The Field MuseuM educaTion deparTMenT presenTs · The Field Museum • DINOS • Educator Guide...

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THE FIELD MUSEUM EDUCATION DEPARTMENT DEVELOPS ON-LINE EDUCATOR GUIDES TO PROVIDE DETAILED INFORMATION ON FIELD TRIP PLANNING, ALIGNMENT WITH ILLINOIS STATE LEARNING STANDARDS (ILS), AS WELL AS HANDS-ON CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES TO DO BEFORE AND AFTER YOUR VISIT TO THE MUSEUM. Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries is organized by American Museum of Natural History, New York in collaboration with The Field Museum, Chicago; Houston Museum of Natural Science; the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco; and the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh Education Program Sponsor: The Field MuseuM educaTion deparTMenT presenTs ® Photo by Mick Ellison © American Museum of Natural History

Transcript of The Field MuseuM educaTion deparTMenT presenTs · The Field Museum • DINOS • Educator Guide...

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The Field MuseuM educaTion deparTMenT develops on-line educaTor guides To provide deTailed inForMaTion on Field Trip planning, alignMenT wiTh illinois sTaTe learning sTandards (ils), as well as hands-on

classrooM acTiviTies To do beFore and aFTer your visiT To The MuseuM.

Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries is organized by American Museum of Natural History, New York in collaboration with The Field Museum, Chicago; Houston Museum of Natural Science;

the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco; and the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh

Education Program Sponsor:

The F i e ld MuseuM educ aT i on d eparTMenT presenTs

®

Photo by M

ick Ellison ©

Am

erican Museum

of Natural H

istory

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Teacher’s note

Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries consists of five sections. Before you visit the exhibition, spend some time viewing the information on the Web site to begin planning your visit. We also recommend our quick fun facts and pre-activities to introduce your students to the complexities of the exhibition and focusing on one or two sections within the exhibition to study in depth. Each section has an introduction, guiding questions, answers to guiding questions, suggested pre-activities, field trip activities, and post-activities to help guide your students’ experience.

Visit us on-line at http://www.fieldmuseum.org/dinosaurs/.

So you think you know dinosaurs? Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries brings new life to old bones. It’s an eye-opening look at dinosaurs as living creatures who breathed, battled, and bred in complex environments they shared with countless other species. If you’re ready to catch up with the latest, ground-breaking dinosaur discoveries and evolutionary theories—where did birds come from, anyway?—this is the place to be!

Using real fossils and casts, high-tech moving models, vivid computer animations, and a recreated Mesozoic forest, the exhibition highlights cutting-edge research by Field Museum staff and scientists around the world. You can watch a robotic T. rex run, touch a real Triceratops horn, and use new computer software to see how an Apatosaurus moved its long neck. You’ll learn about the latest fossil finds, see what mysteries are being revealed by new technologies, and discover how scientists are changing their ideas about how dinosaurs lived…and how they died.

Guide Contributions: American Museum of Natural History © 2005. Adapted for The Field Museum by Richard A. Kissel, Science Program Developer; Elizabeth Babcock, Director of Education and Library Collections; Monica Garcia, Manager of Teacher Programs and Partnerships

Photo by C

raig Chesek ©

Am

erican Museum

of Natural H

istory

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corresponding illinois learning standards (ils)

The Illinois Learning Standards (ILS) define what all students in all Illinois public schools should know and be able to do in the seven core areas as a result of their elementary and secondary schooling. The classroom assessments are resources to help teachers determine local performance expectations for the Illinois Learning Standards (ILS) at each grade level. For more information on the ILS, visit www.isbe.state.il.us/ils/Default.

Use of materials in this educator guide in combination with a field trip to the exhibition will help you link learning experiences to the following Illinois Learning Standards (ILS). Teachers will need to identify descriptors and benchmarks to individual lesson plans, larger units of study, and to specific subject area. This exhibition, while suitable for all students regardless of grade level, maps closely to concepts studied in later elementary, middle school, and high school.

English Language Arts:Goal 1: Reading; Goal 2: Literature; Goal 3: Writing; Goal 4: Listening; Goal 5: Research

Mathematics:Goal 6: Number Sense; Goal 7: Estimations & Measurement; Goal 8: Analytical Methods

Science:Goal 11: Inquiry & Design; Goal 12: Concepts & Principals; Goal 13: Science, Technology, & Society

Social/Emotional Learning (SEL):Goal 1: Develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success; Goal 2: Use social awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships.

Photo by Roderick Mickens © American Museum of Natural History

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Adaptation: A feature that contributes to an organism’s success and survival in its environment.

Autotroph: An organism that uses energy from the sun or energy stored in chemical compounds to manufacture their own nutrients (e.g., green plants).

Biomechanics: The study of how animals—past and present—move. To study biomechanics, scientists look at how bones fit together, move in relation to each other, and—in living animals—how ligaments and muscles work.

Community: The organisms of an ecosystem.

Cretaceous Period: The third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, ranging from about 141 to 65 million years ago. Snakes and plants with flowers first evolved during the Cretaceous Period, and modern types of mammals—including placentals and marsupials—inhabit the Earth. At the end of the Cretaceous Period, a mass extinction wiped out 50% of all species, including all dinosaurs except birds.

Dinosaur: A group of reptiles that walked with their legs directly beneath their body and characterized by a hole in the hip socket. Dinosaurs first evolved during the Triassic Period, some 230 million years ago. Most went extinct during a mass extinction 65 million years ago; birds are the only dinosaurs that survived.

Display Structure: A physical feature of an animal—such as antlers or frills—used to attract mates or recognize members of their own species.

Ecosystem: The organisms living in a particular environment, such as a lake or forest, and the physical part of the environment that affects them. The organisms alone are called the community.

Evolution: The accumulation of inherited changes in populations of organisms over the course of generations. Evolution explains how species change over time and evolve into new species, and how what we see today may differ from the past. Evolutionary theory explains the diversity of life through the process of descent with modification.

Extinction: When a species dies out forever. Small numbers of species are going extinct all the time, but mass extinction events are responsible for wiping out much of the species diversity in the past.

Food Web: A model that shows all the possible feeding relationships within a community.

Fossil: The remains or traces of organisms that were once alive. Fossils can included bones, trackways, skin impressions, etc.

Heterotroph: An organism that cannot make its own food and must feed on other organisms for energy and nutrients.

Words to Know

Photo by Roderick Mickens © American Museum of Natural History

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Jurassic Period: The second and middle period of the Mesozoic Era, ranging from about 210 to 141 million years ago. Birds first evolved during the Jurassic.

Mass Extinction: When a large proportion of species go extinct within a relatively short time (several million years) across much of the world. There have been at least six mass extinctions in the four billion years since life began.

Mesozoic Era: The period of Earth’s history from about 250 to 65 million years ago; often known as “The Age of Dinosaurs.” It includes the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods.

Natural Selection: The driving mechanism of evolutionary change: organisms that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and therefore more likely to pass along their successful features to their offspring. The concept of natural selection was proposed by Charles Darwin in his 1859 On the Origin of Species.

Paleontologist: A scientist that studies extinct organisms, such as dinosaurs.

Paleontology: The science that investigates extinct organisms and the history of life on Earth.

Theory: An explanation of some phenomenon of the natural world that is well supported by the evidence at hand.

Trackway: A series of footprints made by an animal.

Triassic Period: The first period of the Mesozoic Era, ranging from about 250 to 210 million years ago. Dinosaurs, crocodiles, lizards, turtles, and mammals all first evolved during the Triassic Period.

Words to Knowcontinued

Photo by Dennis Finnin © American Museum of Natural History

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introduction to the exhibition

of the untold number of animals that have evolved and gone extinct during the past 600 million years, perhaps none have fas-cinated the human mind as much as dinosaurs. Their time on Earth began around 230 million years ago, during the Triassic Period, and they continued to dominate the landscape for the next 150 million years. They diversified into a host of fantastic

forms, from the truly gigantic, long-necked sauropods like Apatosaurus to Microraptor, a small meat-eating dinosaur that had long feathers on its arms—and legs! But 65 million years ago, a mass extinction wiped out more than half of all species on the planet, including all dinosaurs except birds—which evolved from a group of small meat-eating dinosaurs during the Mesozoic Era.

The term dinosaur was first coined in 1842. In the more than 150 years since, hundreds of species have been discovered by paleontologists. Their fossils, trapped in stone, are the clues that paleontologists use to unravel the mysteries surrounding these great beasts. A skeleton can tell you about a dinosaur’s size; trackways can tell you how a dinosaur moved; and the impression of a delicate feather can tell you about how a dinosaur looked. With each new fossil discovery comes new information, and that new information leads to a better understanding of not only dinosaurs, but the world in which they lived.

Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries highlights recent advances in the understanding of how dinosaurs looked, moved, behaved, and died. Scientists are making new discoveries, using new technologies, and coming up with new ideas that continue to transform paleontology. Each section of the exhibition includes specimens, computer interactives, and “scientist at work” videos presenting the evidence and methodology informing these new theories.

Photo by M

ick Ellison ©

Am

erican Museum

of Natural H

istory

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secT ion one : B ioMechan ics

how fast could T. rex run? Could huge animals such as Apatosaurus hold their necks and tails high? Engineering principles, complex computer models,

and the study of living animals provide the answers. This section explores biomechanics in two extraordinary animals: Tyrannosaurus and Apatosaurus.

One highlight of the exhibition is a six-foot long, robotic T. rex skeleton. Paleontologists, biomechanical engineers, and computer scientists teamed up to create this lifelike moving creature. Even its smallest toes flex as it walks! A video animation shows the “fleshed out” creature in sync with the robot. Interactive stations let you explore how scientists worked with variables of weight, muscle mass, posture, and center of gravity to reconstruct the gait and speed of T. rex. And you’ll learn what scientists have recently discovered about dinosaur aging and growth—the T. rex Sue was only 28 years old when it died; between the ages of 14 and 18, T. rex adolescents put on more than half of their adult weight, gaining up to 4.6 pounds a day!

This section is also home to a life-size skeleton of an Apatosaurus, but this skeleton—made of metal tubing, not bone—is a three-dimensional version of a digital dinosaur created by a software program, DinoMorph™, based on detailed measurements of real fossils. Scientists used the program to investigate questions about the dinosaur’s range of motion; for example, did Apatosaurus use its neck like a giraffe, to scan for predators and nibble trees? You can watch the wide-screen animation behind

the model to find out; it starts with a wireframe model that morphs into bone, then layers on muscles and skin. Try out DinoMorph™ yourself and explore where Apatosaurus could take that incredible neck. And don’t forget the other end of the dinosaur—in this section you’ll discover what computer models reveal about the sauropod’s whip-like tail.

