4 ready-to-teach lessons + 2 homework tasks Take your students on a journey through 4.5 billion years of Earth’s incredible history! Our Fantastic Planet is an engaging 4-lesson KS3 teaching sequence that explores how Earth formed, how life developed, the geological timescale and humanity’s place within Earth’s story. Designed to make the vast scale of geological time accessible, meaningful and memorable, this resource takes students on a chronological journey from the formation of Earth to the relatively recent arrival of humans. The bundle also includes 2 ready-to-use homework tasks, allowing homework to be set every other week throughout the sequence. What’s included? Lesson 1 – How did Earth’s story begin? Explore the formation of Earth and discover what our planet was like during its earliest stages. Lesson 2 – How did life on Earth develop? Explore how life developed and changed over billions of years, introducing students to key stages in the evolution of life on Earth. Lesson 3 – The Geological Timescale Introduce students to the geological timescale and explore major events in Earth’s history, including the appearance of vertebrates, reptiles and dinosaurs. Lesson 4 – Our Time on Earth Put human history into the context of Earth’s 4.5-billion-year story and discover just how recently humans appeared on our planet. Plus 2 ready-to-use homework tasks! Two homework activities are included within the sequence, designed to be set every other week alongside the four lessons. This means teachers can deliver the unit while having homework already planned and ready to set. Why use this resource? ✔ Complete 4-lesson mini-unit – a coherent sequence rather than a collection of standalone lessons. ✔ Ready to teach – reduce planning time with lessons and homework already prepared. ✔ Engaging and accessible – complex ideas surrounding geological time and the development of life are broken down into manageable concepts for KS3 students. ✔ Builds progressively – each lesson develops students’ understanding of the previous lesson and contributes to the overall story of Earth. ✔ Makes geological time meaningful – students develop an understanding of the enormous scale of Earth’s history rather than simply memorising dates. ✔ Homework included – two ready-to-use tasks provide opportunities for students to consolidate and extend their learning. ✔ Encourages curiosity – helps students appreciate the incredible story of the planet they call home. ✔ Ideal for KS3 Geography – particularly suitable for Year 7, but adaptable for Years 7–9. Key topics: Formation of Earth Early Earth Development of life Evolution Geological time Geological periods Vertebrates Reptiles Dinosaurs Mass extinction Human history Humanity’s place within geological time