Year 3 - Science
How fossils are formed
Rocks and soils
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit covers comparing and grouping rocks based on appearance and physical properties, understanding fossil formation, and recognising that soils are made from rocks and organic matter. It involves setting up practical enquiries, making observations, and using evidence to answer questions.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to describe in simple terms how fossils are formed.
Key Notes
- Fossils tell us about things that lived over 10,000 years ago.
- Fossils can be formed from different plants and animals.
- Not every living thing that dies becomes a fossil.
- Some fossils are formed by an imprint of parts of living things, like bones, feathers, shells or leaves.
- Models can be used to show how fossils are formed in different ways.
Vocabulary To Learn
- fossil: A fossil is the remains or imprint of living things that are sometimes preserved in rock.
- decay: Living things decay when they die, meaning they gradually break down and rot away.
- sediment: Sediment is a solid material that can be moved and deposited in a new location.
- pressure: Pressure is a force pressing on an area.
- imprint: An imprint is a mark on a surface that has occurred by pressing something into it.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Fossils are pieces of dead animals and plants and children often think that only dinosaurs make fossils.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Fossils tell us about things that lived over 10,000 years ago. Fossils can be formed from different plants and animals.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'fossil'
A fossil is the remains or imprint of living things that are sometimes preserved in rock. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Fossils are pieces of dead animals and plants and children often think that only dinosaurs make fossils. Correction: By modelling and discussing fossil formation in various ways, children will understand how fossils are formed.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Different types of soils (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Everyday uses of rocks Study Guide
- Healthy soil (non-statutory Climate Change & Sustainability) Study Guide
- How geologists work Study Guide
- Introduction to rocks Study Guide
- Mary Anning (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Mohs' scale of hardness (non-statutory) Study Guide
- More about fossil formation Study Guide
- Physical properties of rocks: hardness Study Guide
- Physical properties of rocks: permeability Study Guide
- Soil permeability: do and review (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Soil permeability: plan (non-statutory) Study Guide
- The appearance of rocks Study Guide
- Weathering and erosion of rocks Study Guide
- What soils are made from Study Guide
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