Fossils & Landscape Changes Over Time ES

Common Core Content Activity: Fossils & Landscape Changes Over Time

Fossils & Landscape Changes Over Time is a Common Core–aligned instructional unit designed to help students understand how scientists use fossils, rock layers, and land changes to learn about Earth’s past. Students engage in structured, accessible activities that build foundational science understanding through visuals, hands-on exploration, and repeated practice.

Students will learn what fossils are, where they are found, how rock layers form over time, how patterns help scientists interpret the past, and how land changes can cover or uncover fossils. Instruction emphasizes cause-and-effect relationships and sequencing of events in a clear, student-friendly format.

Lesson Breakdown:

Lesson 1: Pretest – Fossils & Landscape Changes Over Time
Lesson 2: Introduction & Vocabulary
Lesson 3: Patterns in Rock Layers & Fossils
Lesson 4: Fossils as Evidence of Change Over Time
Lesson 5: How Earth’s Land Changes Over Time
Lesson 6: Review & Synthesis
Lesson 7: Posttest – Fossils & Landscape Changes Over Time

Important Notes:

This is a SINGLE-USE LICENSE. Materials may not be redistributed.
ONLY the original purchaser may use these materials.
Activities are self-explanatory and do not include formal lesson plans.
Materials are aligned to Common Core standards only.
Price and Willoughby, LLC makes no guarantee regarding test scores.

Some instructional language and visual elements in this product were developed with support from AI (OpenAI’s ChatGPT and/or Gemini), then reviewed and edited by SpecialEdSimplified for accuracy and alignment with student needs.