What is a fossil?
Fossils, inheritance and adaptation
Year 6 · Upper Key Stage 2 · S6-EVOL — Fossils; inheritance; adaptation and evolution
Draft — awaiting teacher review
Builds on: Life cycles and growing up (Year 5), Rocks, fossils and soil (Year 3), Classification systems (Year 6)
I
Concept Anchor
Fossils are the remains of living things from long ago, kept in rock. Offspring inherit a mix of features from their parents. Animals with features that suit their habitat survive and breed more, so over many generations those features spread. This is evolution.
Worked example
Why do most polar bears have white fur?
- 1.White fur hides a bear in the snow.
- 2.Hidden bears catch more food and survive.
- 3.They pass the feature to their cubs.
- 4.Over many generations, most bears are white.
II
Guided Check
Name one feature a cactus has that helps it live in a desert.
III
Independent Diagnostic Practice
Why do puppies look like their parents but not exactly the same?
A polar bear has thick white fur. How does this help it survive in the Arctic?