Lesson Plans and Worksheets
I love using Lesson Planet to add to and modify my existing plans and to get ideas for cross subject integration.
- Owings Mills, MD
- 08-02-10
Index Fossils Teacher Resources
Find teacher approved Index Fossils educational resource ideas and activities
In this geological history instructional activity, students define 17 terms associated with index fossils, nuclear decay, and radioactive decay.
High schoolers use fossils found in rocks to determine the age of the strata between Rock Island and Chicago. Pupils pretend they are geologists. They must determine the age of all rock layers between the Mississippi River and Lake Michigan. This is no small task, and here is a terrific instructional activity that provides you everything you need to lead your charges through the inquiry. Terrific photographs, worksheets, and resource links are embedded in the plan.
Students explore how to read fossil range charts. They develop an knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the fossil record. Students become familiar with the concepts index fossil and fossil range. Students use bar graphs to plot fossil ranges. They develop an knowledge of 'relative time' using fossil range charts.
In this fossils worksheet, students review the different types of fossils including index and trace fossils. This worksheet has 6 matching and 9 true or false questions.
In this history of life learning exercise, students explain how fossils form and how they can be interpreted. Students fill in the missing eras and periods in the geologic time scale provided.
Students use fossils found in rocks to determine the age of rock in Illinois. They use a chart to identify the fossils and then identify the periods of rock.
Students examine the geological time scale: the Earth is ancient; time can be divided into periods based on its fossil content.
Students practice sequencing cards that represent different rock layers based on alphabetical characters. In this fossil lesson, students discuss how paleontologists, biologists, and geologists use the fossil record to learn about the Earth. Students view examples of dinosaurs and fossils. Students complete a sequencing activity and name three organisms that could not be used as index fossils.
Junior geologists address 50 multiple choice questions and 35 short answer questions about the earth system. Plenty of visuals are included for interpretation: diagrams, graphs, maps, photographs, laboratory setups, weather symbols, and even a reading passage. Not only could you use this as your final exam, it could also serve as a practice for an AP earth science test.
Throughout this earth science exam, high-school geologists complete a series of multiple choice and short answer questions about the solar system, atmosphere, and earth system. This is an amazing test, as are all of the exams developed by the New York Regents.