© American Museum of Natural History

Photo by Craig Chesek © American Museum of Natural History

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Guiding Questions

1. What is paleontology?

2. What is biomechanics?

3. What is evolution?

4. What is adaptation?

5. How has new technology allowed paleontologists to study dinosaurs?

pre-activities

1. Explain that adaptations are features that contribute to an organism’s success and survival in its environment. View the Natural Selection video at http://www.fieldmuseum.org/evolvingplanet/precambrian_14.asp and ask students to identify three adaptations shown in the video (the adaptations are: 1) long legs for fast running; 2) longer hair for more warmth; and 3) green coloration for camouflage). Then have students break into small groups; give each group a picture of a plant or animal that lives today (e.g., giraffe, tiger, hummingbird, cactus) and have students identify three traits that help the organism survive in its environment.

2. Give students a list of different types of environments; for each environment, include as many details as possible (e.g., land or water, hot or cold, wet or dry, etc.). After explaining that adaptations are features that contribute to an organism’s success (i.e., survival) in its environment, have students make a hypothetical animal that would live in that environment, detailing three adaptations that help it survive in the environment.

3. Biomechanics is the study of how animals move, and the world that we humans have created around us reflects how our bodies move. Have students discuss—with sketches—ideas about how our world would look different if our bodies moved in different ways. What would a chair look like if our knees bent the other way? What would a hat look like if our eyes weren’t on the front—but on top—of our heads? What would a video game controller look like if we didn’t have thumbs?

4. Using a picture of the human skeleton, explore the biomechanics of the human body with students. Look at the different shapes of the joints and see how those allow different types of movements (e.g., the rounded, cup-like shoulder and hip joints permit movement in many directions, but the saddle-like finger joints of the elbows, knees, fingers, and toes only allow an up-and-down movement).

Field Trip activities

1. Have students find the computer interactive that discusses the speed of T. rex. How fast could Tyrannosaurus run? Could a Tyrannosaurus even run at all? Have students explore the interactive to answer the question. What variables determine how fast an animal can run?

2. How far could Apatosaurus move its neck up, down, and sideways? Is the amount of neck movement surprising, and why? Based on the mobility of the neck, have students hypothesize about what type or types of plants Apatosaurus may have eaten.

3. After exploring the variables that help determine the speed of Tyrannosaurus, encourage students to visit the Evolving Planet exhibition. Within the Dinosaur Hall, have students find Daspletosaurus and Deinonychus. Using their new knowledge about determining dinosaur speeds, ask students to hypothesize how fast these two dinosaurs could run.

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post-activities

1. Have students research to find the running speeds of large animals living today, such as elephants, rhinoceroses, and giraffes. How do their speeds compare with Tyrannosaurus?

2. Now knowing the flexibility of the neck of Apatosaurus, have students write “A day in the life of Apatosaurus” story, using their newfound knowledge to paint a realistic portrait of this 150-million-year-old animal.

3. Explain that the bones of the legs and neck can tell scientists about dinosaur speed and mobility, but to learn about dinosaur diets, scientists look at teeth. Explore either the What Teeth Tell Us or Dinosaur Teeth activity found on the following pages.

4. Not all dinosaurs lived at the same time. Have students complete the Dinosaur Timeline or Understanding Geologic Time activity found on the following pages.

answers to Guiding Questions

1. Paleontology is the science that investigates extinct organisms and the history of life on Earth.

2. Biomechanics is the study of how animals—past and present—move. To study biomechanics, scientists look at how bones fit together, move in relation to each other, and—in living animals—how ligaments and muscles work.

3. Evolution is the accumulation of inherited changes in populations of organisms over the course of generations. Evolution explains how what we see today may differ from the past. Evolutionary theory explains the diversity of life through the process of descent with modification.

4. An adaptation is any feature that contributes to an organism’s success and survival in its environment.

5. New technology includes computer programs that allow scientists to scan fossil bones and then manipulate the bones in the computer to see how they not only fit together, but how they move in relation to each other. This technology allows scientists to “move” the parts of the skeleton without having to handle fragile and—in the case of many dinosaurs—big and very heavy fossil bones.

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What Teeth Tell usactivity for Grades K–4

introduction Paleontologists can tell a lot from the size of a dinosaur’s skull and its teeth. If the skull has powerful jaws and long, sharp teeth, then the dinosaur was most probably a meat eater, a carnivore; the teeth were used to rip apart or cut meat. Wide, leaf-shaped teeth with ridges indicate that the dinosaur was a plant eater, an herbivore; the teeth were used to mash or slice tough vegetation.

objective This activity will introduce students to teeth and help them differentiate between the teeth of meat-eaters and plant-eaters.

Materials• Pictures of plant-eating and meat-eating animals (from nature magazines and calendars) • Staple removers (one per group) • Cotton balls • Flat rocks (two per group) • Leaves • What Teeth Tell Us duplicated for each student • Crayons • Small mirrors

procedure 1. Display the pictures of the animals, one at a time, to students. For each animal, ask students to describe the teeth. Ask them

to name a food the animal might eat. Use questioning to elicit answers, leading students to the conclusion that long, sharp teeth are associated with meat-eaters and flat, blunt teeth are associated with plant eaters. Tell students they are going to experiment to learn how the teeth of animals help the animals eat their food.

2. Have students work in small groups. Distribute the staple removers, cotton balls, rocks, and leaves to each group. Model what students are to do. Display the staple remover and tell students it represents the sharp teeth of a meat-eater. Show them how the staple remover works. Tell them the cotton balls represent meat. Display the rocks and tell students they represent the flat, grinding teeth of a plant-eater. Show them how the two rocks work by grinding them together. Tell them that the leaves represent plants. Have students experiment “eating” the cotton balls and leaves using the stapler remover and rocks. Have students determine which set of teeth worked best for each food. Then have students use the mirrors to examine their own teeth to identify what kind of teeth they have. Call on groups to share their findings. Students should conclude that they have both sharp, biting teeth and wide, leaf-shaped teeth. Point out to them that they are both meat-eaters and plant-eaters.

3. Distribute What Teeth Tell Us worksheet to students. Have them complete the exercise. (Answers: top left, herbivore; top right, carnivore; bottom left, carnivore; bottom right, herbivore.)

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What Teeth Tell us

Name____________________________________________________________________________ Date_____________________

Color the dinosaurs that eat meat blue. Color the dinosaurs that eat plants green.

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dinosaur Teethactivity for Grades 5–8

introduction Paleontologists can tell a lot from the size of a dinosaur’s skull and its teeth. The teeth provide the best clues as to what dinosaurs ate. Some dinosaurs, like Apatosaurus, had long, rake-like teeth. They used their teeth to strip leaves and twigs off branches. Tyrannosaurus rex had sharp, knife-like teeth. It used them to rip meat off its prey and swallow it whole. Triceratops had a whole battery of sharp teeth that it used to slice plants. Other dinosaurs, such as hadrosaurs, had whole batteries of grinding teeth used to grind up plants.

objective This activity will show students the kinds of information that studying teeth can provide.

Materials • Four to five small mirrors • Pieces of carrot (one per student) • Choppers, Strippers, Grinders, and Rippers duplicated for each student

procedure 1. Have students work in small groups. Distribute the mirrors to groups. Have students use the mirrors to examine their teeth.

Ask them to identify and sketch the three different kinds of teeth they have (incisors, canine teeth, and molars). Ask them to hypothesize how each of the three teeth are used.

2. Distribute carrots. Instruct students to use their teeth to: a. grate or rake off the carrot’s outer layer b. slice or bite off a piece of the carrot c. grind up a piece of the carrot

3. Distribute the Choppers, Strippers, Grinders, and Rippers to students. Have students read the directions and complete the activity. (Answers: top left, stripper; top right, grinder; bottom left, chopper; bottom right, ripper.)

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choppers, strippers, Grinders, and rippers

Look at the dinosaur skulls below. Look carefully at the teeth.

• Write chopper under the skull of the dinosaur that used its teeth to chop up plants. • Write stripper under the skull of the dinosaur that used its teeth to strip leaves off branches. • Write grinder under the skull of the dinosaur that used its teeth to grind up plants. • Write ripper under the skull of the dinosaur that used its teeth to rip meant off its prey.

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dinosaur Timelineactivity for Grades K–4

introductionPaleontologists study rock layers and the plant and animal fossils found in them. They use radiometric dating to help establish the age of rocks. In doing so, they also establish the age of the fossils found in the rocks. From the evidence they gather, geologists can piece together the physical history of the Earth. Students may be able to tell you how long ago dinosaurs lived, but it is difficult for them to conceptualize that enormous amount of time.

objectiveThis activity will help students gain an understanding of geological time.

Materials• Roll of adding machine tape (about 100 inches long)• Ruler or tape measure• Index cards• Drawing materials

preparationMeasure and mark the dates on the adding machine tape as indicated in the chart. Then write the dates and events on separate index cards. (Ma = million years ago)

procedure1. Have students discuss important events in their lives, such as when they were born, when they got their first tooth, when they

first talked, etc. Write their responses on the chalkboard. Distribute six index cards to each student and tell them to choose six important events in their lives. Instruct them to draw one event on each card and write the year that the event occurred.

2. Have students stack the cards with the first event on the bottom and the most recent on top. (This introduces the idea of layered rocks, or strata.) As students dig down through the layers, (turn over the cards) they can see events that occurred in the past. Explain that the cards can be used to create a timeline. Place a set of cards in order on the chalkboard ledge. Have students identify the events in order.

3. Tell students they are going to make a timeline that goes all the way back to the time of the dinosaurs. Display the adding machine tape, unroll portions of it and read off the dates. Tell students they will complete the timeline by writing in or drawing events that happened on those dates listed.

4. Clear an area of the classroom and place the timeline on the floor. Give each pair one event to add to the timeline. Have them find the date on the timeline and write or draw the event. When students are done, display the timeline. Review the dates and have each pair tell the event that occurred on their date.

2” 480 Ma first animal with a backbone

18” 400 Ma first sharks and fishes

28” 350 Ma first ferns

38” 300 Ma first egg-laying reptiles

52” 228 Ma first dinosaurs

56” 210 Ma first turtles and first mammals

70” 140 Ma first birds; first Allosaurus, Apatosaurus, and Stegosaurus

74” 120 Ma first flowering plants; first modern

mammals

78” 100 Ma first ants

84” 70 Ma first Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex85” 65 Ma extinction of dinosaurs (except birds)

94” 20 Ma grasses become common

96” 4 Ma first humans

98” -- Today

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understanding Geologic Time activity for Grades 5–8

introduction Paleontologists study rock layers and the plant and animal fossils found in them. They use radiometric dating to help establish the age of rocks. In doing so, they also establish the age of the fossils found in rocks. From the evidence they gather, geologists can piece together the physical history of the Earth.

objectiveStudents may be able to tell you how long ago dinosaurs lived, but it is difficult to conceptualize that enormous amount of time. The following activity will help students gain an understanding of geologic time.

Materials • Chart paper • Magic markers • Reference books and resources

procedure 1. Begin by asking students to share what

they know about geologic time. Ask the following questions: How old is the Earth? How long did dinosaurs live on Earth? How long have people lived on Earth? How do scientists learn about the history of the Earth? Discuss students’ responses.

