fossil environments

5th Grade Science
Interactions in Ecosystems
Topic 6/Lesson 8

February 11, 2025

Multiple Choice

Which process will happen when the Sun interacts with the ocean?

• Rain will fall only on the land.

• Water will not evaporate at nighttime.

• Salt water will become fresh water vapor.

• Precipitation will happen less often.

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Topic 6: Interactions in Ecosystems

LO: SWBAT identify and describe past environments
based on fossil evidence.

SWBAT identificar y describir entornos pasados
basándose en pruebas fósiles.

DOL:SW correctlyidentify and describe past
environments based on fossil evidence in at least 4 of 5
questions.

SCI 4.12(C)* identify and describe past environments based on fossil evidence, including common Texas fossils

Open Ended

LETS THINK!!

How can we use fossils to learn about past environments?

¿Cómo podemos utilizar los fósiles para conocer entornos pasados?

Sentence Stem: We can use fossils to learn about past environments by _________.    

Podemos utilizar los fósiles para aprender sobre entornos pasados a través de _________.      

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Everyday Phenomenon

What do you notice and wonder about the fossil in the picture?
Where do you think it came from? Sentence stem: I think it came from .... I notice...

​Talk to your partner and then grab a response card and write your response!

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Fossils and Past Environments

1 Predict

Examine the fossils.
Think about the
environment the
animals may have
lived in long ago.
Discuss your
predictions.

2 Investigate

Follow the steps to
research the organism
that left fossils.

3 Analyze

Use your research to
identify which
environment the
organisms lived in.

4 Model

Compare the environment
where the fossils were
found to the environment
at the same location 100
million years ago.

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Fossils and Past Environments

Fossils

Organism Name

Type of Organism

Information about Organism

Pecten irregularis

bivalve mollusk

They are similar to scallops or clams.

They lived in saltwater.

Heteraster texanus

echinoderm

They are similar to sea urchins and
lived at the bottom of ocean floors.

Syringopora

coral

This type of coral lived in seawater.

Tylostoma tumidum

gastropod

This was a type of sea snail. They
lived buried in the sand in shallow

seas.

Fossils and Past Organisms

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What predictions can we make about the fossils in the picture?
Sentence stem: The predictions I can make are...

Studying fossils helps

scientists understand how

organisms lived and

interacted with each other

and their environment.
Fossils can show what

organisms’ body parts may

have looked like.

Fossils and Past Environments

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Fossils help scientists understand what past environments were like. For
example, fossilized ocean organisms found in Texas tell us that parts of Texas
were underwater in the past.
Los fósiles ayudan a los científicos a comprender cómo eran los entornos del
pasado. Por ejemplo, los organismos oceánicos fosilizados encontrados en
Texas nos dicen que algunas partes de Texas estuvieron bajo el agua en el
pasado.

SILENT SOLO
SOLO SILENCIO

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Let’s Revisit Our Everyday Phenomenon

What does this fossil tell us about how the environment in Texas has changed?
¿Qué nos dice este fósil sobre cómo ha cambiado el medio ambiente en Texas?

Sentence Stem: At first

I thought______now I

know

Tallo de la oración:

Al principio

pensé_______ahor

a sé

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Fossils and Past Environments

Which student do you agree with? Explain your answer.

Two students were having a discussion about the fossil found in a
desert displayed below. This is what they said:

Andrea

The fossil of the
ancient organism
suggests that it
once lived in an
aquatic habitat, as
indicated by the
presence of a fin.

Parker

The fossil of the
ancient organisms
suggests that it
once lived in a
desert because it
was found in a
desert
environment.

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SW correctly
identify and
describe past
environments based
on fossil evidence in
at least 4 of 5
questions.

Demonstration of Learning