1. How to build a lesson for high school students
based on contemporary paleontological research?
Hh
H
M
S
B
Hh= Highly Hypsodont
H= Hypsodont
M= Mesodont
S= Submesodont
B= Brachiodont
Step 1. Change Title
Add context.
Step 2.
Simplify Amount of
content displayed
visual key
color-coded
Step 3.
Eliminate jargon.
Teach: Reading the
graph step by step.
Start: Multi-dimensional
line graph from primary
source data
Conclusion:
The majority of fossilized teeth from
herbivorous mammals 20 million years
ago in the Great Plains of North
America were low-crowned.
take a cross section at 20 million years
Students learned to read a complex graph
based on paleontological data published in 2012.
•
•
GEOS
CIENTISTS-IN-THE-P
ARKS
Geologic Resource
s
Division
Literature Cited
Jardine, P., C. Janis, S. Sahney, M. Benton. 2012. Grit not grass: concordant patterns of early origin of hyp-
sodonty in Great Plains ungulates and Glires. Paleogeography, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology: 365-366.
Stromberg, C., F. McInerney. The Neogene transition from C3 to C4 grasslands in North America: assem-
blage analysis of fossil phytoliths. Paleobiology 37(1), 2011, pp. 50-71.
The scope of this lesso was greatly inspired by a similar project developed by the University of Florida
Center for Preollegiate Education and Training (CPET).
PO Box 112010, Yon Hall, Room 331 Gainesville, FL 32611
The lesson is available online at cpet.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Horse-Evo.pdf.
Acknowledgements
This project made possible through the Geologic Society of America® Geoscientist-in-the-Parks Program
and the National Park Service. The Geoscientists-in-the-Parks (GIP) Program was developed by the
National Park Service Geologic Resources Division (GRD) in 1996. The NPS partners with the
Geological Society of America (GSA) and Environmental Stewards (ES) to administer the GIP Program.
With thanks to the administration and HAFO paleontologist Kari Prassack at Hagerman Fossil Beds NM.
Special acknowledgement and thanks to the authors of the scientific papers (Jardine et al. 2012, Strom-
berg, et al. 2011), which provided primary source material used in the development of this lesson plan.
Methodology
- Lesson teaches students how to interpret primary source
material, both quantitative (graphical analysis) and written
(student opinion article).
- Data was derived from the primary literature and modi-
fied to provide context and age-appropriateness.
- Through graphical analysis and critical reading, students
draw inferences based on the evidence provided. Activities
are designed to inspire student creativity and analysis.
- Project developed at Hagerman Fossil Beds National
Monument (HAFO), as an educational resource to be
made publically accessible to teachers across the country.
- The final product created a set of PDFs easily download
able by teachers with printable handouts, sample
PowerPoint presentations, student worksheets and
documents for teacher reference.
Project Overview
A lesson titled,“Fossil Teeth: A Record of Climate and Evolutionary Change in the Fossil
Record” is presented as a model to illustrate how secondary education lesson plans can be
developed from primary source scientific data. The project was funded through a partner-
ship with the Geologic Society of America GeoCorps Program and National Park Service at
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument.
Curriculum standards align with the Disciplinary Core Ideas from the Next Generation
Science Standards (NGSS) and guidelines for reading and writing from the Common
Core State Standards (CCSS).
This lesson was designed for the National Park Service to be digitally accessible and down-
loadable for teachers across the country. It is intended for high school biology students
(Introductory, Honors and/or Advanced Placement level) in grades 9–12.
Learning is Doing
Student Synthesis
A presentation to sophomore biology students at Hagerman High School, February 2016.
The lesson begins by asking, "What does paleontology look like today?"
and teaches about mammalian tooth adaptations as preserved in the fossil record.
Lesson Overview
In the lesson, students examine changes in tooth morphology in the fossil record of
herbivorous mammals in North America. Through graphical analysis and critical
reading, students infer factors that caused the observed evolutionary adaptations and
link biological adaptation to global climate change and localized habitat change.
Pre-lesson materials provide background about tooth morphology as well as extend-
ed resources for teachers.
ROBERTI, Gina, roberti.gina@gmail.com
PRASSACK, Kari A., kari_prassack@nps.gov
Hagerman Fossil Beds NM. 221 State Street Hagerman, ID 83332
PALEONTOLOGY IN THE “REAL WORLD”: USING RECENT PALEONTOLOGICAL LITERATURE
TO ENGAGE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND ENCOURAGE STEM-BASED LEARNING.