2. Tell students that they will make a time-line showing the history of the Earth. They will identify where on the timeline the Earth was created, when different plants and animals appeared, and when major extinctions took place. Have students work in groups. Each group is responsible for creating the timeline for one of the following eras: Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, or Cenozoic. Explain that each era is further divided into periods, which should also appear on the timeline. Divide a bulletin board into four sections, one for each era. Have students use reference books, the internet, and library resources to research their era.

3. When groups are finished have them pres-ent their portion of the timeline to the rest of the class. Have students note how long humans have been on Earth in comparison to how long dinosaurs lived on Earth.

GEOLOGIC TIME

ERA PERIOD EPOCH MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO

Cen

ozoi

cM

esoz

oic

Pal

eozo

ic

Precambrian: 4,500-543 Million Years Ago

Recent

Pleistocene

0.01

1.8 Quaternary

Pliocene

Miocene

Oligocene

Eocene

Paleocene

5

24

38

54

65

Tertiary

Cretaceous

Jurassic

Triassic

141

210

250

Permian

Pennsylvanian

Mississippian

Devonian

Silurian

Ordovician

Cambrian

290

320

360

410

440

500

543

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secTion TWo: TracKWays

one day, about 100 million years ago, a herd of sauropods—long-necked, plant-eating dinosaurs—trekked their way across a mudflat. Like a herd of elephants, the larger ones walked ahead while the juveniles trailed behind. Some time later, a large meat-eating dinosaur crossed the path they’d trod.

In Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries, all of this information is contained in the life-size replica of a trackway that offers new insight into dinosaur behavior. Colored lighting displays let you decode the trackway and follow the footsteps of individual dinosaurs, just as scientists have recently done in order to study herd behavior. You’ll uncover some of the secrets of “DSI” (that’s dinosaur scene investigators), like how they calculate an animal’s size, speed, the kind of food it ate—and whether or not it walked like a bird.

Guiding Questions

1. What are fossils?

2. What are trackways? Can they be fossils?

3. How do trackways form?

4. What can trackways tell us about an animal that bones can’t?

© American Museum of Natural History

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pre-activities

1. Explain to students that fossils are the remains or traces of things that were once alive. View the Fossilization video at http://www.fieldmuseum.org/evolvingplanet/cambrian_14.asp, and then complete the What is a Fossil? activity found on the following pages.

2. Find a setting where students can see their footprints (sand or snow, for example). First have one or more students walk, then run. For each trackway, measure the stride (the distance from toe to toe made by the same foot) and then compare the results. Have both taller and shorter students to repeat the same activity. Compare and contrast your footprints.

3. How can footprints tell us about the daily lives of animals? Show students various pictures of living animals (e.g., a heard of antelope, a cheetah chasing a gazelle, a small family group of elephants) and ask them to discuss the kinds of trackways that they’d leave behind.

Field Trip activities

1. Based on the information presented in the exhibition, have students write a brief story that explains the trackway.

2. Explore the Dinosaur Hall of the Evolving Planet exhibition and have students—based on the feet of the skeletons—draw what the footprints of Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, Deinonychus, Daspletosaurus, Parasaurolophus, and Triceratops would look like. And don’t forget about the Museum’s T. rex Sue in Stanley Field Hall!

post-activities

1. Big dinosaurs left big footprints! To see how big a footprint of Apatosaurus would be, have students complete the How Big Were the Dinosaurs? activity found on the following pages.

2. Have students complete the Bigger Than You Think activity found on the following pages. After they complete the head of Tyrannosaurus, show them a picture of the whole dinosaur and have them estimate the size—and shape—of the footprint.

3. Trackways not only show behavior, as seen in the exhibition, but with some measuring and a little math, they can also tell a paleontologist the speed at which a dinosaur was moving. Find out how to determine dino speeds at http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/dynamic/session3/sess3_act2.htm.

answers to Guiding Questions

1. Fossils are the remains or traces of organisms that were once alive. They can include bones, trackways, skin impressions, etc.

2. A trackway is a series of footprints made by an animal. They sometimes fossilize, allowing scientists to know how long-extinct animals walked, ran, or crawled.

3. Trackways form as an animal moves across a soft mud or sand. Each foot slightly sinks into the ground, leaving a record of how the animal moved about.

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4. When pieced together to form skeletons, bones can show us what an animal looked like. And by looking at how the bones fit together and move in relation to each other, they can also tell scientists about how an animal could move. But trackways can show not only how an animal moved, but how it behaved. Tracks can show animals moving together in groups, hunting one another, and they can tell scientists how fast an animal was walking or running.

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What is a Fossil?activity for Grades K–4

introductionFossils are the remains or traces of things that were once alive. The most common fossils are bones and teeth, but footprints and skin impressions are fossils as well. Fossils are excavated from ancient riverbeds and lakes, caves, volcanic ash falls, and tar pits. Fossils are classified as either body fossils or trace fossils. Body fossils were parts of the organism, such as bones or teeth. Trace fossils include foot impressions, eggs, burrows, and dung.

objectiveIn this activity, students will learn to distinguish between body fossils and trace fossils.

Materials• Body Fossils and Trace Fossils duplicated for each student• Crayons• Pictures of fossils (you can find images at www.fieldmuseum.org/evolvingplanet/ and

www.amnh.org/resources/exhibitions/dinosaurs/)

procedures1. Write the word fossil on the chalkboard and have students describe what a fossil is in their own words. Guide students to

understand that a fossil is any evidence of something that was once alive. Some are 65 million years old, others are more than 225 million years old. Tell students that paleontologists can learn a lot about life long ago by studying the fossils they find. Tell students they will explore different kinds of fossils.

2. Write the words body and trace in two columns on the chalkboard. Tell students that fossils are classified as body fossils and trace fossils. Body fossils were once part of an animal. Display pictures of the body fossils. Have students identify the skull, tooth, and foot. Write their answers in the column marked “body.” Further explain that trace fossils are evidence of something the dinosaur left behind. Display pictures of the trace fossils. Have students identify the footprints, eggs, and skin impression. Write their responses in the column marked trace. Allow students time to share other information they have about fossils.

3. Distribute crayons and copies of Body Fossil and Trace Fossils. Instruct students to look at the fossils pictured and decide whether they are body fossils or trace fossils. Have them circle the body fossils blue and the trace fossils red. (Answers: tooth, skull, and foot are body fossils. Skin imprint, eggs, and footprints are trace fossils.)

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Body Fossils and Trace Fossils

Name____________________________________________________________________________ Date_____________________

Look at the fossils below. Circle the body fossils blue. Circle the trace fossils red.

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how Big Were the dinosaurs? activity for Grades K–4

introductionSome dinosaurs, such as the long-necked Apatosaurus, were quite large and may have weighed as much as 30 tons. But other dinosaurs, such as Compsognathus, were about the size of a turkey and weighed only eight pounds.

objective In this activity, students will begin to explore the size of the large dinosaurs by comparing their feet to the foot of a large Apatosaurus.

Materials • Construction paper • Safety scissors • Crayons • Glue • An Apatosaurus footprint was approximately 24” by 48”. Use chart paper and the footprint outline on the next page to create a

footprint of this large dinosaur.

procedure 1. Ask students to name some of the dinosaurs they know and to describe how big they were. Suggest that they compare the

dinosaur’s size to known objects, such as a school bus, house, building, etc.

2. Display the footprint and explain that it is the approximate size of a footprint of Apatosaurus, a dinosaur that was about 70 feet long and weighed about 30 tons. Tell students they are going to compare their footprints with that of the large dinosaur.

3. Have students work with a partner. Distribute construction paper, crayons, and scissors to the class. Have each student trace their own footprint on the construction paper and cut it out. Allow students time to compare their individual footprints with the dinosaur footprint.

4. Ask students to estimate how many of their footprints would fit in one footprint of an Apatosaurus. Write the various estimates on the board. Tape the Apatosaurus footprint to the chalkboard. Call on students, one at a time, to glue their footprint on the Apatosaurus footprint. Make sure students glue the footprints right next to each other so that there is no wasted space. When the footprint is filled, have students count how many of their prints it took to fill the dinosaur footprint. Check the results against students’ estimates.

5. Remind students that while many dinosaurs were huge, there were also many that were small.

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how Big Were the dinosaurs?

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Bigger Than you Thinkactivity for Grades 5–8

introduction Dinosaurs come in all shapes and sizes. The Apatosaurus is one of the largest dinosaurs that ever lived. In life, this 70-foot long dinosaur weighed about 30 tons. But not all dinosaurs were large. A fully-grown Compsognathus, for example, was about the size of a turkey and weighed only about 15 pounds.

objective In this activity, students will create a life-size drawing of a Tyrannosaurus rex head or a life-size drawing of a smaller dinosaur, Protoceratops.

preparation When completed the T. rex head will measure three feet by four feet. The Protoceratops will measure one and a half feet by three and a half feet. Choose one of these dinosaurs based on the available wall space. Enlarge the dinosaur you selected on a photocopier so that each square measures about two inches. Cut out the grid. Have pencils and black magic marker available. You will also need six-inch-square paper for each student and clear tape.

procedure 1. Call on volunteers to describe the size of some of the dinosaurs they know. Remind students that while many of the dinosaurs

were large, there were also many that were small. Tell students they are going to create a life-size drawing of a dinosaur.

2. Give each student a grid square and a square piece of paper. Have students write the grid number on the upper left hand corner of the larger square.

3. Using pencils, have students enlarge the drawing on the grid square to fill the larger square. Tell students the drawing must match the grid square exactly and must go all the way to the edges of the paper.

4. Display a copy of the entire grid. Have students check their own grid square with surrounding squares to make sure that all the connections match. Once connections have been adjusted, have students go over the pencil lines with black magic marker.

5. Have students assemble the grid squares and tape them to the preselected wall to complete the life-size dinosaur drawing. Once the drawing is completed, call on students to give their impressions of the dinosaur they created.

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Bigger Than you Think

Tyrannosaurus rex

1 2 3 4

5 106 7 8 9

11 1612 13 14 15

17 2218 19 20 21

23 124 25 26 27

29 3430 31 32 33

3835 36 37

4239 40 41

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Bigger Than you Think

protoceratops

1 2

3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22

24 25

26 27

23

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secTion Three: liaoninG dioraMa

Travel back 130 million years in time and halfway around the world. You’re standing on the marshy shore of a giant lake, where small ferns grow among pine and gingko trees. Do you hear the sounds of running water, buzzing insects, and beating wings?

You’re in the exhibition’s centerpiece, a life-size recreation of a forest in what is now Liaoning Province in northeast China, one of the most important fossil sites in the world. Over the past decade, fossils from Liaoning—many of them preserved in startling detail— have revealed amazing evidence about the origins of feathers and flight, birds and mammals, and the earliest flowering plants.

