Ice Age Investigation
2nd Grade
Duration
20-30 minutes
Location
Concepts

Fossils give us evidence about extinct animals.

Scientists can learn how extinct animals lived by observing their
adaptations and comparing them to living animals.
Page Museum
Supplies

Worksheet

Pencil

Clipboard (optional)
Standards
Objectives

Students will understand that the fossils from the La Brea Tar Pits
teach us about life in Los Angeles during the Ice Age.

Students will understand that many Ice Age animals are similar to
animals that still live today.
Science 2
Life Sciences
3.d
Vocabulary
Fossil
Herbivore
Carnivore
Outline
1. Students will fill out a graphic organizer describing four different Ice
Age animals from the Museum.
2. Students will select one animal from the previous activity and use
their research to compose a short paragraph about how that animal
lived.
Observation
Hypothesis
Student Work
2nd Grade: Ice Age Investigation
Pre-Visit
Review the idea that fossils give scientists evidence about plants and animals that lived a long time ago.
The fossils from the La Brea Tar Pits give us information about what life was like in Los Angeles during the
Ice Age. We can draw information from fossils by making careful observations and using what we already
know about animals who are alive today.
Museum Visit
Students will explore the Museum in small groups, working to fill out their graphic organizers. They will
make note of what kinds of animals they see inside the Museum, their relative size, their teeth shape, and
make a hypothesis about whether each animal was fast or slow.
When they have completed the exercise for four animals in the Museum, they will pick one of their
animals and use their research to compose a short paragraph about how that animal might have survived
in Ice Age LA. The paragraph asks students to explain their findings, and provide evidence for their
conclusions.
Post-Visit
Back at school, or on the bus, students can share their paragraphs with the class. Alternately, students
can form groups with others who studied the same animal, and compare their findings.
2nd Grade: Ice Age Investigation
How many legs?
(small, medium, large)
Size?
Slow or fast?
Locate four different animal specimens in the Museum and use your observations to fill in the chart below.
Animal Name
Ice Age Investigation
Teeth shape?
2nd Grade: Ice Age Investigation
Ice Age Investigation
Choose one of the animals from your chart, and use your research and observations
to fill in the paragraph.
I chose to study the _______________________________. My animal is
________________ in size compared to other animals of the Ice Age. Its teeth are
_________________ which tells me that it ate ______________________. It walks
on _____________ legs. My animal looks like it moved ______________ because
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________. A living animal similar to my animal is the
_____________________________________________.
2nd Grade: Ice Age Investigation