Chapter 8: Fossils
NGSS (Science Standard Addressed)
- ESS2.B: Plate tectonics and large-scale system interactions
Big Ideas
Fossils are any naturally preserved evidence of life
Fossils are any naturally preserved evidence of life
- A fossil can be of anything that makes an impression
- A fossil is actually minerals or sediment that have filled in a mold, not bone or tissue
- Fossil fuels take millions of years to form
- Petroleum is formed from primarily the remains of organisms that once lived in the sea
- Coal is formed from swamp plants that have died and sunk to the bottom of the swamp
- Most of the world's oil resources are found in the Middle East
- The Earth is approximately 4.6 billion years old
- In sedimentary rock, the oldest layers are at the bottom
- Fossil evidence shows that the continents have moved over time
- Organisms with hard tissues are most likely to fossilize
Required Readings and Lessons (Chapter 8)
- How Do Fossils Form? pp.304-310 After Reading Assessment I
- What Do Fossils Tell Us About Earth? pp.314-316 After Reading Assessment II
- What Do Fossils Tell Us About Life in the Past? pp.320-326 After Reading Assessment III
Above and Beyond Options