Lesson Plan

Climate Change: Past, Present, and Future

Download Lesson Plan 582KB
A large bird flies above a valley filled with streams, trees, and herds of ice age animals.

Tule Springs Fossil Beds 23,000-18,000 years ago in Las Vegas, Nevada.

NPS Image | Julius Csotonyi

Grade Level:
Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
Subject:
Science
Lesson Duration:
90 Minutes
Common Core Standards:
6-8.RH.7
State Standards:
MS-LS4-1. Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past
Additional Standards:
MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
Thinking Skills:
Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Applying: Apply an abstract idea in a concrete situation to solve a problem or relate it to a prior experience. Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts.

Essential Question

How does climate change affect the environment in the past and present?

Objective

The students will develop an understanding of climate change based on the fossil and soil records found at the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument.
The students will better understand how climate change affected the environment in the past based on data found at the Tule Spring site. This will help the student better understand climate change in the future.

Background

Tule Springs Fossil Beds is one of our newest National Park Service units, located in the Las Vegas Valley. We are providing these educational resources for K-12 educators together with our partners: the Protectors of Tule Springs. Over the last ~570,000 years, water has transformed the Upper Las Vegas Valley. Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument is an urban park that preserves the unique story of this ever-changing ecosystem. Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument preserves thousands of Pleistocene (Ice Age) fossils that help tell the story of a dynamic environment. These fossils were preserved within expanding and contracting wetlands between 100,000-12,500 years ago. Many of the Pleistocene animals of Tule Springs are still alive today, including the coyote (Canis latrans), jackrabbit (Lepus sp.), and aquatic snails. Some animals went extinct, disappearing from North America entirely.

Preparation

  1. Prepare to show two short videos to the class with audio. The videos have closed captions.
  2. This lesson requires reading materials. Prepare the reading materials as print-outs for each student, or as digital files on personal computers or other devices. The Tule Springs Local Fauna supplemental materials work best for indivdual computers.

Materials

Read about how the rock and fossil records of Tule Springs teach us about climate change in the Las Vegas Valley. How has this area changed over time?

Download The Geology and Paleontology of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Nevada

See how desert wetlands change in cooler or warmer temperatures.

Download Rock Record & Climate

Procedure

Focusing Event

  1. Get the students into small groups of 4 or more and have them discuss what they know about global climate change.
  2. Have the students then share their results with the whole class.

Assessing student knowledge

  1. Based on discussion results the teacher can assess the previous knowledge of the students.
  2. The teacher will explain that the Earth has experienced natural climate changes for millions of years, and human-caused climate changes much more recently.
  3. As a class, watch the video “Worth Protecting: Desert Springs Monitoring in Joshua Tree” made by the NPS [3:01 Mins]. This video explains how groundwater springs are critical to desert ecosystems and how scientists study these special places.

Climate Change in the Past

  1. The students will split up evenly into groups of 2 or more to read and discuss the article “The Geology and Paleontology of Tule Springs Fossil Beds
    National Monument, Nevada”, as well as the downloadable “Rock Record & Climate” supplemental materials.
  2. Distribute materials to students. Have them read the materials and discuss with their group.
  3. Prompt the students to: Analyze how desert springs change over time. Analyze how sediment layers at Tule Springs Fossil Beds show climate change over time.
  4. Have each group share their results with the class.

Ancient Creatures & Environments

  1. The students will split up evenly into new groups of 2 or more to read and discuss the “Tule Springs Local Fauna” supplemental materials.
  2. Distribute materials to students. Have them read the materials and discuss with their group.
  3. Ask the students if they can explain where the animals in the Tule Springs Fossil record are now. Discuss within their groups and write down the possible answers.
  4. Have each group share their results with the class.

Climate Change in the Present & Future

  1. As a class, have students watch the “Species' Range Shifts at Sequoia-Kings Canyon NP” video [8:30 min].
  2. Have the students predict what may happen to the ecosystem in Tule Springs due to climate change based on the information they have. They should discuss this with their group and write down the ideas predicted.
  3. Have the students write down and turn in their notes from the discussion.

Assessment Materials

Assessment

The teacher will assess the students by their written record of the discussion. The teacher will also evaluate the students through verbal interaction and class participation.

Contact Information

Email us about this lesson plan

Tags: climate change stem fossil ice age

Last updated: October 30, 2024