Science lesson plan · 3rd grade (Year 4 in England) · 45 minutes
How fossils form
Earth and rocks
CCSS NGSS.3-LS4-1CCSS NGSS.4-ESS1-1England: KS2 Y3 RocksEngland: KS2 Y6 Evolution and inheritance
Objective and success criteria
Students will: How fossils form.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Rocks and soils
Leads to: Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks; What fossils tell us about past environments; Compare fossils with living plants and animals
Materials: Rock samples, Hand lenses, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Rocks and soils). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Is this rock permeable or impermeable: basalt? (permeable (lets water through) / impermeable (does not let water through)) → impermeable (does not let water through)Prompt: Does water soak in, or run off the surface?
- Why is slate used for roof tiles? (It floats / It is impermeable and splits into thin flat sheets / It soaks up rain / It is soft and crumbly) → It is impermeable and splits into thin flat sheetsPrompt: A roof must keep rain out.
- Rocks and soils: which statement is NOT true? (Some rocks let water soak through them. / Rocks can be natural or made by people, like brick and concrete. / All rocks are the same. / Rocks can be compared by hardness and permeability.) → All rocks are the same.Prompt: What is soil mainly made of?
Hook · 5 min
- Pass round different rocks and ask how each one might have formed.
- Share the objective: How fossils form. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: In how a sea shell becomes a fossil, what happens straight after "the sediment slowly turns into rock"?
- Step 1: a sea creature dies → its shell sinks to the sea floor → layers of sediment cover it → the sediment slowly turns into rock → the fossil is found in the rock millions of years later
- Step 2: So the answer is: the fossil is found in the rock millions of years later
- Answer: the fossil is found in the rock millions of years later
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- In how a fossil forms, what happens straight after "an animal dies"? (the rock is worn away and the fossil is uncovered / the soft parts rot away / it is quickly buried by mud or sand / minerals slowly replace the bones over millions of years) → it is quickly buried by mud or sandPrompt: Only the hard parts usually become fossils.
- A fossil is found in a deep rock layer. Another is found in a layer near the top. Which is probably older? (the fossil in the deeper layer / they are the same age / the fossil near the top / it is impossible to say anything) → the fossil in the deeper layerPrompt: Layers build up one on top of another.
You do: independent practice · 10 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- In how a sea shell becomes a fossil, what happens straight after "the sediment slowly turns into rock"? (layers of sediment cover it / a sea creature dies / its shell sinks to the sea floor / the fossil is found in the rock millions of years later) → the fossil is found in the rock millions of years laterPrompt: Fossils form very slowly, buried in rock.
- A footprint preserved in rock is called a… (crystal / skeleton / trace fossil / mineral) → trace fossilPrompt: It shows something the animal did, not its body.
Watch out for
- Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
- Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Rocks and soils.
- Use concrete materials: rock samples.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks; What fossils tell us about past environments; Compare fossils with living plants and animals.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-3.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder