Free Printable WorksheetScienceGrade 9Science CurriculumNGSS HS-ESS1-5, HS-ESS1-6

9.98 Fossils as Evidence of Earth s History Worksheet

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Worksheet Overview & Skills Covered

Core academic competencies and curriculum alignment

This Physical Science with Earth and Science Science worksheet provides structured practice on 9.98 Fossils as Evidence of Earth s History. Students are guided through targeted exercises that build foundational understanding, computational accuracy, and critical thinking skills.

Fossils as Evidence of Earth's History: MCQ focus: infer past environments, relative age, and geologic change using fossils, index fossils, and sedimentary layers. Aligned to NGSS high school Physical Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering Design; NRC/DCI; SEP/CCC; CCSS math/literacy connections; selected CA NGSS, NYSSLS, Florida CPALMS, and Texas TEKS references NGSS HS-ESS1-5, HS-ESS1-6 - NGSS-aligned Fossils as Evidence of Earth's History: NGSS: HS-ESS1-5; HS-ESS1-6; NRC/DCI: ESS1.C; SEP/CCC: Argument from evidence / Patterns; Common: RST.9-10.7; State refs: CA/NYSSLS same HS-ESS PE family; FL SC.912.E.6; TX Earth Systems 112.49.

Whether you are an educator preparing classroom handouts, a tutor reinforcing weekly topics, or a parent supporting homeschool learning, this printable resource gives students the deliberate practice required to achieve subject fluency and master state standards.

Grade

Physical Science with Earth and Science

Subject

Science

Domain

Science Curriculum

Formats

PDF & DOCX

Sample Practice Problems

Preview the types of problems and questions covered in this worksheet

Below are sample questions representative of the exercises included on this worksheet and related 9.98 Fossils as Evidence of Earth s History skill assessments:

Problem 1Difficulty: Mastery

A research team wants to use one rock layer to argue for both relative age and past environment. Which evidence set would be strongest?

AA granite sample with large crystals and no preserved remains

BA short-ranging ammonite fossil plus a marine assemblage of shells and microfossils in shale

CA single long-ranging coral fossil with no rock context

DA rock color description with no fossils or sedimentary structures

Solution & Explanation:The short-ranging fossil helps constrain relative age, while the associated marine assemblage and shale support an environmental interpretation.

Problem 2Difficulty: Mastery

Use the reworked-fossil diagram. A rounded limestone pebble containing a trilobite fossil lies inside a much younger river gravel that also contains mammal tooth fragments. Which conclusion is best?

AThe trilobite and mammal fossils must be exactly the same age.

BThe trilobite fossil is older reworked material and should not by itself date the gravel.

CThe gravel must be older than the limestone pebble it contains.

DThe mammal teeth prove the trilobite lived with modern mammals.

Solution & Explanation:A rounded fossil-bearing pebble is an inclusion eroded from older rock, so it can be much older than the deposit that now contains it.

Problem 3Difficulty: Mastery

Use the capstone fossil-layer diagram. Layers show, from bottom to top, marine trilobites, an erosional surface, dinosaur tracks in sandstone, volcanic ash, and mammal teeth. Which argument is best supported?

AThe trilobites are youngest because they are at the bottom.

BAll fossils in the diagram are the same age because they are in one column.

CThe area records changing environments and a gap in time, with mammal fossils younger than the ash and dinosaur tracks below it.

DThe volcanic ash must be older than every layer it lies above.

Solution & Explanation:The sequence combines superposition, an unconformity, fossil succession, and the ash layer to show relative ages and environmental changes.

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QWhat grade level and standards does this worksheet align with?

This worksheet is designed specifically for Physical Science with Earth and Science Science students. It aligns with educational standard NGSS HS-ESS1-5, HS-ESS1-6 (NGSS: HS-ESS1-5; HS-ESS1-6; NRC/DCI: ESS1.C; SEP/CCC: Argument from evidence / Patterns; Common: RST.9-10.7; State refs: CA/NYSSLS same HS-ESS PE family; FL SC.912.E.6; TX Earth Systems 112.49.).