Paleontology has been offered at McMinnville High School since the fall of 2010.  The course explores the history of earth, starting with earth cooling and formation of the atmosphere and moon.  The students then explore the early life with the first fossil stromatolites.  We explore the Paleozoic era, by looking at the cool fossils of the Cambrian and the Ordivician radiation.  We then look at the age of fish through the Devonian and the Silurian.  We explore insects and amphibians of the Carboniferous, and then the reptiles and protomammals of the Permian.

                                         

The second half of our semester is spent on the Mesosoic and Cenozoic.  We look at the two basic groups of dinosaurs, the ornithischian (bird hipped) and the saurischian (lizard hipped).  We fill in cladograms, explore comparitive anatomy and get an idea of the adaptations these animals had to survive in this era. 

 

For the Cenozoic, we look at the Glacial Flood Missoula, and look at fossils from our backyards, literally.  The highlight of the class is a guest speaker, Mike Full, who brings in many fossils all found within five miles of the school.

This class is a great way for McMinnville High students to explore evolution and adaptations of past life, as well as the geologic history of the earth.  Some former students have chosen majors in geology and archeology based on the knowledge gained in this class.