S2-U3L5 - What Are Fossils Part 2

What Are Fossils

Part 2

S2-U3L5

Dinosaur

An animal that lived on Earth millions of years ago

Dinosaur and Die begin with the same sound.

Dinosaurs died out long ago.

Extinct

- No longer living

Extinct has an X in it.

When you draw and X on something, you cross it out.

An extinct animal is crossed out because it is no longer living.

fossil

- What is left from a plant or animal that lived long ago

The sound in the middle of rock is the same as the sound in the first part of fossil.

Most fossils are found in rock.

Why is it useful to study fossils? 

Fossils can tell us what Earth used to be like. They can help us learn about plants and animals that are no longer alive and what types of plants and animals used to live in a certain place. 

What might dinosaur footsteps tell a scientist about the dinosaur that left them? 

• The footsteps might tell a scientist how big the dinosaur was, whether it walked on two or four feet, and whether it moved quickly or slowly.

What could the fossil of a dinosaur tooth tell us about the dinosaur that it once belonged to? 

The fossil of a tooth could tell us what the dinosaur it belonged to ate. 

How is a fossil like a clue in a mystery story?

• A fossil is like a clue because it is something left behind that can be studied to help us answer questions and learn about more about what Earth was like long ago. 

Multiple Select

List some examples of extinct animals.

• dinosaurs

• woolly mammoths

• dodo birds

• passenger pigeons

• saber-tooth cats

How would you describe an extinct animal?

• An extinct animal is an animal that is no longer living. 

Some plants and animals alive today are at risk of becoming extinct. Why should we be concerned about this? 

• We should be concerned because a plant or animal that becomes extinct will be gone from Earth forever. 

Endangered species in the Philippines

• Tarsier

• Philippine eagle

What characteristics might you find in a fossil from an animal that once lived under water? 

In the fossil of an animal that once lived under water, you might find fins, a tail, or shells. 

What characteristics might you find in a fossil from an animal that once lived on land? 

In the fossil of an animal that once lived on land, you might find fur, claws, or wings.

Multiple Select

What can fossils tell us about life long ago?

• Fossils can tell us about extinct plants and animals.

• Fossils tell us which animals are friends with each other.

• Fossils can also tell us how Earth has changed.

• Fossils can tell us how colorful was the world before.

Multiple Select

Do fossils come only from extinct plants and animals?

• yes

• no

Do fossils come only from extinct plants and animals?

No, fossils can be what is left of any animal or plant that is no longer living, not just ones that belong to extinct groups.

Multiple Select

Are all fossils bones?

• yes

• no

Are all fossils bones?

No, a fossil can be anything that shows that a living thing was once there, such as footprints or an imprint of an animal’s body or a plant’s parts.

Lesson S2-U3L5 Complete