14.1 LAB: FOSSIL MAKING
NAME _______________________HR___
OBJECTIVE:
-Students will MODEL the process of how a fossil is formed.
-Students will IDENTIFY the cast and the mold.
-Students will ANALYZE the importance of the fossil record.
BACKGROUND:
-DEFINE: fossil
-DESCRIBE how a fossil is formed (bulleted steps)
-LIST the 6 different types of fossils / DESCRIBE each type in 3 words or less. (hint-14.1 GD NTS)
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-LIST how scientists determine a fossil’s age (2 categories)
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-IDENTIFY where fossils are located
-Type of rock layer
-What environment must be present for them to form.
-EXPLAIN how they provide evidence of evolution. (3-5 bulleted sentences)
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MATERIALS:
-Plaster (1 scoop)
-wooden stick
-modeling clay
-plastic cup
-water (10 mL)
-“organism”
PROCEDURE: (check as you complete)
_____1-Make a small soap dish shape out of the clay.
_____2-Press the “organism” into the clay.
_____3-Remove the organism.
_____4-Mix up the plaster to the consistency of gravy.
_____5-Pour the plaster into the mold.
_____6-Let the fossil sit until it dries.
_____7-CAREFULLY remove the modeling clay from the plaster.
_____8-Observe the fossil formed from both the clay and plaster.
RESULTS:
-DRAW a picture of what you see on the cast.
-DESCRIBE your pictures in words.
DRAW
DESCRIBE
CONCLUSION:
1-What did you use for an organism?
2-Was your fossil a trace fossil? YES
NO
-EXPLAIN:
3-What did you use for the mold?
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4-What did you use for the cast?
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DESCRIBE how each step we did in the lab simulates how real fossils are formed. (p394 reading essentials)
STEP
A
B
C
D
FOSSIL FORMATION
LAB SIMILATION