Look closely and you’ll see the inhabitants of this ancient forest. That strange, feathered creature gliding through the air with what appear to be two sets of wings is not a bird but a dinosaur called Microraptor gui. On the ground, a parrot-beaked Psittacosaurus leads her brood like a mother duck, while a tiny Mei long dinosaur naps with its head tucked under one forearm like a bird. Dilong paradoxus, an early tyrannosaur covered in feathery fibers, bends down to drink from a pond…or to watch a large insect, a water strider, cross its surface. At the bottom of the pond you can see a new fossil forming as the remains of a large plant-eating dinosaur are covered by mud and volcanic ash.

These are just a few of the 35 species of dinosaurs, reptiles, birds, mammals, insects, and plants that you’ll encounter in this meticulously recreated 700-square-foot diorama. It’s a journey through time and space…an insider’s view into the world of paleontology…and a freeze-frame of one long, revealing moment in the evolution of life on Earth.

Photo by R

oderick Mickens

© A

merican M

useum of N

atural History

Photo by D

ennis Finnin

© A

merican M

useum of N

atural History

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Guiding Questions

1. What is an ecosystem? An autotroph and heterotroph? A food web?

2. Where is Liaoning Province?

3. How do dinosaurs differ from other reptiles?

4. What is evolution?

5. What is adaptation?

pre-activities

1. Explain that dinosaurs are just one of many types of reptiles; a hole in the hip socket and legs that extend directly below the body are two of the features that make a dinosaur a dinosaur. Have students complete the What is a Dinosaur? or the What Makes a Dinosaur a Dinosaur? activity found on the following pages.

2. Discuss ecosystems, including the different roles that organisms play within an ecosystem (i.e., autotrophs, heterotrophs, and decomposers). Have students think about the different ecosystems on Earth today, including the organisms and the roles of those organisms in the ecosystem.

Field Trip activities

1. Based on their knowledge on how to identify a dinosaur (dinosaurs are reptiles with legs extending directly below their body), have students identify the dinosaurs in the diorama. Also have them list the reptiles that are not dinosaurs.

2. Using the diorama, have students: 1) identify at least two examples of an autotroph and five heterotrophs; and 2) draw a food web that includes the seven species (listing their scientific names), and explain the connections between each species.

3. After viewing the Liaoning forest, encourage students to view the Green River (“Fossil Lake”) display in the Evolving Planet exhibition. The Liaoning reconstruction shows a forest from 130 million years ago; the Green River display shows a lake and surrounding forest from 50 million years ago. How are the two ecosystems different? How are they similar?

4. The diorama has 35 species of dinosaurs, reptiles, birds, mammals, insects, and plants. Have students find as many as they can, and have them indicate if the species is either a: 1) non-avian dinosaur; 2) bird; 3) other reptile; 4) mammal; 5) insect; or 6) plant.

post-activities

1. If students drew a “prehistoric” food web based on the Liaoning forest diorama (see Field Trip Activities above), have them share their food webs in class. Have students think about ecosystems today, identifying the organisms in those food webs, and then compare and contrast the ancient ecosystem at Liaoning to today’s ecosystems.

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2. As seen in the diorama, dinosaurs are unique among reptiles in that their legs extend down directly beneath their body. Explain that scientists group organisms based on the features that they share. View the Phylogeny video on http://www.fieldmuseum.org/evolvingplanet/mesozoic_21.asp, and then have students complete the Grouping Dinosaurs or Understanding Cladistics activity found on the following pages.

3. Remind students that the Liaoning forest model is based on fossils that scientists have found in China. To simulate a fossil dig, have students complete the Fossil Find activity found on the following pages.

4. Inform students that the diorama depicts 35 species of dinosaurs, reptiles, birds, mammals, insects, and plants. Scientists name species using words from either Greek of Latin. To show students how they name dinosaurs, have students complete the Dinosaur Names or The Name Game activity found on the following pages.

5. The fantastic fossils from the Liaoning Province show that many meat-eating dinosaurs had feathers. But the first feathers were not like the long feathers of an eagle’s wing, but they were short and hair-like. Ask students to hypothesize on why feathers may have first evolved. (It could have been for insulation. Or brightly colored feathers could have been used for display!)

6. From China to Africa to Peru to Wyoming, Field Museum scientists travel around the world! Visit their field sites and see them dig up dinosaur bones and more at http://www.fieldmuseum.org/expeditions/. Have students select one Field Museum scientist and write a one-page narrative of their research and discoveries.

answers to Guiding Questions

1. An ecosystem is made up of: 1) organisms living in a particular environment, such as a lake or forest; and 2) the physical part of the environment that affects them. An autotroph is an organism that uses energy from the sun or energy store in chemical compounds to manufacture their own nutrients; green plants are autotrophs, for example. Heterotrophs, on the other hand, cannot make their own food, but instead feed on other organisms to acquire energy and nutrients. A food web is a model that shows all the possible feeding relationships within a community of organisms.

2. Liaoning Province is located in the southern part of northeast China. It borders the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Gulf to the south, North Korea to the southeast, Jilin Province to the northeast, Hebei Province to the west, and Inner Mongolia to the northwest. It is about 200 miles from Beijing.

3. Two features that make dinosaurs unique from other reptiles are: 1) their legs extend straight down beneath their bodies, instead of sprawling out to the side; and 2) instead of having a solid, cup-shaped hip socket, dinosaurs have a hole for a hip socket.

4. Evolution is simply the accumulation of inherited changes in populations of organisms over the course of generations. Evolution explains how what we see today may differ from the past. Evolutionary theory explains the diversity of life through the process of descent with modification.

5. An adaptation is a feature that contributes to an organism’s success and survival in its environment.

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What is a dinosaur?activity for Grades K–4

introductionDinosaurs are prehistoric reptiles that have lived on Earth from about 230 million years ago to the present. Modern birds are one kind of dinosaur because they evolved from one type of small meat-eating dinosaur. Non-avian dinosaurs (all dinosaurs besides birds) are now extinct. They varied greatly in shape and size. Some weighed as much as 80 tons (that’s 160,000 pounds!) and were more than 120 feet long. Others were the size of a chicken and weighed as little as 8 pounds.

All non-avian dinosaurs lived on land. Some may have gone into the swamps and lakes for food, but they did not live entirely in water. Meat-eaters walked on two legs and hunted alone or in groups. Plant-eaters walked on either two or four legs and many lived in groups.

The feature that distinguishes dinosaurs from other reptiles is a hole in the hip socket. Pterosaurs, or flying reptiles, and plesiosaurs, ocean-dwelling reptiles, did not have this feature and were not dinosaurs. And even though dinosaurs are reptiles, they walked with their legs directly beneath their body, like mammals, not sprawling to the side like a crocodile or lizard.

objectiveThis activity will help students understand the difference between dinosaurs and other animals.

Materials• Picture of a dinosaur and a picture of a lizard or alligator (from a nature magazine or calendar)• Dinosaur or Not? duplicated for each student• Crayons• Dinosaur books (You can find recommended books listed at the back of this guide)

procedure1. Write “What Is a Dinosaur?” on the chalkboard. Tell students that today you will explore this question. Have students work

in small groups. Distribute dinosaur books to each group. Give groups 10 minutes to look through the books and find three interesting facts about dinosaurs.

2. Have groups report their facts to the rest of the class.

3. Display the pictures of the lizard and the dinosaur. Ask students how the two reptiles are different. Point out that the lizard has legs that sprawl out to the side, while the dinosaur’s legs are directly underneath its body. Explain that dinosaurs also had a hole in their hip socket. Other reptiles, like lizards, do not have such a hole and therefore are not dinosaurs. Call on volunteers to imitate a sprawling stance and a dinosaur stance. Have them try walking forward using each stance. Note: mammals have legs directly beneath their bodies, like dinosaurs, but mammals have hair; dinosaurs do not (although many—like birds—had feathers).

4. Distribute Dinosaurs or Not? to each student. Instruct students to look carefully at each animal and to color those that are dinosaurs. When students are done, review their answers with them. (Answers: The lion, woolly mammoth, and alligator are not dinosaurs.)

5. As an extension to this activity, have students play a riddle game. Have students work with a partner. Distribute index cards. Have partners choose a dinosaur or another animal. Have them write three clues that tell about the organism’s features on one side of the card. The answer to the riddle should be written on the back. Call on partners to read their clues aloud. Have the class guess what animal or dinosaur is being described.

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dinosaur or not?

Name____________________________________________________________________________ Date_____________________

Look at the animals. Color the animals that are dinosaurs.

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What Makes a dinosaur a dinosaur? activity for Grades 5–8

introduction What distinguishes dinosaurs from other reptiles? Reptiles, such as crocodiles and lizards, have legs that sprawl out to the side. Their thigh bones are almost parallel to the ground. They walk and run with a side-to-side motion.

Dinosaurs, on the other hand, stand with their legs positioned directly under their bodies. This posture allows dinosaurs to run faster and with greater endurance than other reptiles that are the same size. And sturdy, pillar-like legs can support a lot of weight, allowing dinosaurs to reach massive sizes.

Dinosaurs also have a hole in the hip socket. During the “Age of Dinosaurs” there were other reptiles living on the land and in the seas. While these animals lived alongside dinosaurs, they did not have a hole in their hip socket and thus were not dinosaurs. Modern birds are one kind of dinosaur because they share a common ancestor with non-avian dinosaurs. They have features such as the three-toed foot and s-shaped neck, and therefore are classified as dinosaurs.

objectiveIn this activity, students will explore dinosaur stance and the dinosaur-bird connection.

Materials • Picture of a four-footed dinosaur, such as Apatosaurus (see

www.fieldmuseum.org/evolvingplanet/mesozoic_15.asp#sauro)• Picture of a lizard and birds (from a nature magazine or calendar)

procedure 1. Display the picture of the lizard and the picture of the dinosaur. Have students compare the stances and conclude that the

lizard’s legs are sprawled out to the side, while the dinosaur’s legs are directly underneath its body. Tell students that all dinosaurs had a hole in their hip socket that allowed them to stand this way. The hole in the hip socket distinguishes dinosaurs from other reptiles.

2. Call on volunteers to duplicate the lizard stance by assuming a crawling position and then moving their arms and legs out to the side. Back feet should point forward, hands should point slightly away from the body. Have volunteers walk forward as students observe (they should shift their weight from side to side (waddle), move slowly, and awkwardly).

3. Call on volunteers to duplicate a quadrupedal dinosaur stance, with arms and legs positioned directly under their bodies. Have volunteers walk forward as students observe (they should move more quickly, not as awkwardly).

4. Paleontologists classify birds as dinosaurs. Tell students they will examine pictures of birds and a dinosaur to find similarities.

5. Have students work in groups. Distribute duplicates of the T. rex skeleton and pictures of birds. Have groups compare the two and note which features the two animals share. Give groups time to share their findings. Some shared features are: s-shaped neck and three-toed foot.

