Choice-Based Investigation with Data Analysis and Scientific Argumentation
Guide students through the most consequential turning points in Earth’s history with this inquiry-driven lesson on mass extinctions and evolutionary change. Designed for secondary biology and Earth Science classrooms, this interactive Google Slides experience blends data analysis, student choice, and evidence-based argumentation to help students understand how extinction events reshape life on our planet—and why those events still matter today.
Big-Picture Foundations
Students begin by analyzing a set of comparative infographics that highlight the timing, causes, and biological impact of the five major mass extinction events. This establishes a shared framework and prepares students to evaluate extinction as a scientific phenomenon rather than a list of facts.
Student Choice & Deep Investigation
Students then select three of five extinction-focused investigations, allowing them to explore pathways that best match their interests while maintaining rigorous content expectations. Options include:
The Great Oxygenation Event – Students investigate why plants are green, explore the purple Earth hypothesis, and examine how early life altered planetary chemistry.
The Plant Revolution – Students analyze evidence linking early land plants to ocean anoxia, nutrient runoff, and extinction—then compare these processes to modern human-driven dead zones.
The Permian Extinction (The Great Dying) – Students evaluate fossil evidence through a CER task, using differentiated readings that range from accessible to advanced.
The End-Triassic Extinction – Students critically evaluate an AI-generated infographic, practicing scientific literacy and misinformation detection.
The End-Cretaceous (K–Pg) Extinction – Students analyze geological evidence, including iridium layers and impact data, to understand the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs.
The Sixth Mass Extinction
All students conclude by investigating whether Earth is currently experiencing a sixth mass extinction. After exploring curated sources in their preferred format (article, infographic, or video), students critique a deliberately flawed AI-generated essay that minimizes the crisis—using scientific evidence to refute weak claims and strengthen their reasoning.
This lesson is intentionally designed to balance content mastery with higher-order thinking. Students practice interpreting data, evaluating competing hypotheses, and constructing evidence-based arguments, all within a flexible structure that supports differentiation and engagement.
By the end of the lesson, students won’t just recognize the “Big Five” mass extinctions—they’ll understand how extinction events operate, how scientists study them, and why extinction remains one of the most urgent topics in modern biology.
To preview this lesson, click here.
NGSS Alignment (High School):
HS-LS2-7; HS-LS4-5; HS-ESS2-7
Science & Engineering Practices (SEPs):
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Constructing Explanations
Engaging in Argument from Evidence
Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs):
Cause and Effect
Systems and System Models
Stability and Change
Common Core (Literacy in Science):
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.1 / RST.11-12.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.7 / RST.11-12.7; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.8 / RST.11-12.8; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.1 / WHST.11-12.1
Choice-Based Investigation with Data Analysis and Scientific Argumentation
Guide students through the most consequential turning points in Earth’s history with this inquiry-driven lesson on mass extinctions and evolutionary change. Designed for secondary biology and Earth Science classrooms, this interactive Google Slides experience blends data analysis, student choice, and evidence-based argumentation to help students understand how extinction events reshape life on our planet—and why those events still matter today.
Big-Picture Foundations
Students begin by analyzing a set of comparative infographics that highlight the timing, causes, and biological impact of the five major mass extinction events. This establishes a shared framework and prepares students to evaluate extinction as a scientific phenomenon rather than a list of facts.
Student Choice & Deep Investigation
Students then select three of five extinction-focused investigations, allowing them to explore pathways that best match their interests while maintaining rigorous content expectations. Options include:
The Great Oxygenation Event – Students investigate why plants are green, explore the purple Earth hypothesis, and examine how early life altered planetary chemistry.
The Plant Revolution – Students analyze evidence linking early land plants to ocean anoxia, nutrient runoff, and extinction—then compare these processes to modern human-driven dead zones.
The Permian Extinction (The Great Dying) – Students evaluate fossil evidence through a CER task, using differentiated readings that range from accessible to advanced.
The End-Triassic Extinction – Students critically evaluate an AI-generated infographic, practicing scientific literacy and misinformation detection.
The End-Cretaceous (K–Pg) Extinction – Students analyze geological evidence, including iridium layers and impact data, to understand the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs.
The Sixth Mass Extinction
All students conclude by investigating whether Earth is currently experiencing a sixth mass extinction. After exploring curated sources in their preferred format (article, infographic, or video), students critique a deliberately flawed AI-generated essay that minimizes the crisis—using scientific evidence to refute weak claims and strengthen their reasoning.
This lesson is intentionally designed to balance content mastery with higher-order thinking. Students practice interpreting data, evaluating competing hypotheses, and constructing evidence-based arguments, all within a flexible structure that supports differentiation and engagement.
By the end of the lesson, students won’t just recognize the “Big Five” mass extinctions—they’ll understand how extinction events operate, how scientists study them, and why extinction remains one of the most urgent topics in modern biology.
To preview this lesson, click here.
NGSS Alignment (High School):
HS-LS2-7; HS-LS4-5; HS-ESS2-7
Science & Engineering Practices (SEPs):
Analyzing and Interpreting Data
Constructing Explanations
Engaging in Argument from Evidence
Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs):
Cause and Effect
Systems and System Models
Stability and Change
Common Core (Literacy in Science):
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.1 / RST.11-12.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.7 / RST.11-12.7; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.8 / RST.11-12.8; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.1 / WHST.11-12.1
