3 pages
Instructions
FORMATIVE EVALUATION
Answer all the questions.
Archaeopteryx has been considered “proof” of the relationship between birds and dinosaurs for some time. Check out the Canadian Museum of Nature’s Archeopteryx fact sheet to learn more about this type of dinosaur.
What evidence is there that Archeopteryx was an ancestor of birds? Search for other arguments in favour of this relationship.
There is some recent evidence that questions the relationship between birds and dinosaurs. Find a source to support this hypothesis.
Phylogeny is the study of the relationships between living things. Often, relationships between species are represented using a phylogenetic tree.
Find a phylogenetic tree that shows a relationship between dinosaurs and birds.
What other present-day species would be ancestors of the dinosaurs?
Is phylogeny sufficient to confirm a relationship between birds and dinosaurs?
Paleontology is the study of fossils of living things from various geological periods.
Are there intermediate fossils (between dinosaurs and modern birds) that confirm beyond a doubt that these species are related?
Why is it difficult to establish a definite relationship through the study of fossils?
What are the limitations of fossils as evidence of evolution?
The following may be important in developing criteria to help determine which science provides the most plausible evidence for the relationship between birds and dinosaurs, for example:
has resulted in recent discoveries;
is the subject of much research;
uses very advanced technology.
Be creative with task submission, you can use many different platforms and media to make the formative task presentation.