How Palaeontologists Work

PROCEDURAL

Science›Dinosaurs & Paleontology|Ages 9—11|ID: mt_JBWMqZVO7S

Describe how palaeontologists work in the field and lab: prospecting for exposed fossils, careful excavation with hand tools, plaster jacketing for transport, preparation in the lab, and scientific description and publication

Mastery Evidence

List the main stages: prospecting, excavation, jacketing, transport, preparation, study, display
Explain why careful excavation with small tools is necessary to avoid damaging the fossil
Describe plaster jacketing as wrapping fossils in plaster for safe transport to a lab

Assessment Prompt

“Can [child] describe the steps a palaeontologist goes through from first spotting a fossil in a cliff to it ending up on display in a museum?”

Prerequisites4

Fossilised Dinosaur Dung
softAges 7—9
Types of Fossils
softAges 7—9
How Fossils Form
hardAges 7—9
Reading Dinosaur Trackways
softAges 7—9

Show full prerequisite tree

Fossilised Dinosaur Dung soft
Describing palaeontological field and lab work includes coprolite analysis as an example of trace fossil interpretation — students who know what coprolites are and what they reveal will understand the breadth of palaeontological methods
- Types of Fossils hard
  Coprolites are a type of trace fossil — must understand the category first
  - Fossils & Palaeontologists hard
    Must understand what fossils are before distinguishing body vs trace fossils
    - Dinosaurs Were Real hard
      Must understand dinosaurs are extinct before learning fossils are how we know about them
  - How Fossils Form soft
    Understanding formation helps contextualise different fossil types
    - Fossils & Palaeontologists hard
      Must understand what fossils are before learning how they form in detail
      - Dinosaurs Were Real hard
        Must understand dinosaurs are extinct before learning fossils are how we know about them
    - Real Dinosaurs vs Fiction soft
      Understanding how fossils form (and that fossil evidence is the basis of dinosaur science) is enriched by the prior understanding that dinosaurs are real animals distinct from fictional or commonly-confused creatures — scientific reasoning starts from accurate categorisation
      - Famous Dinosaur Species hard
        Must know some dinosaurs before distinguishing them from non-dinosaurs
        
        Dinosaurs Were Real hard
        Must understand dinosaurs existed before learning to name species
    - How fossils form soft
      Curriculum fossil formation topic (GB Y3) directly underpins detailed dinosaur fossil formation understanding
      - Properties of materials hard
        Must examine rocks before understanding how fossils form within rock
        
        Grouping Materials soft
        Grouping materials by properties supports grouping rocks by properties
        
        Describing Material Properties hard
        Must describe properties before using them to group materials
        
        States of Matter Vocabulary soft
        Describing physical properties of materials uses solid/liquid/gas vocabulary introduced in the states of matter LANGUAGE node
        
        Naming Everyday Materials hard
        Must name materials before describing their properties
        
        Objects vs Materials hard
        Must distinguish objects from materials before naming specific materials
      - Living, Dead & Never Alive soft
        Understanding living vs dead supports understanding what gets fossilised
        
        Common Plants & Trees soft
        Knowing plant names helps distinguish living from non-living
        
        Living Things Vocabulary hard
        Comparing living, dead, and never-been-alive things requires the life processes vocabulary to give reasons
        
        Naming Common Animals soft
        Knowing animal groups helps distinguish living from non-living
- Plant-Eaters vs Meat-Eaters soft
  Understanding herbivore/carnivore classification helps interpret coprolite contents
  - Herbivores, Carnivores & Omnivores soft
    Curriculum herbivore/carnivore/omnivore classification provides foundation for dinosaur diet sorting
    - Naming Common Animals hard
      Must identify animal groups before classifying by diet
  - Famous Dinosaur Species soft
    Knowing common species helps when sorting them by diet
    - Dinosaurs Were Real hard
      Must understand dinosaurs existed before learning to name species
  - Dinosaurs Were Real hard
    Must understand dinosaurs existed before classifying their diets
Types of Fossils soft
Understanding different fossil types helps contextualise what palaeontologists look for
- Fossils & Palaeontologists hard
  Must understand what fossils are before distinguishing body vs trace fossils
  - Dinosaurs Were Real hard
    Must understand dinosaurs are extinct before learning fossils are how we know about them
- How Fossils Form soft
  Understanding formation helps contextualise different fossil types
  - Fossils & Palaeontologists hard
    Must understand what fossils are before learning how they form in detail
    - Dinosaurs Were Real hard
      Must understand dinosaurs are extinct before learning fossils are how we know about them
  - Real Dinosaurs vs Fiction soft
    Understanding how fossils form (and that fossil evidence is the basis of dinosaur science) is enriched by the prior understanding that dinosaurs are real animals distinct from fictional or commonly-confused creatures — scientific reasoning starts from accurate categorisation
    - Famous Dinosaur Species hard
      Must know some dinosaurs before distinguishing them from non-dinosaurs
      - Dinosaurs Were Real hard
        Must understand dinosaurs existed before learning to name species
  - How fossils form soft
    Curriculum fossil formation topic (GB Y3) directly underpins detailed dinosaur fossil formation understanding
    - Properties of materials hard
      Must examine rocks before understanding how fossils form within rock
      - Grouping Materials soft
        Grouping materials by properties supports grouping rocks by properties
        
