Mammoths at Waco

Mammoths at Waco Worksheet: Mammoth fossils and past environments (Grade 4 Science)

Students read about the Columbian mammoth bones at Waco Mammoth National Monument, tell that the area was once a grassland near a river during the Ice Age, and decide whether facts describe then or now. The page teaches the idea first, so no prior lesson is needed, and every answer is on the page.

What's Inside

• A teach box on what fossils are and how they are clues to past environments
• Part A: a short reading about the Waco mammoths with three circle questions
• Part B: three facts; circle then or now
• A raccoon guide with a hint that matches the answer key
• An answer key with answers marked in red, plus a short teacher note with what to watch for

How Teachers Use It

Read the teach box and the worked example together, then let students try Part A and Part B. It takes 8 to 10 minutes and prints clearly in black and white. The focus skill is identifying past environments from fossil evidence. Standards: TEKS 4.12C: identify and describe past environments based on fossil evidence, including common Texas fossils.

Why It Works

A real Texas dig site connects fossils to a place students know. Questions are short, mostly circle answers, and the reasoning is on the teacher key.