UC Berkeley
Grade Level(s):
- 13-16
- Advanced
Source:
- UC Museum of Paleontology
Resource type:
- Lab activity
Time: 2-3 hours
Overview
Students will be introduced to a data set about mollusk genera that survived and did not survive the KT extinction event. They will formulate hypotheses regarding extinction patterns and mechanisms and analyze the data for evidence relevant to those hypotheses.
- [History of life: Grades 13-16] During the course of evolution, only a small percentage of species have survived until today.
- [History of life: Grades 13-16] Background extinctions are a normal occurrence.
- [History of life: Grades 13-16] Rates of extinction vary.
- [History of life: Grades 13-16] Mass extinctions occur.
- [History of life: Grades 13-16] Extinction can result from environmental change.
- [Evidence of evolution: Grades 13-16] The fossil record documents the biodiversity of the past.
- [Evidence of evolution: Grades 13-16] The fossil record documents patterns of extinction and the appearance of new forms.
- [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] A hallmark of science is exposing ideas to testing.
- [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Scientists test their ideas using multiple lines of evidence.
- [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Scientists can test ideas about events and processes long past, very distant, and not directly observable.
- [Nature of science: Grades 13-16] Scientists may explore many different hypotheses to explain their observations.
- [Studying evolution: Grades 13-16] Scientists use fossils (including sequences of fossils showing gradual change over time) to learn about past life.
There are no NGSS/DCI concepts currently linked to this resource.
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