Year 10 Science · Unit 1 · Lesson 13

Evidence for Evolution, Fossils and Anatomy

Foundation Worksheet

Name

Date

Class

Learning Goals

Define fossil, homologous structure, analogous structure, vestigial structure and transitional fossil.
Explain how comparative anatomy and fossil evidence support evolution.
Classify anatomical structures as homologous, analogous or vestigial using examples.

Warm Up

Match each term to its definition

Draw a line connecting each term on the left to its correct definition on the right. Or write the matching letter next to each term.

Term	Your answer	Definition
Homologous structures		A. A fossil that shows intermediate features between two distinct groups of organisms.
Analogous structures		B. Reduced or non-functional body parts that were useful in an ancestor.
Vestigial structures		C. Body parts with the same underlying structure but different functions, indicating common ancestry.
Transitional fossil		D. The study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of different species.
Comparative anatomy		E. Body parts with similar functions but different underlying structures, indicating convergent evolution.
Fossil record		F. The total collection of fossils discovered worldwide, showing the history of life on Earth.

Your Turn

Sort it!

Write each example from the pool into the correct category box below.

Human arm bones and bat wing bones Bird wing and insect wing Whale hip bones Tiktaalik, fish fins + limb-like bones Human coccyx (tailbone) Shark fin and dolphin flipper Archaeopteryx, reptile + bird features Horse leg and whale flipper, same bones Wisdom teeth in humans Mole's front limbs and mole cricket's front legs

Homologous Structures

Analogous Structures

Vestigial Structures

Transitional Fossils

Show What You Know

1. Explain why whale hip bones are described as vestigial structures and what they tell us about whale evolution.

Recall 2 marks

2. Why do homologous structures suggest common ancestry, while analogous structures do not?

Recall 2 marks

Wrap Up

In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?