Name: Section: Date:

IMPORTANT FOSSILS WORKSHEET:

PLENARY SPEAKER SPEECH

You have been selected as a guest honoree at the upcoming Association of Paleontologists
Meeting in Tyler, Texas on . As a guest honoree, we would like for you to
provide a short, but thorough overview of the evolutionary history of . To
insure you are adequately prepared, we request that you fill out the information below. If you
have any questions, feel free to ask your teacher for guidance. You can also reference the
geologic time scale provided on the back of this invitation.

1. What is a fossil? How are they formed?

2. When did they first appear in the fossil record? Provide the geologic era, period, and
approximate year.

3. What is the significance of your group of organisms and knowing their evolutionary
history?

4. Within your group, consider and describe the three most important fossils. In addition to
answering these three questions, draw and label each fossil on the back of this paper.
Label any characteristics that confirm this fossil as a member of your group of organisms.
a. Fossil 1:
i. Scientific name:
ii. How old is it?
iii. Why is this fossil unique/important?

b. Fossil 2:
i. Scientific name:
ii. How old is it?
iii. Why is this fossil unique/important?

c. Fossil 3:
i. Scientific name:
ii. How old is it?
iii. Why is this fossil unique/important?
 FOSSIL DRAWINGS

Fossil 1 – Scientific name:

Fossil 2 – Scientific name:

Fossil 3 – Scientific name: