Lesson Plan for Interaction and Review
Extinct Mega Fauna of the Pleistocene in North America
9th Grade World History/11th Grade American History
Background
This class has been studying the process of Human Development, beginning with the first
upright walking hominids. The students have learned of the cultural and behavioral adaptations
that took place over millions of years as Premoderns slowly evolved into modern humans. Our
last lesson covered the extinction of the Neanderthal people and the reasons and implications of
the success of modern humans. The students understand that our ancestors were able to adapt to
their environment and that technology helped them forge new beginnings in new environments.
This lesson comes near the end of the Prehistory Unit. We will look at the warming climate in
North America, the resulting human migration and the mass extinctions of mega fauna that
followed.
English proficiency level: Intermediate
Grade: 9
Social Studies Standards:
Strand 1- American History, Concept 2 Early Civilizations P.O. 1 Describe prehistoric cultures
of the North American continent.
Strand 2- World History, Concept 2 Early Civilizations P.O. 1 Describe the development of
early prehistoric peoples.
Preparation
Content Objective: Students will learn about some of the extinct species of Mega Fauna that
lived in North America before the mass extinctions of 9,000 years ago, and the causes of those
extinctions.
Language Objectives: Students will listen, discuss and write vocabulary related to the
Pleistocene extinctions of Mega Fauna. In pairs, students will discuss the significance of the
mass extinctions and apply the vocabulary to a graphic organizer. Students will later work in
groups of three or four, drawing cave art featuring some of the extinct animals we have
discussed.
Materials:
Quest for Fire DVD
PowerPoint “Extinct Mega Fauna of the Pleistocene in North America”
Graphic Organizer
Sheets of 11 X 17” paper
Group Project Instruction Sheet
Crayons (red, black, brown, blue and yellow) –these pigments are common in cave art
Motivation
Opening Teaser: We begin with a short film clip from the movie Quest for Fire. Three
unsuspecting cavemen are ambushed by a pack of saber tooth tigers. They take refuge in a tree
until the predators lose interest and withdraw. Afterwards I have the students Think-Pair-Share
about what they just observed. The focus question is: What does this scene reveal about the lives
of early humans and their interaction with prehistoric wildlife?
The students share their opinions on this topic. I ask the students to ponder this question as we
discuss the diverse wildlife encountered by the first human pioneers in North America.
Presentation
PowerPoint: We take a “zoo-trip” back in time to see the mega fauna wildlife that wandered
North America before human colonization. I explain the theories for the causes of the mass
extinction of mega fauna that occurred between 13,000 years ago and 9,000 years ago.
As a class the students fill in the empty boxes on the graphic organizer (below). The purpose of
the flow chart is to show the cause and effect relationships of each theory/concept we discuss,
and how they relate to the ultimate outcome. During the presentation, I announce when to write
in each new point and call upon a different student each time to summarize what has happened
so far.
______________________________________________________________________________
Competing Theories of Pleistocene Mass Extinction
Word Bank:
End of the Ice Age
(14,000-9,000 y.a.)
Mass Extinction
Climate Change
Pleistocene Overkill
Theory #1:
Human Migration
Theory #2:
______________________________________________________________________________
Critical Thinking: After the presentation and graphic organizer are completed, I have the students
pair up and discuss their opinions concerning the roles climate change and overkill played in the
mass extinction of mega fauna. After 3-4 minutes, I call upon students from each pair to share
their views on this issue.
Practice and Review
I show slides at the end of the PowerPoint that feature mega fauna in ancient cave art.
Group Project: I number off the students to divide them in groups of three or four. They push
their desks together to form tables. Each group obtains an 11 X 17” sheet of paper, an instruction
sheet and a zip lock bag of five crayons.
This is the instruction sheet:
______________________________________________________________________________
Mega Fauna in Cave Art:
Group Project
You are to take on the roles of early human migrants who have recently settled in a cave in
ancient North America. Through your travels, you have encountered many species of mega
fauna. Your tribe hunts herd animals, such as mammoths, horses and camels. These herbivores
eat plants and are no threat to the tribe. However, vicious packs of saber tooth tigers and dire
wolves prowl the region. These carnivores prey upon single humans who travel too far from the
safety of the cave.
The task of each group is to draw cave art depicting at least four of the mega fauna shown in the
presentation. All drawings must be labeled. You may collaborate to tell a story with your artwork
if you wish. Also, create a name for your tribe and cave.
Creativity will be awarded with extra points.
______________________________________________________________________________
The Practice and Review part of the lesson will spill over into the next class day. I allot extra
time where necessary to finish the drawings and establish a reasonable time limit to keep
everybody on task. Once completed, each group shares their drawings with the rest of the class.
Extension (2nd class period day)
For homework, the students write a one page opinion essay about the possibility of future mass
extinctions. If time permits, they can begin this assignment in class. Focus questions include:
Do you think the wildlife of today’s world in danger of mass extinction due to human activity
(e.g. pollution, deforestation, urbanization, hunting, etc…)? Explain.
Can the current issue of Global Warming be related to the climate changes that occurred at the
end of the Ice Age? Explain.
Do you think the world is headed toward a future mass extinction? What role (if any) do you
think humans have in this process? Explain.
Do you think humans can adapt to future climate change, or could we go extinct like the mega
fauna? Explain.