What an impression fossils make! In this activity, aspiring paleontologists view fossils and construct a timeline to further understand how the lack of natural adaptation caused historical organisms to become extinct. While they should have background knowledge of natural selection, this activity provides a way for educational discussions about adaptation and why some objects fail to adapt, resulting in extinction.

 

Concepts

adaptations, evolution, extinction, fossil formation, natural selection

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Have students construct timeline for additional animals they choose
• Plan a field trip to a petrified forest to learn additional information about the effects of evolution
• Ask the class to provide fossils as a "show and tell" if they have access

Classroom Considerations

• Requires background knowledge of natural selection

Pros

• No cleanup is required, and resources may be reused each year
• Expanded learning allows interested individuals to further research the topic and gather additional information

Cons

• None