Evolution and the Fossil Record

Explore how the fossil record is used to study the evolution of organisms in this engaging science worksheet for middle grades! Students will analyze a diagram that depicts the fossilized remains of organisms in the horse family, Equidae. This one-page life science worksheet asks learners to use the diagram and their understanding of how sedimentary rock layers form to draw conclusions about the evolutionary history of the horse. They will be asked to assess the rock layers in which different fossilized remains would be found, determine how the size of the organisms changed over time, and explain why certain adaptations would have benefited the animal.