lesson
Fossils are clues, not a complete film
1 · Learn
Fossils are preserved remains or traces of past life. Their structures and the rocks in which they occur help scientists investigate organisms and environments from long ago. The record is incomplete: many organisms never formed fossils or their fossils have not survived.
A fossil shell can support an inference that a shelled organism lived there in the past. It does not by itself show every detail of the organism's colour, behaviour or surroundings.
2 · Worked example
I observe a shell-shaped fossil in rock. I infer a past organism with that structure, but I do not invent its exact colour from the shape alone.
3 · Your turn
Does the absence of a fossil prove that no organism ever lived in a place?
Check your answer
No. Fossil formation, survival and discovery are incomplete.
4 · Apply your learning
Annotate a prepared fossil photograph with two observations and one clearly labelled inference.
Adult guidance and safety
Use verified photographs or safe prepared samples. No cliff climbing, digging or fossil collecting without qualified supervision.
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Check a calculation · Year 5 onward
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