It Is Happening Now

This article describes the past five mass extinctions of species on the Earth in a concise chart. However, the author points out how humans are causing the next great extinction of species.... See More

This article describes the past five mass extinctions of species on the Earth in a concise chart. However, the author points out how humans are causing the next great extinction of species. He lists five major reasons why this is happening currently. The causes included the expansion of invasive species, pollutions, climate change and more. The author then provides examples associated with his premise that occurs in a middle school science curriculum. He points out how we as humans can slow this down. Further resources are also provided. This is an interesting and controversial topic that should be well research before presenting it to students.

Needs Student-Centered Activities

Global climate change and the resulting extinctions are accepted as fact by most environmental scientists. However, the causes of global climate change/extinctions are still hotly debated. R... See More

Global climate change and the resulting extinctions are accepted as fact by most environmental scientists. However, the causes of global climate change/extinctions are still hotly debated. Rather than presenting the idea that human activities are the sole reason for climate change/extinctions as solid fact, I believe it is more responsible to present both sides of the debate and allow students to draw their own conclusions. This is, after all, how true learning occurs. Another area of concern I had with the article was that there was no mention of how long it took the first five extinctions to occur. One of the largest misconceptions students have regarding extinction events is they think extinction events occur suddenly. Meaning they think something, perhaps a massive meteor impact, causes a sudden and immediate extinction event that takes no longer than a few years, maybe even a few days. The largest extinction event, the Permian-Triassic "Great Dying," was considered "rapid" because it look a little less than a million years to occur. The current extinction event is occurring at a much faster rate than previous events. This idea is very important when considering whether or not man plays a part in this event, and it's not mentioned in the article. Overall, I prefer to find materials that present both sides of the argument and that provide student-centered activities that can be used in the classroom almost immediately.