RECONSTRUCTING PAST CLIMATES USING MICROFOSSILS: AN ACTIVITY FOR K-12 STUDENTS

Teaching about climate change in the K-12 classroom can be extremely challenging, and educating students and teachers about this important topic is greatly needed. We developed an activity that introduces students to the study of palynology and how past climates are reconstructed. Students are given clues to unravel this ancient mystery hidden in tiny microfossils that have been buried in sediments for millions of years. This activity is based on the palynological data from the ANDRILL core, which drilled and recovered about 1200 meters of rock underneath nearly 100 meters of ice and 840 meters of seawater. In order for students to understand this research and its importance, they will separate and identify pollen and spores from a simulated core sample where different species of pollen are represented as different colors of glitter.

To embark into this palynological journey, this lesson is divided into three components: Activity I: What are pollen and spores?; Activity II: How is pollen used?, and Activity III: How can pollen help us reconstruct past climates? Students must first understand what pollen and spores are and where they come from before they can fully grasp the impact of the climate reconstruction using these microfossils. Students observe the similarities and differences between flower pollens by using video microscopes, then they collect pollen from the air. Lastly, students reconstruct the past climates in Antarctica by comparing the types and abundance of pollen (glitter) found in each layer of a simulated core sample, and research the climate preferences of the plants found. These activities meet several of the current National Science Education Standards for the middle and upper grades in inquiry science, life science, earth and space science, and science and technology (NRC 1996). This lesson also addresses several points in all three of the dimensions in A Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC 2011). A printed booklet of this lesson with step-by-step instructions and color images will be available for interested participants.