New
New
Year 9

Fossils show that species change over time

I can explain what fossils are and how they provide evidence that species change over time.

New
New
Year 9

Fossils show that species change over time

I can explain what fossils are and how they provide evidence that species change over time.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Fossils provide evidence about organisms from long ago and their habitats.
  2. All fossils are the mineralised remains of once-living organisms or of traces left behind by organisms.
  3. Fossils show that some species have gone extinct.
  4. Fossils show that the features of some species have changed over time.
  5. There are limitations to the conclusions and explanations that can be made from fossil evidence.

Keywords

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

  • Organism - An organism is something that is living, or was once living but is now dead.

  • Minerals - Naturally occurring chemical compounds of elements such as carbon, calcium, silicon and iron.

  • Extinct - An extinct species has no living members.

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

Common misconception

Most students will be aware that bones can become fossilised but not realise that other remains such as wood or footprints can also become fossils too.

This lesson contains a broad range of examples of the types of remains that can become fossilised.

Many students will be unaware of the fantastic species that used to exist in the UK. This lesson is an excellent opportunity to introduce students to the fossils that can be found today on the Jurassic coast and discuss Mary Anning's contribution to palaeontology.
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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).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Features which make an organism suited to their environment are called ...
Correct Answer: adaptations
Q2.
What are living organisms made form?
Correct Answer: Cells
Q3.
What type of tissue are the skeletons of animals made from?
An image in a quiz
Muscle
Calcium
Blood
Correct answer: Bone
Q4.
How would you classify wood?
An image in a quiz
Living
Correct answer: Dead
Never been alive
Q5.
Where do we usually find fossils?
Correct answer: Under the ground in rocks.
In sand on a beach.
In living organisms.
Q6.
What does extinct mean?
The number of living members of a species has rapidly increased.
The number of living members of a species is small.
Correct answer: There are no living members of a species.

6 Questions

Q1.
What are the mineralised remains of once-living organisms, or the traces left behind by organisms called?
Correct Answer: fossils, a fossil
Q2.
What word is used to describe a species that has no living members?
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: extinct
Q3.
Put the steps in order to show how a fossil is formed.
An image in a quiz
1 - The organism died.
2 - The organism's remains were buried in sediment.
3 - The material around the organism was compacted to form rock.
4 - The organism's remains were dissolved by water seeping through the rock.
5 - The organism's remains were replaced by minerals.
Q4.
True or false? Only animals can become fossils.
An image in a quiz
True
Correct answer: False
Q5.
What can fossil evidence not tell us about an organism?
What the organism might have eaten.
What sort of habitat the organism lived in.
What time period the organism lived in.
The organism's shape and size.
Correct answer: The colour of an organism.
Q6.
Why are there gaps in the fossil record?
Correct answer: Fossils can be destroyed before they are found, e.g. earthquakes.
Correct answer: Conditions for creating fossils are very rare.
Correct answer: Many life forms were soft bodied and trace fossils are less likely to be formed.
Most fossils have been removed by humans for studying and displaying in museums.
The fossils are in the sea and we can't find them.
Q4 Hein Nouwens/Shutterstock