Science Dinosaurs & Paleontologyusually ages 5–7

Fossils & Palaeontologists

Understand that fossils are the remains of ancient living things preserved in rock, and that scientists called palaeontologists study fossils to learn about dinosaurs

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

Describe a fossil as the remains of a living thing preserved in rock
Name the job of a palaeontologist as someone who studies fossils
Identify examples of fossils: bones, teeth, footprints in rock

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Try this together

If your child found a fossil-shaped rock on a beach or at a museum, could they explain what a fossil is and who studies them?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Dinosaurs Were Realages 5–7Must understand dinosaurs are extinct before learning fossils are how we know about them

Fossils & Palaeontologiststhis skill · ages 5–7

Unlocks

Fossils Reveal Ancient Environmentsages 7–9Must understand fossils before interpreting what they reveal about past environments

How Fossils Formages 7–9Must understand what fossils are before learning how they form in detail

Mary Anning, Fossil Hunterages 7–9Must understand fossils before learning about Mary Anning's fossil discoveries

Types of Fossilsages 7–9Must understand what fossils are before distinguishing body vs trace fossils

Palaeoart & Speculationages 9–11Must understand fossils as evidence before evaluating how artists use them

Discovering Tutankhamun's Tombages 5–7Archaeologists studying Egypt parallels palaeontologists studying fossils — both are scientists uncovering the past

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Candidate matches to official curriculum codes — machine-suggested, unreviewed (v0.1).

Show candidate curriculum codes · 1 ACARA · 1 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9SFH01low confidenceFoundation · Science as a human endeavour

explore the ways people make and use observations and questions to learn about the natural world

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2S4U01medium confidenceScience · Levels 3 and 4 · Science Understanding strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

Dinosaur Sizesages 5–7 Dinosaurs Were Realages 5–7 Famous Dinosaur Speciesages 5–7 Plant-Eaters vs Meat-Eatersages 5–7

All Dinosaurs & Paleontology skills →