Fossils

A fossil is

• the evidence of organisms that lived a long time ago.

• a cute picture

• a piece of candy

• the evidence that organisms never lived.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

An organism is

• a musical instrument, like a piano or keyboard.

• a non-living thing, like a laptop or tablet.

• a living thing, like a plant or animal.

• a video game, like Among Us or Roblox.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-1

What kind of environment is this?

• hot desert

• warm wooded

• cold mountain

• water environment

This is a warm wooded region. Which would be the BEST characteristic an animal needs to live in this environment?

• Fins to swim because there is only water in this environment.

• Ability to retain water because it is so hot and dry.

• Large skull to think because it is so hot.

• Feet to walk on land or climb trees for food.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

This is a desert. The animals and plants that once lived here had to have had what characteristic to survive?

• Flipper feet to get around.

• Pinchers to grab the food from the trees.

• Ability to retain water because it was so hot and dry.

• Wings to fly away to a new environment.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Based on the pictures of the fossils, what can you infer about the environment that they once lived?

• A warm mountain region, like the Appalachian Mountains in Georgia.

• Hot desert environment, like the Mojave Desert in California.

• Warm ocean environment, like Miami Beach, Florida.

• Cold mountain environment, like the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

A student found this fossil. What evidence does the fossil have that shows where the organism lived?

• The organism lived in a water environment because of the flippers and fins.

• The organism lived in a water environment because it has a long beak.

• The organism lived in a mountain environment because it looks like it was carved in the mountain.

• The organism lived in a tundra or arctic environment because it looks frozen.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

We sorted these fossils into two categories based on which environments animals lived: land or water. What is the BEST clue to help us decide if the animal lived on land or water?

• Their fur

• Their bone structure

• Their teeth size and shape

• Their feet, fins, or wings

A turtle fossil was recently found in a desert of South America. Millions of years ago, the environment was wet and swampy. What can you conclude about the environment?

• The swamps washed the turtles away.

• The environment changed over a long time from swamps to desert.

• The swamps disappeared and the turtles crawled to the desert.

• The environment changed in two years from swamps to arctic.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Which would be the BEST argument from the observation of the fossil below?

• This organism has a big footprint.

• This organism could retain water because of of it's antennas.

• This organism could fly because of the wings.

• This organism lived in the ocean because the fossil was found near the beach.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1