Download Earth Life of a Planet

Earth: Life of a Planet: Teacher’s Notes
SYNOPSIS
Earth: The Life of a Planet tells the story of Earth, from its creation 4,750 million
years ago through to the world we live in today. The introductory spread describes the
birth of the solar system including planet Earth. On the next spread the life of Earth is
illustrated in the form of a timeline. The following pages take you through the key
moments in the life of the planet. With the aid of stunning double-page artworks the
book explains the formation of the planets and the Moon, examines the first signs of
life on Earth and illustrates how life gradually evolved through the age of the
dinosaurs to mammals, and eventually the human species. At the end of the book, the
life of planet Earth is represented in a diagram of five clocks, showing at what stage
the Universe, Earth and its living things developed.
WRITING STYLE
This unique book presents the Earth’s history as a visual narrative. Each double-page
artwork gives a snapshot from a key time period, plus a short piece of descriptive text
to place the scene in historical context. The text is short and light in tone, allowing the
reader to absorb the visual information while learning the key facts at a glance. A
reference section at the back of the book summarizes all of the scientific information
in the form of a timeline, while the artwork spreads focus on telling the amazing story
of our planet.
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR BACKGROUND
Dr Mike Goldsmith studied the philosophy of time and space at Keele University,
where he also obtained his PhD in astrophysics. He now writes non-fiction science
books for children.
Mark A Garlick is an illustrator with a strong scientific background. He has a
Bachelor’s degree in astronomy from University College London (UCL) and a PhD in
astrophysics from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory. His digital illustrations
cover a broad range of scientific subjects, from Earth’s natural history to space
technology.
EDITORIAL COMMENT
Earth: The Life of a Planet has been thoroughly researched by the author and editor
and fully checked for factual accuracy. Dr Mike Goldsmith’s narrative journey
through billions of years is a great picture book, a terrific read and a really enjoyable
way to learn more about the fascinating life of our planet.
TEACHER ACTIVITIES/NOTES
 Choose an event in the creation of the universe, such as a cloud storm or the birth
of the Moon. Write a poem describing what happened or imagine you are a TV
journalist reporting it live. What would you say?
 You are an alien visiting Earth when it was covered with coal swamps. Write a
report for the other aliens on your planet telling them what Earth is like and the
primitive animals that live on it. Another alien could visit again after humans have
evolved. What would it write now?
 Write a newspaper-style eyewitness report for The Daily Universe about how a
huge meteorite smashed into the Earth and caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
 Use this book to help you draw a set of pictures showing how an animal might
have developed (evolved) over millions of years, perhaps growing feet or wings.
 Prepare a two-minute presentation on some of the ways that people have changed
the Earth, from hunting and farming to building cities and mining coal and oil.