1. The mysteries of Easter Island
What happened to the people of Easter Island?
Easter Island is 2000 miles (3200 kilometres) from the nearest land
The Island is 8 miles wide x 8 miles long. (13kmx13km)
The Island was a tropical paradise - until humans arrived
The population of the Island grew to 10,000
Fantastic statues had been carved by people
These statues are standing up to 6 miles away from where they were carved.
These people must have been clever, talented and organised
Great technical knowledge would have been needed to move the statues.
An explorer arrived in 1722 and found people fighting and starving.
Year 8 Unit 2 Assessed classwork/homework:
Date issued: ………......… Name……………………………...……
Target grade/level I scored last time What I am aiming for this time

2. 3. No trees could be found on the Island in 1722.
1. Roggeveen found just 2000 people living very basic lives in caves and huts
2. Before the first people arrived the island was covered in tropical forest
5. The volcanic soil was at first very fertile (good for growing food)
6. Before 1722 there were 10,000 people living on the Island
4. For many years trees and their leaves protected the soil from erosion by rain and water
7. Later on, there might not be enough land for everyone
10. The first houses were made from wood and palm leaves
8. The first people landed there 1600 years ago – (400AD)
9. In the remains of fires they found human bones.

3. Date 100AD 400AD 700AD 1000AD 1300AD 1600AD 1722AD 1900AD 2015AD
Task 1
Task 2: Timeline
What was the island like before the first people arrived?
What is the evidence that the first people were clever, creative and healthy?
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What do you think humans did to upset the natural balance of the island?
__________________
Describe what the island was like when the Admiral and his crew arrived?
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What was the soil like when the first people arrived?
How long ago did the first people arrive?
How big is this island?
Where is the nearest land?
How did the first people get their food? 1 2 3 4
Using the boxes on the opposite page put what you think happened in the right order below.
Add extras ideas too!
Date
What happened
100AD
400AD
700AD
1000AD
1300AD
1600AD
1722AD
1900AD
2015AD

4. Overall level achieved
Task 3 : Answer these questions on the lined paper provided.
1. What do you think humans did to Easter Island that altered its natural balance?
What could the Islanders have done to live sustainably? Write a simple plan. NOT a list.
If one person who lived on the island had worked out that it was dangerous to chop down all the trees what do you think the other people may have said to this person and why would they have said it?
Is what happened on the island similar to what is happening in the ‘global village’ called Earth?
Examine your sources carefully.
.Level 3 (D)
You select information from the booklet and answer most of Task 1.
You simply describe what you think happened to Easter Island in both Task 2 and Task 3 answers
You use some geographical words to explain what you mean
Level 4 (C)
You simply explain how humans altered the natural balance of Easter Island and this could be the answer to the ‘mystery’ - Q1
You produce a simple plan for how the resources on Easter Island could have been used sustainably – Q2
You start to think about the way some people have different attitudes to the environment – Q3
You mention briefly links between Easter Island and what could happen globally – Q4
Level 5 (B)
You explain how humans altered the natural balance of Easter Island and this could be the answer to the ‘mystery’. - Q1
Your plan is detailed and looks at ALL the resources available - Q2
You start to explain why some Islanders had different opinions about the environment – Q3
You have compared and given a brief conclusion – Q4
Level 6 (A) – All of ‘Level 5’ plus:
You understand that different cultures may have different attitudes to yours – Q3
You show you have researched extra evidence and you used it effectively (all questions)
Level 7 (A*) – All of ‘Level 6’ plus:
You appreciate we must plan and manage all environments (sustainable development) to make sure the world has a future
You evaluate your sources and explain how this affects your conclusions. – Q4
Spelling mistakes (sp), punctuation errors (P), grammatical errors (G) and problems with presentation (Pr) should be corrected in this box.
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Assessment review (to be completed by the student after the assessment is marked). What went well?
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Assessment review (to be completed by the student after the assessment is marked). What didn’t go well?
Overall level achieved