Lesson 3: Fossils and Fossil Formation
Duration of Days: 4
Lesson Objective
Students will be able to explain how fossils form, identify types of fossils, and use fossil evidence to interpret past environments and organisms.
-How do fossils form over time?
-What conditions are required for fossil formation?
-What are the different types of fossils?
-How do fossils provide evidence of past environments?
-What can fossils tell us about organisms that no longer exist?
-Fossil
-Fossilization
-Sedimentation
-Sedimentary rock
-Mold fossil
-Cast fossil
-Trace fossil
-Body fossil
-Carbon film fossil
-Amber preservation
HS-ESS1-4 – Use fossil evidence to explain Earth’s history.
HS-LS4-1 – Construct explanations that species evolve over time.
NGSS Crosscutting Concepts
-Patterns
-Cause and Effect
-Stability and Change
-Students will interpret fossil diagrams and classify fossil types.
-Students will analyze fossil distribution data to infer environmental conditions.
-Students will construct explanations based on fossil evidence.
Students will investigate how fossils form and what they reveal about Earth’s past. Through hands-on classification and analysis, students will examine how organisms are preserved and what conditions allow fossilization.
Activities may include:
-Fossil identification and classification lab
-Modeling fossil formation processes
-Analyzing fossil imprint simulations
-Comparing fossil types and preservation methods
Purpose: Develop understanding of fossil formation as evidence of past life and environments
DOK Level: 3 – Strategic Thinking
-Museum fossil collections and paleontology research
-Fossil discoveries shaping understanding of evolution
-Regional fossil sites and geological history
-All organisms become fossils after death
-Fossils are only bones
-Fossils form quickly
-All fossils are found intact
-Hands-on fossil models
-Visual classification charts
-Guided lab procedures
-Word banks for vocabulary support
-Partner discussion of fossil types
-Fossil classification lab
-Diagram labeling
-Exit tickets on fossil formation
-Short constructed responses
-Fossil samples or replicas
-Sediment models
-Fossil formation diagrams
-Classification charts