How Fossils Form
CONCEPTUALExplain in simple terms how fossils form: an organism dies and is quickly buried in sediment; over millions of years minerals replace the remains and the sediment turns to rock, preserving the shape
Mastery Evidence
- Describe the basic sequence: organism dies, buried in sediment, minerals replace remains over time
- Explain why fossilisation is rare — most organisms decompose before being buried
- Use the words 'sediment', 'minerals', and 'rock' correctly when explaining
Assessment Prompt
“If [child] made a salt-dough fossil at school, could they explain how real fossils form underground over millions of years?”
Prerequisites3
- Fossils & PalaeontologistshardAges 5—7
- Real Dinosaurs vs FictionsoftAges 5—7
- How fossils formsoftAges 7—8
Show full prerequisite tree
- 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
- How fossils form soft
Curriculum fossil formation topic (GB Y3) directly underpins detailed dinosaur fossil formation understanding
- States of Matter Vocabulary soft
Describing physical properties of materials uses solid/liquid/gas vocabulary introduced in the states of matter LANGUAGE node
- Living, Dead & Never Alive soft
Understanding living vs dead supports understanding what gets fossilised
- Living Things Vocabulary hard
Comparing living, dead, and never-been-alive things requires the life processes vocabulary to give reasons
Unlocks3
- Types of FossilssoftAges 7—9
- Rock Layers & Relative DatinghardAges 9—11
- How Palaeontologists WorkhardAges 9—11