Finding Fossils

What is a fossil? How is a fossil formed? What

do we learn from fossils?

We are learning to We are learning to ……

•Understand what a fossil is. •Discover how a dinosaur becomes a fossil.

What I’m looking for…What I’m looking for…

•That you know what a fossil is

•Can describe how fossils are formed

•Say what we learn from fossils

Let’s have a look at some Let’s have a look at some fossils…fossils…

http://www.fossilsforkids.com/Website_Directory.html

FossilsFossils• Fossils are the remains or imprints left Fossils are the remains or imprints left

by plants and animals that lived millions by plants and animals that lived millions of years ago. The fossils may look the of years ago. The fossils may look the same as when the plant or animal was same as when the plant or animal was alive but have now changed to stone.alive but have now changed to stone.

• They become buried under layers of rock They become buried under layers of rock which then wears away so they can be which then wears away so they can be seen againseen again

• Fossils can be found anywhere.Fossils can be found anywhere.

23rd June 2015

Palaeontology

What is it like to What is it like to be a be a

palaeontologist?palaeontologist?

We are learning to We are learning to ……

•Understand what a palaeontologist does?. •Discover how difficult this job can be.•Sort dinosaurs

What I’m looking for…What I’m looking for…

•That you know That you know what a what a palaeontologist ispalaeontologist is

•Can describe Can describe what they dowhat they do

•Work carefully Work carefully with your ‘fossil’with your ‘fossil’

•Can sort Can sort dinosaursdinosaurs

What is it like to be a palaeontologist?

•palaeontologists do a lot of physical work

•they have to hike into remote areas while carrying a lot of heavy supplies

•Some fossils are buried deep into embankments, requiring a tough slog with pickaxes and shovels to remove the sediment

•Then they have to excavate , very carefully, around the fossil so that they don’t damage it

•In addition to excavating, they draw detailed maps, recording exactly what position the fossils were found in and at what depth.

Would you like to be a Palaeontologist?

Let’s be Junior Palaeontologists…

http://www.alfmuseum.org/interactive1.htm

In your Topic books I In your Topic books I would like you to…would like you to…

•Yellow, Blue and Red- write a paragraph about what are fossils. What it must be like to be a palaeontologist. Think about where they go to find fossils, how careful they need to be, how long it takes, what equipment they need, what they have to do.

•White and Green– write a few sentences about what it must be like to be a palaeontologist

Can we use what we Can we use what we have learnt to sort out have learnt to sort out

this mystery?this mystery?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/prehistoric_life/games/baryonyx_mystery/