What is a Dinosaur? - Cincinnati Museum Center

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The following Educator’s Guide for Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana was designed to promote

personalized learning and reinforce classroom curriculum. The worksheets and classroom activities are

appropriate for various grade levels and apply to proficiency standards in social studies, language arts,

reading, math, science and the arts. Students are encouraged to use their investigation skills to describe,

explain, analyze, summarize, record and evaluate the information presented in the exhibit. The information

gathered can then be used as background research for the various Classroom Connections that relate to grade

level academic content standards.

In order to best suit you and your classroom needs, this Educator’s Guide has been broken up into the

following areas:

A. Pre-visit Information

a. Planning Your Visit

i. Enhance Your Dinosaur Experience

ii. How to Book Your Field Trip

b. Background Information

i. What is a Dinosaur?

ii. Vocabulary & Concepts

iii. Evolution & Classification of Dinosaurs

c. Classroom Connections

B. Museum Visit Information

a. Exhibit Walk-through

b. Exhibit Student Worksheet

C. Post-visit Information

a. Classroom Connections

i. Language Arts/Social Studies

ii. Science

iii. Mathematics

iv. Fine Arts

D. Teacher Resources

a. Further Reading

b. Online Resources

E. Ohio and National Standards

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Enhance Your Dinosaur Experience The dinosaur experience doesn’t have to end in the exhibit Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana –

Cincinnati Museum Center has so much more to offer from hands-on classroom experiences to additional

dinosaur exhibits and OMNIMAX® films! For pricing and availability, please call (513) 287-7021.

Learning Labs Enhance student learning with these one-of-a-kind hands-on learning opportunities that support and go beyond the exhibit

during your visit to Cincinnati Museum Center. For the full listings of Learning Labs offerings or for more information,

please visit www.cincymuseum.org/educators.

Dinosaur Discovery (Grades 1-5) – Become a junior paleontologist and explore the size and bone structure of dinosaurs

while using the tools of the trade, including fossil replicas. This program includes a guided experience in the Museum of

Natural History & Science’s Dino Hall.

This Little Dinosaur (Pre K-K) – Discover a story that is 65 million years in the making. This interactive tale of exploration

and discovery includes dinosaur fossils, footprints and other evidence to help tell the story. This program includes a

guided experience in the Museum of Natural History & Science’s Dino Hall.

Programs-on-Wheels Bring hands-on museum learning into your classroom with these exciting learning opportunities that come to your school.

For the full listing of Programs-on-Wheels offerings or for more information, please visit www.cincymuseum.org/educators.

Digging for Dinosaurs (Grades 1-4) – Uncover fossils on a paleontological “dinosaur dig.” Discuss Cincinnati’s world-

famous Ordovician fossils. Learn how fossils are formed and make a plaster cast of a fossil for the group to keep.

Touchable fossils from dinosaurs such as Allosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, Stegosaurus, raptors and many more make this

program a junior paleontologist’s dream.

Dino Dig (Pre K-K) – Dig up dinosaur fossils and discover their owners’ true identities! Learn about different kinds of

dinosaurs, what they looked like, what they ate and how they protected themselves. A variety of activities allow you to

growl, claw and walk like a dinosaur.

Museum Exhibits While on your field trip, be sure to stop by the following exhibits to further enhance your dinosaur experience.

Ancient Marine Life (Museum of Natural History & Science) – Meet some of the marine creatures that lived in our ancient

seas including the Coelacanth, Plesiosaur, Xiphactinus, Ohio armored fish and many more.

Dino Hall (Museum of Natural History & Science) – Take a look at some of the Mesozoic Eras wonders! With flying

reptiles, real dinosaur fossils, complete dinosaur replicas and so much more, you get transported back to the time of the

dinosaurs in this exhibit containing one-of-a-kind specimens.

Lost Voices (Museum of Natural History & Science) – Learn about the varied life forms that have inhabited our planet in

the past and gain a greater understanding of the history of our planet and also of our place on it.

Paleo Lab (Museum of Natural History & Science) – Watch staff clean and prepare dinosaur bones and other items

collected on recent museum digs.

