New
New
Year 10
AQA
Foundation

The fossil record provides evidence for evolution

I can describe how the fossil record provides evidence that the features of species change (evolve) over time.

New
New
Year 10
AQA
Foundation

The fossil record provides evidence for evolution

I can describe how the fossil record provides evidence that the features of species change (evolve) over time.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The fossil record is made up of millions of fossils aged from 10,000 to billions of years old.
  2. Fossils show that some species have gone extinct.
  3. Fossils show that the features of some species have changed (evolved) over time.
  4. An example of a series of fossils showing changes from evolutionary ancestors to modern species (e.g. whales).

Common misconception

Students often struggle to remember that any organism (not just animals) can become a fossil

This is addressed in the lesson by including examples of fossilised plant and cell material. The first practice task also addresses this misconception.

Keywords

  • Fossil - Fossils are the mineralised remains of once-living organisms, or of traces left behind by organisms.

  • Fossil record - All the fossils ever found, and their ages, provide a body of evidence called the fossil record.

  • Extinct - An extinct species has no living members.

  • Evolution - The process in which the characteristics of species change over many generations, sometimes becoming new species.

Equipment

None required.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these things is a fossil?
a living organism
the remains of a dead organism
a rock
Correct answer: the mineralised remains of an organism in a rock
Q2.
Which of these things could become a fossil?
Correct answer: an animal
Correct answer: a plant
a rock
a metal can
Q3.
Which of these things could not become a fossil?
bacteria
Correct answer: coin
dung
Correct answer: toy
Q4.
Who correctly explains why it is unlikely that a jellyfish could become a fossil?
Aisha: “Jellyfish live in the ocean. Fossils can’t form there.”
Lucas: “It moves around too much and won’t get trapped in rock.”
Correct answer: Izzy: “It has a soft body and no bones, so a body fossil won’t form from it.”
Q5.
True or false? Every organism that dies becomes a fossil.
true
Correct answer: false
Q6.
Put the statements in order to explain how a dead organism can be turned into a fossil.
1 - The organism's remains are buried in a layer of sediment.
2 - More layers of sediment build up on top.
3 - The pressure turns the sediment to rock.
4 - Water seeps through and dissolves the remains of the organism.
5 - Minerals in the water replace the remains.

6 Questions

Q1.
When a rock contains the mineralised remains of a once-living organism, it is said to contain a ...
Correct Answer: fossil, fossil.
Q2.
How old are the oldest fossils ever found?
An image in a quiz
3.5 years old
3.5 thousand years old
3.5 million years old
Correct answer: 3.5 billion years old
Q3.
How old are the newest fossils ever found?
10 years old
Correct answer: 10 thousand years old
10 million years old
10 billion years old
Q4.
Match each term to the correct definition.
Correct Answer:fossil,the mineralised remains of a single dead organism

the mineralised remains of a single dead organism

Correct Answer:fossil record,all the fossils ever found and their ages

all the fossils ever found and their ages

Correct Answer:evolution,changes in the characteristics of a species over many generations

changes in the characteristics of a species over many generations

Q5.
Which fossil is the most recent evolutionary ancestor of the modern whale?
Ambulocetus
Correct answer: Dorudon
Indohyus
Pakicetus
Q6.
What can fossil evidence tell us?
What every individual in the species looked like.
Correct answer: What similarities are shared between modern species and their ancestors.
Correct answer: How the characteristics of species have changed (evolved) over time.
How many organisms existed in a particular time period.
The reasons why some species became extinct.