Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources
Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Fossils
Earth Science
Earth Files - The Fossil Record

Fossils
Fossils


Earth Files - The Fossil Record
Print Earth Files - The Fossil Record Reading Comprehension


Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 9 to 10
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   9.86

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    borings, carbon-rich, coprolite, Coprolites, Gastroliths, non-existent, understanding, paleontologists, calcite, metamorphic, evolutionary, geologic, sedimentary, replica, absolute, imprint


Earth Files - The Fossil Record
By Trista L. Pollard
  

1     Imagine having no knowledge of the dinosaurs and early animals that roamed our planet! What if we did not learn about the prehistoric plants and insects that made up the forests and plains of Earth? Without fossils our understanding of Earth's early history would be non-existent.
 
2     Fossils, which are the remains of plants and animals, provide scientists with information about earlier geologic periods. They serve as the file for every geologic, evolutionary, and environmental event that occurred in Earth's prehistoric file cabinet. Fossils are also used by scientists to determine both absolute and relative ages of rocks. To understand the importance of fossils, you must venture into the world of paleontology.
 
3     Paleontologists find the majority of their fossils in sedimentary rocks. Once animals, plants, and other organisms die, sediments eventually are deposited on top of them. Instead of decaying at rapid rates, the fossils are protected by the sediment. The process of decay is slowed down or stopped completely, and the organism is protected from damage by Earth's other elements. For this reason, fossils are very rarely found in igneous or metamorphic rock. They would not survive the intense heat, pressure, and numerous chemical reactions that occur as these rocks are formed.

Paragraphs 4 to 9:
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Fossils
             Fossils


Earth Science
             Earth Science


More Lessons
             High School Reading Comprehensions and High School Reading Lessons


Science
             Science


    Careers in Science  
 
    Caring for Earth  
 
    Clouds  
 
    Dinosaurs  
 
    Earth's Land  
 
    Earth  
 
    Earthquakes  
 
    Electricity  
 
    Energy  
 
    Erosion  
 
    Food Pyramid  
 
    Food Webs and Food Chain  
 
    Forces and Motion  
 
    Fossils  
 
    Health and Nutrition  
 
    How Things Work  
 
    Landforms  
 
    Life Science  
 
    Light  
 
    Magnets  
 
    Matter  
 
 
    Moon  
 
    Natural Disasters  
 
    Photosynthesis  
 
    Plant and Animal Cells  
 
    Plants  
 
    Rocks and Minerals  
 
    Science Process Skills  
 
    Scientific Notation  
 
    Seasons  
 
    Simple Machines  
 
    Soil  
 
    Solar System  
 
    Sound  
 
    Space and Stars  
 
    Sun  
 
    Tsunami  
 
    Volcanoes  
 
    Water Cycle  
 
    Water  
 
    Weather  
 



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