Activity: History of life on Earth

ATL • Information literacy skills: Access information to be informed and inform others

Your task is to produce a poster that summarizes the following information: • How are fossils formed?

• Trace how one group of organisms have evolved through time (the horse and the whale are good examples to use:

www.amnh.org/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/horse/the-evolution-of-horses

and

http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-videos/evolution-whales-animation

• What do fossils tell us about evolution through space and time? Make sure you compare fossil records and geology on different continents. Use these search terms: geology, fossilization, sedimentation, plate tectonics, continental drift, biogeography.

Now produce a timeline that summarizes the history of life on Earth. You should aim to include the following key events:

• 3500 million years ago: First signs of life – bacteria • 900 million years ago: The first complex cells

• 550 million years ago: First multicellular plants appear (liverworts and mosses)

• 420 million years ago: First animals came out of water to live on land

• 245 million years ago: First tiny mammals appeared with the dinosaurs on Earth

• 65 million years ago: Dinosaurs became extinct [why did this happen?]

• 3.9 million years ago: The appearance of the early ancestors of humans (Australopithecus afarensis)

• 120 000 years ago: Homo sapiens first evolved.

Use these search terms: evolution of life, fossils, extinction, first life.

Assessment opportunities

• This activity can be assessed using Criterion A: Describe and explain scientific information.