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Piecing Together Texas Fossils

Implement this lesson:

This lesson is best used as an introduction to fossils unit.

Lesson Objective:

The student will understand what is a fossil by conducting a hands on experiment.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

Science TEKS

3.1(A): Ask questions about organisms, objects, and events in the environment.

3.10(A): Collect information from observations using simple equipment.

3.9(A): Explore how adaptations enable organisms to survive in their environment.

3.15(A): Organize information to create a visual display or map.

3.7(B): Communicate and justify a solution.

3.11(B): Identify and discuss how different forms of energy can be used.

3.14(A): Identify the importance of conservation.

3.8(A): Collect and record data.

4.11(A) Identify and explain advantages and disadvantages of using Earth’s renewable and nonrenewable natural resources such as wind, water, sunlight, plants, animals, coal, oil, and natural gas

4.11(B) explain the critical role of energy resources to modern life and how conservation, disposal, and recycling of natural resources impact the environment

4.11(C) determine the physical properties of rocks that allow Earth’s natural resources to be stored there

4.12(A) investigate and explain how most producers can make their own food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide through the cycling of matter

4.12(B)* describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy through food webs, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers

4.12(C) identify and describe past environments based on fossil evidence, including common Texas fossils

4.13(A) explore and explain how structures and functions of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment

4.13(B) differentiate between inherited and acquired physical traits of organisms

5.10(A) explain how the Sun and the ocean interact in the water cycle and affect weather

5.10(B) model and describe the processes that led to the formation of sedimentary rocks and fossil fuels

5.10(C) model and identify how changes to Earth’s surface by wind, water, or ice result in the formation of landforms, including deltas, canyons, and sand dunes

5.11(A) design and explain solutions such as conservation, recycling, or proper disposal to minimize environmental impact of the use of natural resources

5.12(A) observe and describe how a variety of organisms survive by interacting with biotic and abiotic factors in a healthy ecosystem

5.12(B) predict how changes in the ecosystem affect the cycling of matter and flow of energy in a food web

5.12(C) describe a healthy ecosystem and how human activities can be beneficial or harmful to an ecosystem

5.13(A) analyze the structures and functions of different species to identify how organisms survive in the same environment

5.13(B) explain how instinctual behavioral traits such as turtle hatchlings returning to the sea and learned behavioral traits such as orcas hunting in packs increase chances of survival

🦖 Fossils Found in Texas

Texas is like a giant treasure chest for fossils! A fossil is a clue from the past, showing us what plants and animals looked like millions of years ago. In Texas, scientists and fossil hunters have found all kinds of amazing remains.

Ancient Seas

A long time ago, much of Texas was covered by a shallow sea. That’s why many Texas fossils come from ocean creatures, such as:

Ammonites – spiral-shaped shells that look like giant snail shells.
Mosasaurus – a huge, fierce sea reptile (kind of like a swimming dinosaur).
Shark teeth – sometimes as big as your hand!

Tiny Plankton Fossils & Oil

Not all fossils are big—some are microscopic (so small you need a microscope to see them!). These tiny creatures are called plankton.

When plankton died millions of years ago, they sank to the sea floor.
Over time, layers of mud and sand buried them.
Heat and pressure inside the Earth slowly turned their remains into oil and natural gas.

That’s why Texas, which was once an ancient sea, is now famous for having so much oil. The oil is basically ancient plankton that changed into energy!

Dinosaurs

Texas is also famous for dinosaur fossils. Some of the ones discovered include:

Acrocanthosaurus – a meat-eating dinosaur with a tall, spiky back.
Alamosaurus – a giant, long-necked plant eater (one of the biggest dinosaurs in North America).
Dinosaur tracks – footprints left behind in ancient mud, especially at places like Dinosaur Valley State Park.

Ice Age Giants

After the dinosaurs were gone, Texas was home to animals during the Ice Age:

Mammoths – huge, shaggy relatives of elephants.
Saber-tooth cats – with extra-long, sharp teeth.
Giant armadillos and sloths – much bigger than the ones we see today!

Why Fossils Are Important

Fossils are like puzzle pieces. They help us understand what Texas looked like millions of years ago, what animals lived here, and even where our energy resources (like oil) came from.

Possible Books:

Bluebonnet at Dinosaur Valley State Park by Mary Brooke Casad
Barnum’s Bones by Tracey E. Fern
Disocover Texas Dinosaurs by Charles E. Finsley
Wylie Finds a Dinosaur by Tim Brys
The Fossil Hunter by Kate Winter

Materials Needed:

Clear plastic cups
5 different kinds of crushed cereal
Marshmallow or gummy worm type creature
Permanent Markers

Lesson Plan:

Engage:

Begin by asking students about fossils and dinosaurs. Are there fossils besides dinosaurs?
Have a discussion on what Texas looked life over the years.
Show images of possible fossils found in Texas to spark interest and curiosity.
If possible conduct a KWL chart.

Explore:

Use slides 61-69 for experiment
Place students in small groups
Each group get a plastic cup and write their group name on it
Go through slide show with students. After each slide they add another layer of cereal to their cup
After final layer is added they will use a second cup to mimic cementation and compaction

Explain:

Explain the different layers in the cup each represent a piece of time in Texas with different fossils in each layer

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