What fossils can tell us about the past
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe what fossils can tell us about things that lived in the past.
Key learning points
- Fossils are our best form of evidence about Earth's history, including the history of life
- Fossils can give us clues about living things that inhabited the Earth millions of years ago
- By studying the fossil record, we can tell how long life has existed on Earth
- Palaeontologists use the fossils they find to propose theories about living things from the past
- Theories about prehistoric living things change over time as we gather more evidence
Keywords
Evidence - Evidence is information that helps us to prove if something is true or not true.
Fossil record - The fossil record is the collective name for all of the fossil evidence gathered by scientists.
Fossil - A fossil is the remains or imprint of living things that are sometimes preserved in rock.
Theory - A theory is a carefully thought-out explanation for something about our world that is based on learning from scientific enquiry.
Palaeontologist - Palaeontologists study fossils as a guide to the history of life on Earth.
Common misconception
Pupils may have a limited view of what constitutes a fossil, such as only things that resemble skeletons or ammonite shells, and not recognise things like coprolites or plant imprints as fossils too.
Use the range of examples used in the lesson to make it clear to pupils that there are a wide range of different types of fossil and different types of organisms that become fossils.
Teacher tip
This lesson could be brought to life by giving pupils some real fossils to explore and perhaps use as alternatives or additions to those pictured for Task B. If there are no fossils currently in the school resources, local secondary schools or universities may have collections that can be borrowed.
Equipment
Images in additional materials for Task B.
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What are fossils?
Q2.Many prehistoric animals are now extinct. What does prehistoric mean?
Q3.What is a theory?
Q4.Most fossils are found in sedimentary rocks. What are sedimentary rocks?
Q5.Complete the sentence. Fossils form…
Q6.Which parts of living things usually become fossils?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What do palaeontologists use to gather clues about life on prehistoric Earth?
Q2. are our best form of evidence about the history of life on Earth.
Q3.The collective name for all of the fossil evidence that has been found and the ages of those fossils is called the fossil .
Q4.Palaeontologists make scientific theories using the evidence they gather from fossils. Which of these statements about theories are correct?
Q5.What deductions can palaeontologists make about animals using clues from their fossils?
Q6.Which of these cannot be learned by studying the fossil record?
To help you plan your 6 science lesson on: What fossils can tell us about the past, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 science lesson on: What fossils can tell us about the past, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 science lessons from the Evolution and inheritance unit, dive into the full primary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.