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Grouping dinosaurs activity for Grades K–4

introduction Paleontologists have identified over 700 species of dinosaurs. How do they determine which dinosaurs are related? They group animals using a method called cladistics. They look for unique features, such as a hole in the hip socket, that the animals share. Animals with like features are grouped together. A chart, called a cladogram, shows these relationships. Using cladistics, scientists can show how animals are linked to one another through a long and complex history of evolutionary changes.

objective In this activity, students will be introduced to sets and subsets as they group coins and dinosaurs.

Materials• A set of coins (penny, nickel, dime, quarter) • A copy of Grouping Dinosaurs for each group • Construction paper • Safety scissors • Fun tack or masking tape • Glue sticks

procedure 1. Display the coins. Tell students they are going to group the coins. Have students work in groups. Distribute a set of coins, and

construction paper to each group. Tell students that as you make the diagram on the board, they are to copy it on their papers.

2. Ask students to look at the coins and find one thing they all have in common (they are all round). Draw a large circle on the chalkboard. At the top of the circle right round. Place the coins inside the circle using fun tack.

3. Then have students find one thing that three of the coins share (three are silver-colored). Draw a circle within the larger circle and label it silver-colored. Move the nickel, dime and quarter into that circle.

4. Have students find one thing that two of the remaining coins share (two are rib-edged). Draw a circle within the second circle and label it rib-edged. Move the dime and quarter into that circle.

5. Have students identify the set (round coins) and the subsets (silver and rib-edged). Tell groups they will now work together to group dinosaurs.

6. Distribute Grouping Dinosaurs, construction paper, scissors, and glue sticks to each group. Have students decide how to sort the dinosaurs (meat eater / plant eaters, two- / four-legged, small / large). Have them arrange the dinosaurs into sets and subsets and glue them in place.

7. Have groups compare their sets. Discuss the different ways groups classified their dinosaurs. Display students’ work (answers will vary).

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round penny

silver-colored nickel

rib-edgeddime

quarter

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Grouping dinosaurs

BarosaurusPlant Eater

coelophysisMeat Eater

iguanodonPlant Eater

ornithomimusMeat Eater

pachycephalosaurusPlant Eater

stegosaurusPlant Eater

Triceratops Plant Eater

Tyrannosaurus rexMeat Eater

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introduction Scientists use a method called cladistics to group animals. They look for unique features, such as a hole in the hip socket, that the animals share.

Animals with like features are grouped together. A chart, called a cladogram, shows these relationships. Using cladistics, scientists can reconstruct genealogical relationships and can show how animals are linked to one another through a long and complex history of evolutionary changes.

objective In this activity, students will explore cladistics and create a cladogram of their own.

Materials • Understanding Cladistics • A penny, nickel, dime, and quarter for each pair of students • 6-8 pictures of dinosaurs duplicated for each group

procedure 1. Write lion, elephant, zebra, kangaroo, koala, buffalo, raccoon,and alligator. Ask students how the animals are related and what

might be a good way of grouping them into sets and subsets. Discuss students’ responses.

2. Explain to students that scientists use a method called cladistics to determine evolutionary relationships among animals. They look for features that animals share, such as four limbs, hooves, or a hole in the hip socket. Animals with like features are grouped together. Scientists make a chart called a cladogram to show these relationships.

3. Tell students that they will examine the features of various coins to determine how they are related. Remind students that cladistics is used to determine relationships among organisms, and not necessarily objects. The exercise they are about to do will introduce them to how cladistics works. Have students work in pairs. Distribute Understanding Cladistics to students. Have them complete the activity and compare their cladograms. Discuss how they arrived at their conclusions and any differences among the cladograms.

Answers: The first feature (round) has been identified for students. Possible other features are silver-colored and rib-edged. However, students may choose other features to classify the coins that are equally correct. What is important to note is that a coin at any node must have the features of all previous nodes.

4. Duplicate and distribute six to eight dinosaurs found in the appendix. Ask students to work in groups to classify the dinosaurs according to features they identify. Have groups share their findings.

understanding cladistics activity for Grades 5–8

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understanding cladistics

Name____________________________________________________________________________ Date_____________________

You and your partner will examine the features found in a penny, a dime, a nickel, and quarter and construct a cladogram of your own.

1. Before constructing a cladogram, scientists look for features in animals and note whether the feature is present or absent. They have special computer programs to help them do this. You will use the chart. Begin by looking at the coins. What feature do all the coins have in common? They are all round. Put a plus sign on the column marked “Round” under each coin.

2. What other feature do most of the coins share? Identify this feature and write it in the column marked “FEATURES.”

Put a minus sign, if the coin does not have this feature. Put a plus sign if the coin has this feature.

3. What other feature do most of the remaining coins share? Identify this feature and write it in the last space in the column marked “FEATURES.” Put a minus sign if the coin does not have this feature. Put a plus sign if the coin has this feature.

4. Use the chart to complete the cladogram. The first node (branch in the tree) A is labeled “Round.” All the coins at this node and beyond share this feature. Label the other two nodes (letters B and C).

5. What coin is round, but does not share any more features with the other coins? Write the name of the coin in number 1. What coin shares the first and second feature with the other coins, but no more? Write the name of the coin in number 2. Which two coins share all the features you have identified? Write their names in numbers 3 and 4. Use your cladogram to answer these questions: a. Which two coins are the most closely related? b. Which coin is a distant relative of these two coins? c. What feature(s) does the nickel share with the dime?

A. Round

FEATURES Pen

ny

Nic

kel

Dim

e

Qua

rter

B.

C.

1. ___________

A. Round

2. ___________

3. ___________

4. ___________

B. ___________

C. ___________

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Fossil Find activity for Grades 5–8

introduction For more than 100 years, scientists have scoured the globe in search of fossil specimens. Fossils are the remains and imprints of plants and animals that lived thousands, and even millions of years ago. Seashells, impressions of skin, leaves, petrified wood, bones and teeth of animals, and insects trapped in amber can all be fossils. When paleontologists find large fossil specimens, they often create a grid with string and draw a diagram showing the exact location of each bone they find. The position of the bones may hold clues as to how the animal stood, behaved, or even died.

objectiveThis activity will stimulate a “dig” experience for students.

Materials For each group you’ll need: • Fossil Find sheet • Bone site carton (see preparation below) • Tape • String • Small brushes, whisk brooms, or old toothbrushes

preparation of Bone carton You will need: • A small cardboard box (with low sides) • Sand • Chicken skeleton with all the meat boiled off (ask parents to contribute whole or partial skeletons)

Directions: Place a thin layer of sand in the bottom of the carton. Break up a skeleton or partial skeleton (try to separate bones at the joints) and arrange the bones in the sand. Cover the skeleton with sand.

Vary what you do for each bone site. Provide: • a skeleton with missing bones • an additional leg/arm • bones of another species (such as fish bones) • eggs shells, acorns

To cut down on your preparation time, you may consider having groups assemble the dig sites and then trade with other groups.

procedure 1. Have students share what they now about digging for fossils. If students’ knowledge is limited you might refer them to some

of the books listed on the reference list. Tell students that when paleontologists find a fossil site, they often make a grid over the site using string and then record the position of each bone on grid paper. Explain that the position of the bones might hold clues as to how the animal behaved or died. Tell students that they are going to excavate a fossil site and reconstruct a skeleton.

2. Distribute Fossil Findsheets, and bone site cartons to the groups. Review the directions with them, making sure they know what to do.

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3. When students have completed the activity, have them display their completed skeleton and share their observations and findings.

4. Have groups compare skeletons and confirm or revise their hypotheses. Discuss with students what paleontologists can learn about dinosaurs, what things they might hypothesize, and what they cannot learn (based on the evidence they have gathered).

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Fossil Find

Name____________________________________________________________________________ Date_____________________

1. Using the brushes (and without moving of any of the bones) carefully brush away the sand to expose the skeleton. Using the string and tape make a grid so that you can diagram the fossil site. Use the grid below. Include everything you find at the site in your diagram.

2. Carefully remove the skeleton. Using the tape, work together to piece the skeleton together.

3. Using only the skeleton and what you know of animals and their behavior, work as a group to answer the following questions. Have one person in your group record your findings. a. What did you find? What parts were missing? What duplicate or additional parts did you find? How did you figure out which

parts belonged to your skeleton?

b. How did the animal move (swim, fly, walk)? Was the animal bipedal, or quadrupedal?

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c. What kind of skin covering did it have? What color was it? (Use only information from your dig.)

d. How tall/long was the animal? What did it weigh?

e. Was the animal a carnivore or herbivore? What food did it eat? Where did it find food (i.e., a swamp, high tree branches, close to ground)? How did you figure this out?

f. Where did the animal live?

g. What can you tell about the animal’s behavior? For example, can you tell whether it lived alone or in groups? Did it lay eggs or give birth to live young?

h. What else did you find at the site? In what ways might the objects you found be connected to the animal? What conclusions can you draw?

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i. Why might a diagram of the bone site be important? What clues might it hold about the animal?

j. Describe how the animal may have looked when it was alive. On a separate sheet of paper, have a member of your group make a sketch of how the animal may have looked.

k. Which questions were you unable to answer? How might you use your knowledge of how modern animals look, behave, and move to formulate hypotheses that may help to answer some of these questions?

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dinosaur names activity for Grades K–4

introduction Dinosaur names are often made up of combinations of Greek and Latin root words that describe characteristics or how the animal might have behaved. Other dinosaur names describe where the fossil remains were discovered or the name of the paleontologist who made the discovery. In 1842, Richard Owen, the first director of London’s Natural History Museum, gave the name dinosaurs to these giant prehistoric reptiles. The word dinosaur is from the Greek deinos (terrible) and sauros (lizard). Some dinosaur names are short; others are tongue twisters. objective In this activity, students will be introduced to dinosaur names and their meanings.

Materials • List of Greek and Latin root words and their meanings written on the chalkboard or on chart paper • Pictures of various dinosaurs (You can download images at

www.amnh.org/resources/exhibitions/dinosaurs/)

procedure 1. Display pictures of Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex, and Apatosaurus to students. Call on students to name the

dinosaurs and tell what they know about each one.

2. Tell students that dinosaurs were named using the Latin and Greek language. Explain that these languages are used by scientists to name both animals and plants. Dinosaur names can describe what the dinosaur looked like, how it might have acted, or where it was found. Have students look for the meaning of the Greek and Latin words used in the word “dinosaur” to discover the word’s meaning. Write the following on the chalkboard: dinosaur = dino + saur. Call on a volunteer to look on the chart to find the words dino and saur. Write terrible lizard on the chalkboard and explain that this was the name first given to dinosaurs.

3. Write the following dinosaur names on the chalkboard. Have students use the chart to decipher the names. Tyrannosaurus rex = tyranno + saurus +rex Stegosaurus = stego + saurus Triceratops = tri + cera + tops Apatosaurus = apato + saurus

4. Have students suggest other dinosaur names that they would like to learn the meanings of. Write the names on the chalkboard. Use the chart provided as a reference.

