Assignment script

Hello, my name is Sarah, and I am in 7 Purple. In this term we have been learning about
Deep Time history. This includes the early humans and evolution, dating methods such as
stratigraphy, human migration and different eras throughout time. I have also learnt about
the Aboriginal and First Nations people and their lifestyle. I liked learning about this unit of
work because it is fascinating to find out how humans were able to create a theory of what
happened from millions of years ago until today.

Throughout this unit of Deep Time history, I found three specific words that I think have
been important to this subject. They are source, stratigraphy and Deep Time. A source is a
place, person or thing which something originates or can be obtained (Collins Dictionary,
2024). Stratigraphy is a branch of geology and the Earth Sciences that deals with the
arrangement and succession of strata, or layers, as well as the origin, composition and
distribution of these geological strata (Australia, 2024). Deep Time is the concept that the
Earth and its inhabitants have a long and complex history that spans geological eras and
evolutionary changes. It is a way of understanding the natural world and our place in it
(What is ‘Deep Time’ history of the First Nations People of Australia?, 2024). Those are the
definitions of my 3 words.

A Dreamtime story I have chosen that is significant to First Nations’ culture is a Dreamtime
story called The Secret of Dreaming. The Secret of Dreaming is a story of how everything is
created. In the darkness long ago, the Spirit of All Life began Dreaming. It passed the Secret
of Dreaming on to the other animal spirits, but they didn’t understand it like the Great Spirit
did. The spirits got tired of Dreaming but didn’t want it to stop, so they passed the Secret of
Dreaming on to Man, and Man understood the secret of Dreaming. Now, it is man’s job to
protect and continue the other spirits’ Dreaming.

It is an excellent story because it tells us why we need to take care of our land and protect it.
It is significant to First Nations’ culture because they strongly believe that the land is sacred
and that it is their job to care for the land. The meaning of this Dreamtime story is that the
world didn’t just create itself all in one go, more like layer by layer. The Secret of Dreaming
tells us why the land is sacred, and that man should be its caretaker. Elders have passed on
the story from generation to generation. First Nations have a deep connection with their
Country, and they have developed techniques to manage and not over-hunt their land. From
this story, I learned why Australia is a unique and precious place and that it is our duty to
protect the Spirit of All Life’s creation.
One topic I found interesting in this unit of Deep Time was human evolution. Humans, or
Homo Sapiens, are born approximately 250,000 years ago. They started using tools roughly
2.5 million years ago, developed a capacity of language around 50,000 years ago, and it took
humans about 12,000 years to populate the world (Khan Academy, 2024). I found it
interesting because when I look back, I notice that humans have come a long way from
which we started.

One source I found helpful when exploring more about human evolution was the Britannica
website. When researching, I found the source Britannica very helpful in understanding
more about human evolution as it mentions how they evolved and the Homo Sapiens’
ancestors. This source helped me to understand how people evolved from apes to humans
and how they migrated to different places around the world. According to Britannica, the
earliest humans lived in Africa. “They reached Europe and Asia first. From Asia they spread
to North America and Australia between 60 thousand and 12 thousand years ago”
(Britannica Kids, 2024). Overall, studying human evolution has deepened my understanding
of Deep Time history.

Thank you, Miss Backus, for listening and your time. Have a nice day.

REFERENCE LIST

What is a source - SOURCE definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

(collinsdictionary.com)

What is stratigraphy - An Introduction to Stratigraphy (futurelearn.com)

What is the concept of Deep Time - What is ‘Deep Time’ history of the First Nations People
of Australia? - History Skills

Further research - Human Migration - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help

Human evolution - First humans: Homo sapiens & early human migration (article) | Khan
Academy

The Secret of Dreaming – Book by Jim Poulter