News by Levels · Level 2 · For teachers
Teacher guide & answers
Fossils Point to an Amphibian That Lived at Sea
How to use these two pages
Give learners the student worksheet. It contains the story and questions, without the answers. Keep this guide for yourself. Use it to lead the activity and explain the answers afterwards.
Student worksheetA simple 15–20-minute lesson
- Before reading · 2 minutes
Show the title. Ask: “What do you think this story is about?”
- Read and answer · 8–10 minutes
Give out the student worksheet. Learners read for the main idea, then reread to answer the 2 questions. They can compare answers with a partner.
- Discuss and write · 5–8 minutes
Check the answers below together. Ask learners to point to the clue in the story, then finish with the open question.
Adjust the support: Let learners use word help or Level 1 if needed. For a challenge, compare the wording in another level. This activity is not a proficiency test.
Answers to the 2 questions
The question numbers match the student worksheet. Each answer includes a reason and the clue learners can find in the story.
Which two details support the team's idea that the animal lived at sea?
Correct answer: A — The burial place was far from land, and bone chemistry matches ancient seawater.
Why: The passage identifies both the former distance from land and the chemical traces as evidence.
Clue in the story: The fossils date back around 237 million years. The creature had a flat body protected by bony plates. The place where it was buried was far from land at the time, and chemical traces in the bones match ancient seawater.
What remains uncertain about the animal?
Correct answer: B — Exactly how it dealt with salt
Why: The proposed way it handled salt is an evidence-based explanation, not a direct observation.
Clue in the story: The team says this could be the first known fully marine amphibian. How it dealt with salt is still an explanation based on evidence, not something scientists observed directly.
The open question: accept different answers
Ask learners: Explain one clue for a marine life and one question that remains open.
One possible answer: The chemical traces in the bones match ancient seawater, supporting a marine life. Exactly how the animal dealt with salt remains uncertain.
This is an example, not the only correct answer. Look for a relevant idea, a reason and the learner’s own words. Learners can answer aloud or write one or two sentences.