WORD

allo

apato

bronto

cerat

compso

deinos dino

MEANING

strange

deceptive

thunder

horned

pretty

terrible

WORD

echino

elasmo

mega

micro

nodo

ops

MEANING

spiked

plated

huge

small

lumpy

face

WORD

ornitho

raptor

rex

saur, saurus

stego

tri

tyranno

MEANING

bird

robber

king

lizard

roof

three

tyrant

DINOSAUR NAMES

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The name Gameactivity for Grades 5–8

introductionDinosaur names are often made up of combinations of Greek and Latin root words that describe characteristics or how the animal might have behaved. Dinosaur names might also indicate where the fossil remains were discovered, or even the name of the paleontologist who made the discovery. In 1841, Richard Owen, the first director of London’s Natural History Museum, gave the name “dinosaurs” to these giant prehistory reptiles. The word dinosaur is from the Greek deinos (terrible) and sauros (lizard).

objective In this activity, students will use their knowledge of Greek and Latin root words to decipher dinosaur names. They will create their own dinosaur, name it, and describe how it raised its young, and how it behaved.

Materials • The Name Game duplicated for each student • Drawing materials

procedure Period One 1. Write the words photograph and terrace on the chalkboard. Explain that these words contain Greek and Latin root words.

The Greek word photo means “light,” and graph means “written or recorded.” The Latin word terr means “land,” and ace means “unit.” Ask students to suggest other words that have these root words. Write them on the board (photograph, telephoto, photosynthesis, terrain, territory). Tell them that dinosaur names also use Greek and Latin root words and that understanding the root words will tell them a bit about the dinosaur itself.

2. Distribute The Name Game. Write Velociraptor on the board. Have students find the meaning of Velociraptor (Velo/speed, raptor/robber). Discuss what they know of Velociraptor and whether they think the name fits.

3. Have students figure out the meaning of the dinosaur names on The Name Game sheet. Discuss with them what they can tell you about each dinosaur based on its name.

4. Have students work with partners to create a realistic dinosaur of their own. Remind students to use what they have learned from the activities they have done in this unit in designing their dinosaur. Students should finish their projects during independent time or as a homework assignment.

Period Two 1. Have partners present their dinosaurs to the class. In their presentation, partners should describe what the dinosaur looked

like, what it ate, how it raised its young, and some of its behaviors. They should also explain why they gave it the name they did.

2. Exhibit students’ work on the bulletin board. Group dinosaurs with like characteristics together.

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The name Game

Name____________________________________________________________________________ Date_____________________

1. Use the Greek and Latin root words to figure out the dinosaur names below.

a. Brachiosaurus ___________________________________________________________________________________________

b. Ankylosaurus ___________________________________________________________________________________________

c. Compsognathus _________________________________________________________________________________________

d. Stegosaurus ____________________________________________________________________________________________

e. Triceratops _____________________________________________________________________________________________

f. Allosaurus _____________________________________________________________________________________________

g. Pachycephalosaurus ______________________________________________________________________________________

allo

anato

ankylo

anuro

apato

baro

bi

brachio

bronto

canthus

cerat, ceros

cephalo

compso

cory

di

dino

diplo

docus

strange

duck

crooked

no tail

deceptive

heavy

two

arm

thunder

spiked, spined

horned

head

pretty

helmet

two

terrible

double

beam

don, dont

drypto

echino

elasmo

gnathus

lana

lepto

macro

maia

mega

micro

mimus

mono

nano

nodo

ops

ornitho

pachy

tooth

wounded

spiked

plated

jaw

wooly

slender

large

good mother

huge

small

mimic

one, single

dwarf

lumpy

face

bird

thick

pacro

ped

plateo

proto

raptor

rex

rhino

saur, saurus

stego

stereo

super

tri

tyranno

ultra

urus

veloci

xeno

xero

ridge

foot

flat

first

robber

king

nose

lizard

roof

twin

superior

three

tyrant

extreme

tail

speedy

strange

dry

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2. With a partner, create a dinosaur of your own. Use what you have read about dinosaurs and the activities you have done to help you. When designing your dinosaur think about the following: a. What did your dinosaur eat? What kind of teeth did it have? b. What did your dinosaur look like? What kind of skin did it have? What color was it? c. How did your dinosaur behave?

Draw a picture of your dinosaur. Think of a good name for your dinosaur. Use the Greek and Latin roots to create the name. Write a paragraph that describes your dinosaur.

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secTion Four: dinosaur display

rows of impressive dinosaur skulls are displayed along the exhibition’s “trophy wall.” Horns and crests and bony frills rise from the ancient fossils, looking for all the world like Medieval arms and armor. But looks can be deceiving. The Field Museum’s dinosaur curator, Dr. Peter Makovicky, has studied several of the most recently discovered, smallest, and most

primitive of these species, seeking, among other things, an explanation for these bizarre features. Did they protect the animal in battle? Anchor powerful muscles? Help the dinos aurs stay cool? Or act as displays to help attract a mate? Recently, as Makovicky and his colleagues explain in this section’s video, scientists have come to another conclusion: the uses most likely evolved and changed over time, along with the physical structures themselves. Find out how new discoveries and research methods are helping paleontologists understand this fascinating aspect of dinosaur form and function. Then reach out and touch a real fossilized Triceratops horn.

Guiding Questions

1. In animals, what is a display structure?

2. What can display structures be used for?

pre-activity

1. In order to have students think about display structures, show them several pictures of today’s animals that bear structures for display (e.g., deer and their antlers; peacocks with their tail feathers). Ask students to name other examples. Don’t forget: display can be not only through a structure, but through a color (e.g., the bright coloring on poisonous frogs).

Photo by Roderick Mickens © American Museum of Natural History

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Field Trip activities

1. To show the changing face of science, have students study the display and then record the different ideas that scientists have had regarding the frills and horns of dinosaurs. What ideas are the oldest? Which ones are the latest?

2. Ask students to explore the Evolving Planet exhibition and find at least five extinct animals that have a structure that could have been used for display. Have them record the name of the animal, note the geologic time period in which it lived, the country in which its fossils are found, and then either draw or describe the structure.

3. Have students explore the World of Birds exhibition on west side of the Museum’s main floor. Ask them to find at least five birds—living dinosaurs!—that have a structure that could be used for display. Have them record the name of the bird, the country in which the bird lives, and then either draw or describe the structure.

4. Ask students to explore the mammal halls (World of Mammals, Mammals of Asia, and Mammals of Africa) on the west side of the Museum’s main floor and find at least five living animals that have a structure that could be used for display. Have them record the name of the animal, the country in which the animal lives, and then either draw or describe the structure.

5. In the Museum’s Animal Biology exhibition, visit the four cases showing Ornaments and Armaments.

post-activity

1. Discuss with students the different animals—and their structures—that they identified at the Museum (see Field Trip Activities above).

2. Have students explore the Animal Diverisity Web (http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html) to find animals with display structures.

3. Explore more of Dr. Makovicky’s exciting research on dinosaurs! For a virtual trip to his dig site in Wyoming, visit http://www.fieldmuseum.org/expeditions/pete_expedition/petehome.html.

answers to Guiding Questions

1. A display structure is a physical feature of an animal—such as antlers or a frill—used to attract mates or recognize members of their own species.

2. Display structures can be used to attract mates and/or recognize members of their own species. Some organisms, such as some species of frogs, can be brightly colored to show that they’re poisonous.

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secTion Five: Mass exTincTion

What killed off the dinosaurs? Did they all perish one terrible day, 65 million years ago, when a huge object from outer space slammed into Earth? There’s little doubt that a major impact occurred, but so did other major events, including huge volcanic eruptions, the disappearance of inland seas, and ensuing climate change. And why did half of all Earth’s

species go extinct? In this section of the exhibition, videos and animated projections explore the possible scenarios of a mass extinction that paved the way for new forms of life.

Guiding Questions

1. What is extinction?

2. What is mass extinction?

pre-activities

1. Have students explore concepts and ideas behind mass extinctions at PBS’s evolution Web site http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/extinction/index.html.

2. Sharks and reptiles and birds, oh my! Right before the mass extinction, life was thriving—on land and in the seas! Visit Oceans of Kansas at http://www.oceansofkansas.com/index.html to get a glimpse of Kansas during the Late Cretaceous Period.

© American Museum of Natural History

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Field Trip activities

1. In addition to the dinosaurs, many other types of animals went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous Period. Have students list some of these animals.

2. Have students list the three major phenomena that may have cause the mass extinction. How did these phenomena affect the planet’s climate?

3. The mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs is just one of six mass extinctions that have occurred throughout the history of life on Earth. In the Evolving Planet exhibition, have students locate the other five, and answer the following questions for each: 1) When did it happen? 2) What died? 3) and Why did it happen?

4. Mass extinction is just not a thing of the past! Today, many scientists agree that we are in the midst of a mass extinction. Have students locate the current mass extinction in Evolving Planet. How many species are going extinct today? What is the cause?

5. At the end of Evolving Planet, a wall of photographs celebrates life’s diversity today. Ask students to view the images, and have them share their ideas about what the wall represents and why it is important?

6. In the Museum’s Animal Biology exhibition, visit the two cases of Endangered Animals. Also have students explore Mammals of Asia to see many species that are endangered.

post-activities

1. Have students share their findings from the Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries and Evolving Planet exhibitions, identifying the six mass extinctions, the casualties, and the causes.

2. We are in the midst of a mass extinction today. Join The Field Museum in exploring, celebrating, and protecting our planet’s amazing web of life! Have students explore conservation efforts at http://www.fieldmuseum.org/biodiversity/ybc.html and http://www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/ecco.htm.

answers to Guiding Questions

1. Extinction is when a species dies out forever. Small numbers of species are going extinct all the time.

2. Mass extinction is when many more species than normal go extinct across much of the world in a relatively short period of time (several million years). There have been at least six mass extinctions in the four billion years since life began.

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part ii

Fossil & dinosaur images

Photo by Craig Chesek © American Museum of Natural History

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Body Fossils

Foot skull

BonesTeeth

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Trace Fossils

T. rex Footprint

nest of eggs

Tracks

skin impression

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ankylosaurus

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Barosaurus

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coelophysis

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diplodocus

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iguanodon

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ornithomimus

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pachychephalosaurus

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parasaurolophus

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plateosaurus

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stegosaurus

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Triceratops

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Tyrannosaurus

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part iii

resources for Teachers and students

Photo by Craig Chesek © American Museum of Natural History

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related Field Museum research

The Geology Department at The Field Museum has its primary focus on paleontology, systematics, and evolutionary theory, with seven of its eight curators covering a variety of fossil animals and plants. Most of the department’s paleontologists take an interdisciplinary approach in their research programs, combining fossil and living organisms together to extract information of broad evolutionary significance.

The Field Museum collections of fossils and meteorites are world renowned, drawing researchers from around the globe to study them. The scientists in the Geology Department, together with colleagues at local universities, form one of the nation’s largest concentrations of paleontologists.