OMNIMAX® Films Round out your dinosaur experience with the perfect OMNIMAX

® film all about dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia – Following Pr. Rodolfo Coria, a world-renown Argentinean paleontologist, we visit sites

of major dinosaur discoveries in the Patagonia region of South America and travel back in time to see these amazing

beasts come to life. Journey through the lives of two specimens of these superb achievements of evolution. The action is

intense and the landscape is out of this world. From space, we have the perfect vantage point to witness the movement of

the tectonic plates and the arrival of a comet that may have sealed the fate of the Dinosaurs.

PRE-VISIT INFORMATION

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How to Book Your Field Trip

To help you prepare for your field trip, go to www.cincymuseum.org/educators/visit. Then call (513) 287-7021

Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or fill out the online reservation request form at

www.cincymuseum.org/educators.

Reservation Check List

School Name ____________________________

Teacher Name ___________________________

School Address __________________________

Teacher Phone Number ___________________

Teacher E-mail __________________________

Date of Visit _____________________________

Back-up Date(s) _________________________

Time of Arrival ___________________________

Time of Departure ________________________

Number of Students ______________________

Grade Level(s) __________________________

Number of Adults & Chaperones ____________ 5 students: 1 chaperone through Grade 5

10 students: 1 chaperone Grades 6 and up

Time of Arrival __________________________

Time of Departure _______________________

Method of Payment (credit card, check or P.O.)

What do we want to do?

_____ One Museum Pass

_____ OMNIMAX®

_____ One Museums Pass + OMNIMAX®

_____ All Museums Pass

_____ All Museum Pass + OMNIMAX®

_____ Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana exhibit

_____ Theater LIVE!

_____ Learning Lab

_____ LITE Lab STEM Experience

_____ Programs-on-Wheels

_____ Heritage Program Walking Tour

_____ Heritage Program Bus Tour

_____ Overnight at the Museum

_____ Appalachian Culture Fest School Day

_____ Scout Program

Cancellations

Cancellations within 48 hours are subject to pay a fee of 50% of the reservation price. No-Shows are subject to

pay 100% of the reservation price. Theater LIVE! requires cancellations two weeks in advance. Cancellations

within two weeks are subject to pay a fee of 50% of the reservation price.

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What is a Dinosaur? With new discoveries and scientific improvements, our understanding of dinosaurs is constantly changing,

making it difficult for educators to stay current. Here’s the most up-to-date information to help you stay ahead

of the game.

Dinosaurs were a unique type of animal that:

- lived during the Mesozoic Era from 245 to 65 million years ago. Not all animals that lived during

this time were dinosaurs. Many flying reptiles, marine animals, insects, mammals, etc. are often

mistaken for dinosaurs.

- were vertebrates. All dinosaurs, regardless of their size, had backbones and shared similar

skeletal features.

- were terrestrial, meaning they lived on land. While some dinosaurs may have been able to wade

or paddle through water, they did not live in oceans, rivers or lakes like the swimming reptiles of the

Mesozoic Era such as the mosasaurs and plesiosaurs. Dinosaurs also did not spend extended

periods of time in flight like the flying reptiles such as the pterosaurs.

- walked with their legs positioned directly under their bodies. Like birds and most mammals this

adaptation made dinosaurs efficient walkers and runners. Modern reptiles walk with their legs

splayed out, their knees always bent and their feet pointed out, rather than forward.

- are now extinct, but their descendants are alive today as birds. Through new discoveries and

advancements in science, scientists have realized that dinosaurs of the past and modern birds have

very similar features including three-toed feet, a wishbone, nests, brooding, feathers, semilunate

carpal, hollow bones and hard shelled, oblong eggs just to name a few.

A few things to remember:

- Dinosaurs did not live with humans.

- Dinosaurs did not live in water.

- Pterosaurs (flying reptiles) were not dinosaurs.

- Dinosaurs did not drag their tails on the ground - footprints suggest that they walked with their tails

held off the ground.

- The previously named Brontosaurus is now known to be the same species as the Apatosaurus,

therefore leaving the separate distinction of Brontosaurus as inaccurate.

- Not all dinosaurs lived together – not only were groups of dinosaurs separated by the different

landmasses, but during the more than 140 millions of years in which dinosaurs roamed the Earth,

many species also went extinct before others ever evolved.

