Self-Guided Resources for
Manchester Museum
Fossils Gallery – KS3/4
(Booking Essential)
This activity uses the information and artefacts in the Prehistoric gallery to enable your
students to create their own timeline of how life has changed on earth.
The fossils gallery on ground floor offers a unique opportunity for your students to
explore how life on earth has changed since the multi-cellular organisms appeared 1
billion years ago. Using our fantastic collection of fossils, this gallery enables students to
investigate what life was like during different time periods.
Follow the instructions below to explore this gallery with your students.
1. Split your class into 8 groups.
2. Send each group to a different bay/case that focuses on a distinct time period.
Instruct each student to focus on a different part of each case.
3. Students will write the time period they are looking at on the top of their piece of
paper and sketch the typical life forms that were around on earth at that time
period on an A4 sheet of paper. The sketches should be large (filling an entire piece
of A4 paper) and each person in each group should draw a different living thing.
Allow approx 15 minutes for the sketching.
4. Once your students have finished sketching, bring the group back together in the
middle of the gallery (under Stan, the T-rex).
5. Arrange the sketches on the floor down the middle of the gallery in time order to
create your own timeline. If space allows, try and accurately reflect the time gaps
between the periods.
6. Allow your students to explore the entire length of the timeline on the floor and ask
questions like:
 Which are the most ‘successful creature’ that have lasted the longest amount
of time?
 Why were they successful?
7. Ask your students to show you some examples of creatures that were able to
survive the mass extinctions events. Explore why these creatures were able to
survive whereas others were not.
Equipment required:
 Plain A4 paper
 Pencils
 Clipboards
Have you remembered to book your Self Programmed activities with our Bookings Officer on 0161 275 2630? You can
also request to use our lunch room for your group. Risk Assessments are available on the website. Also, please check
for any suggested materials that you may need to bring with you on the day.