Follow The Field Museum’s paleontologists around the world:

Dr. Peter Makovicky studies dinosaurs from China, South America, and North America. On-line at http://www.fieldmuseum.org/expeditions/pete_expedition/petehome.html.

Dr. Lance Grande examines a 50-million-year-old ecosystem from Wyoming. On-line at http://www.fieldmuseum.org/expeditions/lance/about.html.

Dr. Jennifer McElwain studies fossil plants from Greenland to better understand climate change. On-line at http://www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/geology/geo_sites/greenland/index.html.

The Field Museum’s Pritzker Laboratory is a multi-user core facility dedicated to the genetic analysis and preservation of the world’s biodiversity. The lab serves as a research and training facility for the curatorial staff, postdoctoral associates, and undergraduate and graduate students who conduct basic research in molecular evolution and systematics.

Dr. Shannon Hackett uses DNA research to create a family tree for birds—living dinosaurs!On-line at http://www.fieldmuseum.org/biodiversity/scientist_feature9.html.

related exhibitions

What did the world look like through the eyes of a 500-million-year-old trilobite? What could you see and hear in the swampy forest that was Chicago…300 million years ago? How would it feel to touch the face of our early human cousins? Evolving Planet takes visitors on an awe-inspiring journey through 4 billion years of life on Earth, from single-celled organisms to towering dinosaurs and our extended human family. Unique fossils, animated videos, hands-on interactive displays, and recreated sea- and landscapes help tell the compelling story of evolution—the single process that connects everything that’s ever lived on Earth.

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Around 65 million years ago, a mass extinction wiped out at least half of all species, including all dinosaurs. Except birds! Come face to beak with the dinosaurs of today in the World of Birds and North American Birds exhibitions, and see how they live in Bird Habitats.

Extinction is not just a thing of the past. Explore Mammals of Asia and Animal Biology to see mammals that are on the brink of extinction today, such as the leopard (Panthera pardus) below.

© The Field Museum

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Teacher programs (http://www.fieldmuseum.org/education/profess_develop.htm)

Just for educators!dinosaurs: ancient Fossils, new discoveries (Grades K-12)Get a private viewing of the most up-to-date look at how scientists are reinterpreting many of the most persistent and puzzling mysteries of the dinosaurs. See impressive fossils specimens and casts, get an idea of what dinosaurs looked like and how they moved, and then explore educational materials for your classroom. Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 5pm-8pm$20, members $18

dino Biomechanics: The science of dinosaur Motion (Grades 9-12)It’s not easy being big! Explore how giant dinosaurs moved by using math and physics concepts to bring the dinosaurs back to life. Learn how size influenced movement for some of the largest animals to ever have roamed the Earth from a Museum expert and a visit to Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Disoveries. Wednesday, May 16, 2007, 5pm-8pm$30, members $25 (includes boxed dinner)

harris educational loan centerTeachers and parents can put real fossils in the hands of their students and children by borrowing one of these Experience Boxes for their classroom or home: Dinosaurs and Other Mesozoic Creatures; Dinosaurs and their Times: Cretaceous; Dinosaurs and their Times: Jurassic; 300 Million Years Ago in Illinois; Hominid Evolution; Dinosaur Dinners. Visit www.fieldmuseum.org/harrisloan to register and reserve your materials.Home School teachers, parents and families: $60, Museum members $30School rates: Individual teachers: $30 per year; Register 10-19 teachers: $20/teacher;Register 20 or more teachers: $15/teacher

student programs (http://www.fieldmuseum.org/education/plan_FTprg.htm)

Field of Wonder (Grades pre-K-2)Need an activity for your pre-K through 2nd grade students? Check out this exciting opportunity designed to engage even the smallest visitor in exploring the Earth and its peoples. Register for our Dinosaurs program to engage your students in a comparison of carnivores and herbivores by comparing sizes and shapes of teeth using real fossils and casts. Tuesday-Friday at 10:15am or 11:15amFree with field trip registration; maximum 30 students

Footprints of the past (Grades K-4)Explore the fascinating creatures that have roamed the Earth since the dawn of time, and compare them to today’s animal kingdom. Mondays-Fridays, 10am-12:30pm$3 per Chicago student, $4 per non-Chicago student

The Great Fossil hunt (Grades 3-8)Find out what it takes to be a paleontologist! Students will learn about the process of fossilization as they search the floor of The Field Museum for fossils. Then they’ll unearth and prepare a life size dinosaur for display as they theorize about ancient life and discover what fossils can tell us about the past.Mondays-Fridays, 10:00am-12:30pm$3 per Chicago student, $4 per non-Chicago studentOffsite programs also available

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The life of earth (Grades 5-8)Travel back through the history of this amazing planet we call Earth and understand how it has evolved to the place we live today.Mondays-Fridays, 10:00am-12:30pm$3 per Chicago student, $4 per non-Chicago student

student lecture: T. rex: Fast or Fiction? (Grades 5-12) Dr. John R. HutchinsonStructure & Motion Lab, Royal Veterinary College, University of LondonGet under the skin of Earth’s largest creatures! Hutchinson studies the anatomy of large land animals—including elephants and dinosaurs—and uses modern methods of physics and biomechanics to explore how size affects the way these animals move. Come and learn the truth behind the movie magic of Jurassic Park! Friday, April 13, 2007, 10:30amFree; Pre-registration required.Please note: Tickets to Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries requires separate registration.

classify This! (Grades 9-12)Explore how scientists classify the worlds of plants and animals. Visit Evolving Planet and other exhibitions, then practice Linneaen classification, create cladograms, and look at how scientists use morphology and genetics.Mondays-Fridays, 10:00am-12:30pm$3 per Chicago student, $4 per non-Chicago student

evolution 101 (Grades 9-12)Join us for an in-depth look at the basics of evolution and its importance to scientific research. Tour Evolving Planet and other exhibitions to understand first-hand how evolution works in nature.Mondays-Fridays, 10:00am-12:30pm$3 per Chicago student, $4 per non-Chicago student

Family programs (http://www.fieldmuseum.org/CalendarSystem/Event_home.asp)

dinosaur ForensicsBe a dino detective! Examine clues like fossil bones and dino tracks to uncover how these ancient beasts lived and died. Program includes a ticket to the exhibition Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries. Saturday, April 14, 2007, 10am–11:30am$16 per person,$12 member

create a play in one day!Foundation Theatre GroupPut your little one in the director’s chair! Children ages 5–11 will write a short dinosaur play under the tutelage of professional actors, cast it with their new friends from the workshop, and perform for the general public at the Museum that same day. May 26, 2007, 10am−2pm rehearsal, 2:30pm performance$16 per person, $12 member

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Gallery proGraMs

dino discovery daysCelebrate the opening of Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries with fun-filled dinosaur activities for the whole family! Stop by one of our interpretive stations to learn about geological “hot spots” in the world, make your own dino flip book, and investigate extinction theories; then listen to a special Kraft Story Time presentation on dinosaurs!Saturday, March 31 and Sunday, April 1, 2007, 11am-2pmFree with Museum admission

interpretive stationsHands-on activities for families available throughout the run of the exhibition include touchable fossils and interpretive stations such as Geological Hot Spots, the Mass Extinction Game, and Dino Flip books. Check the information desk when you arrive for a list of the day’s activities.Weekends; 11am-2pmFree with Museum admission

Kraft story TimeTake a seat in one of our exhibition halls, hear a story, and make an art project to take home—all in 20 minutes! Featured titles will include Big Old Bones: A Dinosaur Tale, by Carol Carrick; Can I have a Stegosaurus, Mom? Can I? Please!? by Lois G. Grambling; Dinosaur Roar!, by Paul and Henrietta Stickland; The Field Mouse and the Dinosaur named Sue, by Jan Wahl; Fossils, by Roy A. Gallant; The Fossil Factory, by Gregory Niles and Let’s Go Dinosaur Tracking!, by Miriam Schelein.Families with young childrenWeekends,1:30pmFree with Museum admission

lecTures horned dinosaurs: display or defense? Dr. Peter Makovicky, Curator of Dinosaurs, FM Dept. of GeologyEver wonder what dinosaurs use all of those unusual frills and horns for? Hear from an expert about the latest theory concerning their use, including competition for mates and easy identification of others in their species. Dr. Makovicky’s research focuses on the Ceratopsia group, or horned dinosaurs, and he has studied them in fossil sites around the world. Saturday, March 31, 2007, 2pmFree with Museum admission

T. rex: Fast or Fiction? Dr. John R. HutchinsonStructure & Motion Lab, Royal Veterinary College, University of LondonGet under the skin of Earth’s largest creatures! Hutchinson studies the anatomy of large land animals—including elephants and dinosaurs—and uses modern methods of biomechanics to explore how size affects the way these animals move. Come and learn the truth behind the movie magic of Jurassic Park! Saturday, April 14, 2007, 2pmFree with Museum admission

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Photo by Roderick Mickens © American Museum of Natural History

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The harris educational loan center resourcesVisit us at www.fieldmuseum.org/harrisloan

experience Boxes

Dinosaurs and Other Mesozoic CreaturesUse fossils, fossil replicas, and timeline charts to learn about dinosaurs and other Mesozoic plants and animals. Pre-K and higher.

Dinosaurs and Their Times: CretaceousPlace models of various Cretaceous Period dinosaurs—Tyrannosaurus, Maiasaura, and Triceratops—in a classroom diorama. Kit includes casts of a Tyrannosaurus tooth and claw. Especially recommended for pre-K through first grade.

Dinosaurs and Their Times: JurassicJurassic Period dinosaur models—Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, Brachiosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Allosaurus—are placed in a classroom diorama. Kit includes casts of an Allosaurus tooth and claw, posters, and books. Pre-K and higher.

Studying African WildlifeLearn how scientists study Africa’s many ecosystems and wild animals by using tools such as rain gauges, soil probes, or stopwatches. Videos show scientists working in the field. Elementary.

exhibit cases

Dinosaur EggsUnearth the buried eggs of the Troodon, a small meat-eating dinosaur (about the size of a fourth grader).

Common LoonConnect the unique paddling foot structure of this water bird to those of the great diving birds of the dinosaur age. The strange call of the Common Loon is perhaps more recognizable than the bird itself.

Birds’ BeaksExamine the ways in which these seven different bird species use their beaks as tools, and identify their food choices based on each beak shape. Great for discussing adaptation!

audio/visual

Colossal Fossil10-minute “kids-eye look” at The Field Museum’s dinosaur Sue--the largest, best-preserved T. rex fossil ever found. The video’s 10-year-old host, Josh, discovers how Sue was found by dinosaur hunters in South Dakota and shows how Sue is being studied and prepared by scientists.

The Sue Files: Dino DiningDr. Darin Croft, a Research Associate of The Field Museum, and a group of junior dino detectives go behind the scenes at The Field Museum to discover what dinosaurs ate and how scientists go about discovering clues to dinosaur eating habits.