        Describing Material Properties hard
        Must describe properties before using them to group materials
        
        States of Matter Vocabulary soft
        Describing physical properties of materials uses solid/liquid/gas vocabulary introduced in the states of matter LANGUAGE node
        
        Naming Everyday Materials hard
        Must name materials before describing their properties
        
        Objects vs Materials hard
        Must distinguish objects from materials before naming specific materials
    - Living, Dead & Never Alive soft
      Understanding living vs dead supports understanding what gets fossilised
      - Common Plants & Trees soft
        Knowing plant names helps distinguish living from non-living
      - Living Things Vocabulary hard
        Comparing living, dead, and never-been-alive things requires the life processes vocabulary to give reasons
      - Naming Common Animals soft
        Knowing animal groups helps distinguish living from non-living
How Fossils Form hard
Must understand fossil formation before learning field excavation methods
- Fossils & Palaeontologists hard
  Must understand what fossils are before learning how they form in detail
  - Dinosaurs Were Real hard
    Must understand dinosaurs are extinct before learning fossils are how we know about them
- Real Dinosaurs vs Fiction soft
  Understanding how fossils form (and that fossil evidence is the basis of dinosaur science) is enriched by the prior understanding that dinosaurs are real animals distinct from fictional or commonly-confused creatures — scientific reasoning starts from accurate categorisation
  - Famous Dinosaur Species hard
    Must know some dinosaurs before distinguishing them from non-dinosaurs
    - Dinosaurs Were Real hard
      Must understand dinosaurs existed before learning to name species
- How fossils form soft
  Curriculum fossil formation topic (GB Y3) directly underpins detailed dinosaur fossil formation understanding
  - Properties of materials hard
    Must examine rocks before understanding how fossils form within rock
    - Grouping Materials soft
      Grouping materials by properties supports grouping rocks by properties
      - Describing Material Properties hard
        Must describe properties before using them to group materials
        
        States of Matter Vocabulary soft
        Describing physical properties of materials uses solid/liquid/gas vocabulary introduced in the states of matter LANGUAGE node
        
        Naming Everyday Materials hard
        Must name materials before describing their properties
        
        Objects vs Materials hard
        Must distinguish objects from materials before naming specific materials
  - Living, Dead & Never Alive soft
    Understanding living vs dead supports understanding what gets fossilised
    - Common Plants & Trees soft
      Knowing plant names helps distinguish living from non-living
    - Living Things Vocabulary hard
      Comparing living, dead, and never-been-alive things requires the life processes vocabulary to give reasons
    - Naming Common Animals soft
      Knowing animal groups helps distinguish living from non-living
Reading Dinosaur Trackways soft
Understanding how palaeontologists work in the field and lab includes the use of trace fossils like trackways as evidence — having previously studied trackway inference prepares students to understand fieldwork procedures more concretely
- Types of Fossils hard
  Must understand trace fossils before analysing trackways
  - Fossils & Palaeontologists hard
    Must understand what fossils are before distinguishing body vs trace fossils
    - Dinosaurs Were Real hard
      Must understand dinosaurs are extinct before learning fossils are how we know about them
  - How Fossils Form soft
    Understanding formation helps contextualise different fossil types
    - Fossils & Palaeontologists hard
      Must understand what fossils are before learning how they form in detail
      - Dinosaurs Were Real hard
        Must understand dinosaurs are extinct before learning fossils are how we know about them
    - Real Dinosaurs vs Fiction soft
      Understanding how fossils form (and that fossil evidence is the basis of dinosaur science) is enriched by the prior understanding that dinosaurs are real animals distinct from fictional or commonly-confused creatures — scientific reasoning starts from accurate categorisation
      - Famous Dinosaur Species hard
        Must know some dinosaurs before distinguishing them from non-dinosaurs
        
        Dinosaurs Were Real hard
        Must understand dinosaurs existed before learning to name species
    - How fossils form soft
      Curriculum fossil formation topic (GB Y3) directly underpins detailed dinosaur fossil formation understanding
      - Properties of materials hard
        Must examine rocks before understanding how fossils form within rock
        
        Grouping Materials soft
        Grouping materials by properties supports grouping rocks by properties
        
        Describing Material Properties hard
        Must describe properties before using them to group materials
        
        States of Matter Vocabulary soft
        Describing physical properties of materials uses solid/liquid/gas vocabulary introduced in the states of matter LANGUAGE node
        
        Naming Everyday Materials hard
        Must name materials before describing their properties
        
        Objects vs Materials hard
        Must distinguish objects from materials before naming specific materials
      - Living, Dead & Never Alive soft
        Understanding living vs dead supports understanding what gets fossilised
        
        Common Plants & Trees soft
        Knowing plant names helps distinguish living from non-living
        
        Living Things Vocabulary hard
        Comparing living, dead, and never-been-alive things requires the life processes vocabulary to give reasons
        
        Naming Common Animals soft
        Knowing animal groups helps distinguish living from non-living

Unlocks1

Changing Scientific Knowledge
softAges 9—11