Lesson summary for...

Ancient fossils and modern climate change: The work of Jennifer McElwain

Author/Source: UC Museum of Paleontology
Overview:Wondering how global warming will affect our planet? Scientist Jennifer McElwain studies the fossil record in order to learn more about how global warming has affected life on Earth in the past and how it might affect life on Earth in the future.
Concepts:This lesson covers the following concepts:
  • Geological change and biological evolution are linked.
  • During the course of evolution, only a small percentage of species have survived to today.
  • Mass extinctions occur.
  • The fossil record provides evidence for evolution.
  • The fossil record documents the biodiversity of the past.
  • The fossil record documents patterns of extinction and the appearance of new forms.
  • Scientists pose, test, and revise multiple hypotheses to explain what they observe.
  • The story of the evolution of living things is always being refined as we gather more evidence.
  • Scientists use fossils (including sequences of fossils showing gradual change over time) to learn about past life.
  • As with other scientific disciplines, evolutionary biology has applications that factor into everyday life.
Grade Level:9-12
Time:40 minutes
Teacher Background:Explore these links for additional information on the topics covered in this lesson:
Teaching Tips:This article would tie in well with a discussion of photosynthesis, climate change, and/or the carbon cycle. It might also make a nice contrast to a discussion of the KT mass extinction. This article comes with a set of discussion questions for use in classroom settings.