yourself) and write its name on a card or label. Display the fossil and its name card on a shelf along with prepared question cards to encourage research. You might also purchase or prepare booklets that contain the answers to the questions on the cards within the reading. Placing the booklets on the shelf next to the fossil and the questions will encourage reading and research. For further research writing, your question cards could be printed individually with spaces for writing the answers. This would be a wonderful preparation for note taking and research paper writing. (Your students’ later teachers would bless you!) If you want to extend this fossil lesson plan into writing a research paper as individual students or as a class, follow these steps: Help your students to sort the information cards into logical groups. Lead the discussion to create a topic sentence for each group of information cards. Organize the cards into a logical order. As needed, write good quality sentences that share the information contained on the cards. When you have finished, you will have created a logical, well-organized research paper.

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Fossils Close Reading and Hands-on Unit

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Description

Fossils Unit:  Students will be completely engaged with the rich science information and fossil activities! Includes fossil worksheets and fossil interactive notebook flaps. This fossil integrated unit allows students to participate in critical thinking, read nonfiction passages, and engage in hands-on activities about fossils.

This resource includes:

• directions for making a fossil replica
• five pages of informational text passages
• comprehension questions
• response pages
• answer keys
• a review game

This resource addresses the disciplinary core ideas of Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity and Earth’s Place in the Universe. See more about teaching  Fossils as Evidence of Earth’s History.

The labs use inexpensive materials such as a plastic bowl, modeling clay, seashell, and plaster of Paris (very inexpensive and can be purchased in any craft or home improvement store).

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Critical Thinking Questions

• Biomes groups terrestrial organisms only on the basis of similar habitat conditions.
• Organisms belonging to a similar biome have dissimilarities in their makeup.
• There is variation within different types of biomes that biome categorization does not capture.
• Terrestrial biomes are defined based only on the growth form of the dominant vegetation.
• The ecosystem is either recreated or partitioned in both the experiments, which may alter the dynamics of the ecosystem the experiments are aiming to analyze.
• In both the experiments, dynamics of the ecosystem may get altered due to differences in species numbers and diversity although there are no alterations in the environment.
• In both the experiments, the ecosystem is recreated which may alter the dynamics of the ecosystem the experiments are aiming to analyze.
• Altering a natural ecosystem through partitioning, which occurs in both the experiments may change its dynamics due to differences in species numbers and diversity.
• An analytical model would be ideal because they can address simple, linear ecosystem components that are mathematically complex.
• A simulation model would be ideal because they can address simple, linear systems that are mathematically complex.
• An analytical model would be ideal as they are considered ecologically more realistic than any other model.
• A simulation model would be ideal because it uses numerical techniques to solve problems and visualize the complex relationships that exist in the ecosystem.
• Both food chain and food web follow a single path as energy is transferred in an ecosystem. Food chains are easier to follow and experiment with but less accurate whereas food webs are more holistic and complex.
• Both food web and food chain describe energy transfer dynamics in an ecosystem. Food chains are non-linear systems which are easier to follow and experiment with whereas food webs are linear, holistic and can be directly used as input for simulation models.
• Both food chain and food web follow a single path as energy is transferred in an ecosystem. Food chains are linear systems, easier to follow and used directly as input for simulation models, whereas food webs are non-linear, accurate, holistic and flexible for analytical modeling.
• Both food web and food chain describe energy transfer dynamics in an ecosystem. Food chains are linear systems, easier to follow and experiment with whereas food webs are non-linear, accurate and holistic and can be directly used as input for simulation models.
• Lightening is a type of natural disturbance whereas pollution is a human related disturbance. Both are of concern to conservationists because they affect the entire ecosystem.
• Fire is a type of natural disturbances whereas agriculture is a human related disturbance. Both types are of concern to conservationists because ecosystems cannot bounce back from a disturbance.
• Pollution is a type of natural disturbance whereas lightening is a human related disturbance. Both are of concern to conservationists because they alter ecosystems.
• Lightening is a type of natural disturbance whereas pollution is a human related disturbance. Both are of concern to conservationists because they alter ecosystems.

The image shows the biomass pyramid in a marine ecosystem.

Based on this pyramid, make a claim about phytoplankton.

• Phytoplankton have very high net production efficiency compared to rest of the animals.
• Phytoplankton have very low net production efficiency compared to rest of the animals.
• Phytoplankton are physically very small compared to the rest of the animals shown here.
• Phytoplankton are physically large compared to the rest of the animals shown here.

The pyramid on the left shows the population numbers of primary producers, and primary, secondary and tertiary consumers. The pyramid on the right gives their biomass.

Which option decribes this ecosystem?

• A grassland where primary producers are grasses.
• A desert environment where the primary producers are short bushes.
• A coral reef where the primary producers are the corals.
• A mature forest where the primary producers are large trees.
• The three types of ecosystem pyramids are pyramids of energy, number and biomass out of which number and energy pyramids can be inverted. Examples of inverted pyramids of number and energy are temperate forests in summer and phytoplankton in the English Channel respectively.
• The three types of ecosystem pyramids are pyramids of energy, number and biomass out of which number and biomass pyramids can be inverted. Examples of inverted pyramids of number and biomass are temperate forests in summer and phytoplankton in the English Channel respectively.
• The three types of ecosystem pyramids are pyramids of energy, number and biomass out of which number and biomass pyramids can be inverted. Examples of inverted pyramids of number and biomass are temperate forests in summer and Silver Springs ecosystem in Florida respectively.
• The three types of ecosystem pyramids are pyramids of energy, number and biomass out of which number and biomass pyramids can be inverted. Examples of inverted pyramids of number and biomass are grasslands in summer and phytoplankton in the English Channel respectively.
• Net primary productivity incorporates features like production at present and next trophic levels, whereas gross primary productivity does not.
• Net primary productivity is the rate at which photosynthetic primary producers incorporate energy from the sun.
• As net primary productivity is the energy content available to the organisms of the next trophic level.
• As respiration and heat loss uses energy of the primary producer, therefore, net primary productivity is what is actually available to primary consumers.

A research study explored the results of adding nitrogen (nutrients) to plants in various ecosystems. The graphs represent their findings. The left graph shows biodiversity (SR - species diversity) and the right graph shows the population (IA - individual abundance).

Make a claim based on these graphs.

• An abundance of nutrients effect all plant species equally.
• Some species outcompete others in presence of abundant nitrogen sources.
• Nitrogen causes plant biomass to decrase.
• Low levels of nitrogen addition has no effect on plant populations.

The image shows carbon reservoirs and carbon cycling. The red numbers represent changes to the carbon cycle due to human activities. The numbers near the arrows are yearly changes, while the numbers in the reservoir represent total change over many years.

What is the greatest reservoir for carbon on Earth?

• The atmosphere.
• The fossil fuels.
• The oceans.
• The vegetation.
• hydrogen sulfide, which leaves the atmosphere as weak sulfur dioxide rain
• sulfur dioxide, which leaves the atmosphere as weak sulfur dioxide rain
• hydrogen sulfide, which leaves the atmosphere as weak sulfuric acid rain
• sulfur dioxide, which leaves the atmosphere as weak sulfuric acid rain

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Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/biology-ap-courses/pages/1-introduction

• Authors: Julianne Zedalis, John Eggebrecht
• Publisher/website: OpenStax
• Book title: Biology for AP® Courses
• Publication date: Mar 8, 2018
• Location: Houston, Texas
• Book URL: https://openstax.org/books/biology-ap-courses/pages/1-introduction
• Section URL: https://openstax.org/books/biology-ap-courses/pages/37-critical-thinking-questions

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