fossils show how life on Earth may have changed over long periods of time.
[CER] Should scientists change their story of Earth's history?
Make a claim. Provide your evidence and justify your reasoning. |
/ Ii / Investigate
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/ iII / Level Up!
During this lesson you will learn more about what evidence shows that different species are related.
✎Notes:
- Fossils are mineral replacements, preserved remains, or traces of organisms that lived in the past.
- Thousands of layers of sedimentary rock not only provide evidence of the history of Earth itself but also of changes in organisms whose fossil remains have been found in those layers.
- The collection of fossils and their placement in chronological order (e.g., through the location of the sedimentary layers in which they are found or through radioactive dating) is known as the fossil record. It documents the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of many life forms throughout the history of life on Earth.
- Because of the conditions necessary for their preservation, not all types of organisms that existed in the past have left fossils that can be retrieved.
- Anatomical similarities and differences between various organisms living today and between them and organisms in the fossil record enable the reconstruction of evolutionary history and the inference of lines of evolutionary descent.
- Comparison of the embryological development of different species also reveals similarities that show relationships not evident in the fully formed anatomy.
/ IV / choose your path
FREE PLAY [+1 point]
Reflect on this topic any way you wish NOVICE [+2 points]
According to this geologic time scale and your knowledge of the law of superposition approximately when did dinosaurs exist and when did they go extinct? ACCOMPLISHED [+3 points]
1. Play the layers of time fossil game! 2. Master this index fossils analysis |
ADVANCED [+4 points]
According to this geologic time scale, since the formation of Earth approximately 4550 Ma (millions of years ago) what patterns can you describe about: 1. When 2 or more types of organisms emerged. 2. When 2 or more organisms went extinct. EXPERT [+5 points]
According to this geologic time scale, since the formation of Earth approximately 4550 Ma (millions of years ago) what patterns can you describe about: 1. The overall diversity of organisms on Earth billions of years ago until today. 2. The overall complexity of organisms on Earth billions of years ago until today. |
MASTER [+6 points]
1. Travel back in time and create your own geologic time scale 2. Open this Google Slides Template and follow the directions carefully to create your own digital geologic time scale. |
/ V / Knowledge Check
/ VI / redemption pointsRedemption Points
[+3 points] |
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/ VI / enrichment bonusEnrichment Bonus
[+3 points] |
✓ MASTERY CHECK
National Research Council 2012. A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/13165
This site contains original content that may not be authorized for use by the creator and is legally used under the fair use principles section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1986 (17 U.S. Code § 107)
The official NGSS website. https://www.nextgenscience.org
LS4.A, MS-LS4-1
Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past. [MS-LS4-1]
This site contains original content that may not be authorized for use by the creator and is legally used under the fair use principles section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1986 (17 U.S. Code § 107)
The official NGSS website. https://www.nextgenscience.org
LS4.A, MS-LS4-1
Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past. [MS-LS4-1]