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Books for educators

dinosaurs (Titles in Bold are highly recommended)

Barrett, P. (1999). National Geographic Dinosaurs. Washington, D.C.: The National Geographic Society.

Bird, R. T. (1985). Bones for Barnum Brown: Adventures of a Dinosaur Hunter. College Station, Texas: Texas University Press.

Carpenter, K., Hirsch, L. F., and Horner, J. A., eds. (1987). Dinosaur Eggs and Babies. Cambridge, Mass.: Cambridge University Press.

Charlesworth, L. and Sachatello-Sawyer, B. (1995). Dinosaurs: The Very Latest Information and Hands-on Activities from the Museum of the Rockies. New York: Scholastic Books, Inc.

Currie, Philip J. and Padian, Kevin. (1997). Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. New York: Academic Press.

Curry Rogers, Kristina A. and Jeffrey A. Wilson. (2005). The Sauropods: Evolution and Paleobiology. Berkeley: Univer-sity of California Press.

Dingus, Lowell. (1996). Next of Kin. New York: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc.

Dingus, L. and Rowe, T. (1998). The Mistaken Extinction: Dinosaur Evolution and the Origin of Birds. New York: W. H. freeman and Company.

Farlow, J. O., and Brett-Surman, M. K. (1997). The Complete Dinosaur. Indianapolis, Indiana University Press.

Fastovsky, D. E., and Weishampel, D. B. (2005). The Evolution and Extinction of the Dinosaurs, Second Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Gaffney, Eugene S. (1990). Dinosaurs. New York: Golden Books.

Norell, Mark A. (1995). All You Need to Know About Dinosaurs. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Norell, M. A., Gaffney, E. S., and Dingus, L. (1995). Discovering Dinosaurs. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Norman, D. (1994). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. Avenel, New Jersey: Random House Company.

Novacek, Michael, J. (1996). Dinosaurs of the Flaming Cliffs. New York: Anchor Books.

Russell, D. A. (1992). An Odyssey In Time: The Dinosaurs of North America. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Sattler, H. R. (1981). Dinosaurs of North America. New York: William Morrow.

Sattler, H. R. (1990). The New Illustrated Dinosaur Dictionary. New York: William Morrow.

Tewell, D. (1993). Where Dinosaurs Still Rule: A Guide to Dinosaur Areas. Helena, Mont.: Falcon Press.

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VanCleave, J. (1994). Dinosaurs for Every Kid. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Wallace, J. (1994). The American Museum of Natural History’s Book of Dinosaurs. New York: Michael Friedman Publishing.

Weishampel, D. B., Dodson, P. and Osmolska, H., eds. (2004). The Dinosauria, Second Edition. Berkeley: University of California Press.

evolution (Titles in Bold are highly recommended)

Alters, Brian J., and Sandra M. Alters. (2003). Defending Evolution: A Guide to the Creation/Evolution Controversy. Boston, MA: Jones and Bartlett.

Chaisson, Eric J. (2005). The Epic of Evolution: Seven Ages of the Cosmos. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

Bowler, Peter J. (2003). Evolution: The History of an Idea. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Eldridge, Niles. (1998). The Pattern of Evolution. New York, NY: W.H. Freeman & Company.

Futuyma, Douglas J. (1995). Science on Trial: The Case for Evolution, Second Edition. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates.

Kelley, Patricia H., Jonathan R. Bryan, and Thor A. Hansen, eds. (1999). The Evolution Creation Controversy II: Perspectives on Science, Religion, and Geological Education. The Paleontological Society Papers, volume 5, The Paleontological Society.

Marks, Jonathan. (2002). What it Means to be 98% Chimpanzee: Apes, People, and Their Genes. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Mayer, Ernst. (2001). What Evolution Is. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Miller, James B. (2004). The Epic of Evolution: Science and Religion in Dialogue. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

National Academy of Sciences. (1999). Science and Creationism. A View from the National Academy of Sciences. Second Edition. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

National Academy of Sciences. (1998). Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Park, Robert L. (2000). Voodoo Science: The Road from Foolishness to Fraud. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Pennock, Robert T. (1999). Tower of Babel: The Evidence Against the New Creationism. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Pojeta, John, Jr., and Dale Springer. (2001). Evolution and the Fossil Record. Alexandria, VA: American Geological Institute.

Sagan, Carl. (1996). The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.

Scott, Eugenie C. (2004). Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press

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Books for students

Aliki. (1988). Digging Up Dinosaurs. New York: HarperCollins.

Aliki. (1972). Fossils Tell of Long Ago. New York: Harper & Row.

Aliki. (1985). Dinosaur Bones. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Aliki. (1985). Dinosaurs Are Different. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Arnold, C. (1990). Dinosaurs Down Under. New York: Clarion Books.

Asimov, I. and Stevens, G. (1994). Death from Space: What Killed the Dinosaurs? Milwaukee, Wis.: Gareth Stevens, Inc.

Cole, Joanna. (1994). The Magic School Bus: In the Time of the Dinosaurs. New York: Scholastic.

Dingus, Lowell. (1994). What Color Is That Dinosaur? Brookfield, Conn.: Millbrook Press.

Dingus, L. and Norell, M. A. (1996). Searching for Velociraptor. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Dixon, D. (1993). Dinosaurs. Honesdale, Penn.: Boyds Mills Press.

Eldredge, N., Eldredge, G., and Eldredge, D. (1989). The Fossil Factory. Reading, Penn.: Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Inc.

Gaffney, Eugene S. (1990). Dinosaurs. New York: Golden Books.

Hunt, J. and Selsam, M. E. (1982). A First Look at Dinosaurs. New York: Walker & Co.

Johnson and Piggins. (1993). Dinosaur Hunt. Milwaukee, Wis.: Gareth Stevens, Inc.

Lambert, D. (1993). The Ultimate Dinosaur Book. New York: Dorling Kindersley, Inc.

Lauber, P. and Henderson, D. (1991). Living With Dinosaurs. New York: Macmillan.

Lessem, D. and Glut, D. (1993). Dinosaur Encyclopedia. New York: Random House.

Lessem, D. and Horner, J. (1992). Digging Up Tyrannosaurus rex. New York: Random House.

Milner, A. and Norman, D. (1989). Dinosaur: Eyewitness Books. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

Most, B. (1994). How Big Were the Dinosaurs? Orlando, Fla.: Harcourt brace.

Norell, M. A., Gaffney, E. S., and Dingus, L. (1995). Discovering Dinosaurs. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.,.

Simon, Seymour. (1990). New Questions and Answers About Dinosaurs. New York: William Morrow.

Taylor, P. D. (1990). Fossil: Eyewitness Books. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Wexco, J. B. (1992). Zoobooks: Dinosaurs. San Diego: Wildlife Education, Ltd.

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recommended Web sites

sites for educators Evolving Planet at The Field Museumhttp://www.fieldmuseum.org/evolvingplanet

SUE at The Field Museumhttp://www.fieldmuseum.org/sue

The Field Museum: Expeditions @ The Fieldhttp://www.fieldmuseum.org/expeditions

The Field Museum’s Geology Departmenthttp://www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/geology/default.htm

American Museum of Natural History: Resources for Learning http://www.amnh.org/resources

Dinosaur Articles http://www.dinosauria.com

Geological Time http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/geotime/contents.html

Paleomap Project http://www.scotese.com

sites for students The Field Museum: Expeditions @ The Field (Dinosaur Dig with Dr. Peter Makovicky)http://www.fieldmuseum.org/expeditions/pete_expedition/petehome.html

The Field Museum: Expeditions @ The Field (Fossil Lake with Dr. Lance Grande)http://www.fieldmuseum.org/expeditions/lance/about.html

The Field Museum: Expeditions to East Greenland (with Dr. Jennifer McElwain)http://www.fieldmuseum.org/research_collections/geology/geo_sites/greenland/index.html

OLogy: PaleontOLogy http://ology.amnh.org/paleontology

The American Museum of Natural History: Gobi Dinosaurs in the Dunes http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/expeditions/gobi/

National Geographic: Dinosaur Eggs http://www.nationalgeographic.com/dinoeggs/museum/intro/museum.html

General Dinosaur Information http://www.zoomdinosaurs.com

Earthforce http://www.fi.edu/earth/earth.html

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dinosaurs at Museums

The Field Museum, Chicagohttp://www.fieldmuseum.org/evolvingplanet/mesozoic.asphttp://www.fieldmuseum.org/sue

American Museum of Natural History, New Yorkhttp://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/fossils/

Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia http://www.acnatsci.org/research/biodiv/paleo.html

California Academy of Science, San Francisco http://www.calacademy.org

Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houstonhttp://www.hmns.org

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleighhttp://www.naturalsciences.org

Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University, New Havenhttp://www.peabody.yale.edu

Natural History Museum, London http://internt.nhm.ac.uk/jdsml/dino/aboutteachers.dsml

UC Museum of Paleontology, Berkeleyhttp://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/

Photo by Craig Chesek © American Museum of Natural History

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Fun FacTs!dinosaurs: ancient Fossils, new discoveries

• The robotic Tyrannosaurus rex in the exhibition is the most accurate three-dimensional representation ever of how theropod dinosaurs walked.

• There are 463 hand-made models of animals in the Liaoning Forest diorama.

• There are 24 models of non-avian dinosaurs in the Liaoning Forest diorama.

• Museum preparators hand-painted 12,000 leaves for the trees in the Liaoning Forest diorama.

• There are 58 real fossils in the exhibition, 30 of which are dinosaurs or dinosaur parts.

• Nearly every plant and animal on display in the Liaoning Forest diorama is extinct today.

• The Liaoning Forest diorama includes models of four bird species, two extinct aquatic reptile species, three pterosaur species, three fish species, three mammal species, one species of turtle, and two amphibian species.

• The trees and bushes portrayed in the Liaoning Forest diorama are based on specimens collected in the New Jersey Pine Barrens in Burlington County. Some paleobotanists think it is the best contemporary reference on Earth today for what plant life looked like in this prehistoric forest.

• The leaves for four species of plants and trees in the diorama are made of brass for reasons of durability and ease of fabrication.

• The background for the Liaoning Forest diorama was painted on a single, flat canvas measuring 700 square feet, and later stretched to form the curved backdrop of the diorama.

• The full-size Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton cast breaks down into nine sections, the full-size biomechanical Apatosaurus model breaks down into ten pieces, and the base of the Liaoning Forest diorama breaks down into nine sections on wheels so the entire exhibition can be transported to and installed in other museums

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Walking Map

dinosaurs: ancient Fossils, new discoveriesdinosaurs: ancient Fossils, new discoveries

Liaoning Diorama Trackways

Dinosaur Display

Biomechanics

Mass Extinction

Exit

Entrance

1 Photo by Roderick Mickens © American Museum of Natural History2 © American Museum of Natural History3 Photo by Craig Chesek © American Museum of Natural History

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