Evolution and Fossils

Fossils

http://www.nuttinbutpreschool.com/how-to-make-fossil-dough/

How to make play dough that looks like rock. 

Great for making fossil prints. Here

http://www.thecraftyclassroom.com/CraftGeologyFossil.html

How to make fossils from Plaster of Paris - Here

But check these common teaching pitfalls here

An excellent set of resources for teaching about the role Mary Anning played in our understanding of Evolution from the ASE is here.

Also the BBCs great Primary History page on Mary Anning. Here

Another  video of her life story is in the video section below.

Archaeopteryx

This is a great image for discussion with children about the link between birds and dinosaurs. 

More info on Archaeopteryx here

Missing Link Fossils

In the resources below there are three missing link cards (as above) and three matching fossil photos, Archaeopteryx,  Thrinaxodon and Ichthyostega. Together they can be used as a great prediction/matching activity.

How Fossils Form

The above video is good but so is this one Here.

 It has no narration. Get the children to do it.

Evolution

http://darwin200.christs.cam.ac.uk/pages/index.php?page_id=j

Useful information on Darwin for kids. Here

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/lessons/preying_on_beans.html

How does evolution happen?

Use this Bean Hunt activity to find out.

Here

http://www.millgatehouse.co.uk/product/lets-talk-evolution/

A great teaching guide from Millgate House.

They have given us a free sample activity - Fossil evidence for how land animals evolved - Here

blueprint

Introduce children to DNA.

Read the Monster Story Here

So now you can build a monster Here

https://soundcloud.com/mark-and-the-gortones/the-story-of-all-life-wrong-direction

An entertaining song about evolution by Mark and the Gortones. Here

The lyrics are here if you want to get children to join in.

Try singing Tristan Thomas's Adaptation song with your class. Here


Tree of Life 

There is a simple printable tree of life in the resources below.

Darwin's tree of life from his notebook. 

A more detailed tree of life.

One Zoom

One Zoom presents a fully interactive complete tree of life. Here

Moth, by Isabel Thomas, is a great book for all ages to learn about evolution.

Available Here. Video Here.

Video

Evolution

The Simpsons title sequence does evolution.

Thrinaxodon

How Thrinaxodon hibernated to help it survive the mass dinosaur extinction.

Mary Anning tells the story of her life and her astonishing fossil finds.

CPD on Evolution

http://www.reachoutcpd.com/courses/upper-primary/evolution-and-inheritance/

Reach Out CPD have 4 units for primary teachers on evolution.

Try them out here.


How to teach evolution well!

Some great advice on this website.

Especially these common pitfalls here


Downloadable Resources

Fossil evidence for how land animals evolved

A free activity from Millgate House from their book Lat's Talk about Evolution

Evolution Assessment sheet

SOLO Taxonomy based assessment criteria for working towards, expected and mastery.

Evolution of a Species Worksheet

A worksheet where children can use the Tree of Life to discover the changes a species has gone through over time - What has evolved from what!

Jon's Tree of Life - Colour    Black and White   Toilet Paper Edition

A very simple tree of life. New toilet paper edition - cut this into sections and lay them out along unrolled toilet paper to create a scaled timeline.

Missing Links - Archaeopteryx   Thrinaxodon   Ichthyostega

Fossils give us evidence of evolution - 3 sheets for children to observe and label missing link fossils.

Missing Link Cards

Information about the three missing link creature above.

The Evolution Game

A simple game based on the corners game. Can you avoid extinction? There are some slides on the slideshow below that can be used with this if you like.

Evolution and Inheritance Slideshow

As used at the Manchester University session.

Simpsons Evolution True or False

A set of true/false questions based on the title sequence video above.

Bean Hunt Activity - How does evolution happen? - Worksheet

The worksheet (for printing on squared paper) is for children as a follow up to the Bean Hunt activity above.

Adaptation Song

Great song with Lyrics by Tristan Thomas

DNA Extraction

Advanced this, but a handy guide to how you can extract DNA in the classroom. Warning: uses methylated spirits. Check safety precautions before using.

Simpsons Dominant or Recessive Genes Worksheet

Intended for KS3 but could be useful.

Simpsons Eye Colour worksheet

Use your understanding of gens to work out offspring eye colour.

Simpsons Family Tree

Simple family tree for using with the question sheet.

Simpsons Family Tree Questions

For use with the family tree above.

Superhero Inheritance

What superpowers would you have if Spiderman was your Dad and Wonderwoman was your Mum?

Variation Investigation

A quick group investigation that explores how individuals are different or similar.

Planet ESNOV Slideshow - Adaptation. By Alex Sinclair

A great slideshow introducing a new planet. Children have to think up creatures with adaptations that allow them to survive.

Variation Data Analysis. By Alex Sinclair

An activity where children collect and compare data about themselves to learn about variation.