How fossils form

CONCEPTUAL

Science›Earth's Systems|Ages 7—8|ID: mt_mwirOvigWD

Describe in simple terms how fossils are formed when things that have lived are trapped within rock over millions of years

Mastery Evidence

Describe the basic process: organism dies, gets buried in mud/sand, layers build up, material turns to rock over millions of years
Explain that the organism's shape is preserved as a fossil within the rock
Give examples of common fossils (shells, bones, leaf imprints, footprints)

Assessment Prompt

“Can [child] explain how a shell or bone from an ancient creature ended up preserved inside a rock?”

Curriculum Standards1 alignment

Y3.Sci.R.2The national curriculum in England

Fossil formation

describe in simple terms how fossils are formed when things that have lived are trapped within rock

Science · Key Stage 2

Prerequisites2

Properties of materials
hardAges 7—8
Living, Dead & Never Alive
softAges 6—7

Show full prerequisite tree

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

Unlocks3

Fossils as Evidence
hardAges 8—11
How fossils form
hardAges 9—10
How Fossils Form
softAges 7—9