Warm-blooded vs. cold-blooded:

This is still up for debate but the theory that dinosaurs may have been warm-blooded is gaining traction as new

studies are being done. While many scientists now believe that many of the smaller dinosaurs and those with

feathers may have been warm-blooded, there is evidence to show that some of the larger dinosaurs may have

been closer to cold-blooded but able to control their body temperatures similar to the way a leatherback sea

turtle can.

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Vocabulary & Concepts

Continental Drift

The theory of continental drift was published by a 32-year-old German meteorologist named Alfred Lothar

Wegener in the early 20th century. This is the theory that land masses have been “drifting” across the Earth

and have united and separated in several cycles over the Earth’s geological history. Wegener noticed that the

coasts of western Africa and eastern South America looked like the edges of interlocking pieces of a jigsaw

puzzle. The idea that continents have not always been fixed in their present positions was first suggested as

early as 1596, however in 1912, Wegener was the first to formally present evidence that Africa and South

America had once been connected as the scientific theory continental drift. Wegener proposed that around 200

million years ago, the supercontinent Pangaea began to split apart. Later, Alexander du Toit, Professor of

Geology at Witwatersrand University, supported Wegener and added that Pangaea first broke into two large

continental landmasses, Laurasia and Gondwanaland (now known as Gondwana). These two supercontinents

then continued to break apart into the various smaller continents that exist today.

Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) Extinction Event

The most famous of all mass extinctions marks the end of the Cretaceous Period approximately 65 million

years ago and is known as the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event (formerly called the Cretaceous-

Tertiary [K-T] extinction event). This mass-extinction wiped out an estimated 71-81% of all species, including

the non-avian dinosaurs (birds live on today). While many species of mammals, pterosaurs, plants, fish, giant

marine reptiles, insects and more were victims of this mass extinction, it also brought about evolutionary

opportunities and saw the rise of new forms and species of horses, whales, bats, primates, birds, fish and

more!

It is generally believed that this mass extinction was brought about by a 6 mile wide asteroid that struck the

Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and triggered catastrophic effects on the global environment. These events

included a lingering impact winter that made it impossible for plankton and plants to carry out photosynthesis.

While most scientists now agree that the extinction was started by an asteroid, others still maintain that it was

caused or exacerbated by other factors, such as volcanic eruptions, climate change and a change in sea level.

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Paleontology

The scientific study of prehistoric life, known as paleontology, includes the study of fossils in an attempt to

explain aspects of past organisms such as their identity and origin, their environment and evolution as well as

what they can tell us about the Earth’s organic and inorganic past.

Plate Tectonics

The theory of plate tectonics is the scientific explanation of why the continents move and states that the Earth’s

outermost layer (the lithosphere) is fragmented into distinct rigid plates which move as they ride atop the

hotter, more mobile asthenosphere. Plate tectonics is a relatively new concept in science, introduced around

30 years ago, however it has revolutionized our understanding of the study of the Earth. These plates have

coalesced and separated in several cycles throughout Earth’s history forming landmasses such as continents

and supercontinents that are constantly changing, rearranging and reshaping these landmasses.

Supercontinents

The term supercontinent is usually used when referring to the large landmass created when multiple continents

converge. The most frequently referred to supercontinent is known as Pangaea and formed approximately 300

million years ago. Pangaea is the convergence of all major continents, forming a giant supercontinent which

eventually broke apart about 150 million years ago and became the two smaller supercontinents of Laurasia (in

the north) and Gondwana (in the south). Laurasia was comprised of present day North America, Europe and

Asia while Gondwana was comprised of present day Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, Madagascar

and India.

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Evolution & Classification of Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs ruled the world during the Mesozoic Era with dinosaur ancestors evolving during the Triassic Period

and first appearing as true dinosaurs during the late Triassic Period. The Jurassic Period was a time of growth

for the dinosaurs and by the Cretaceous Period many different types of dinosaurs has evolved.

Paleontologists compare the different kinds of dinosaurs in order to discover their relationships to other

dinosaurs and to find the ancestors of dinosaurs. This can tell scientists much about evolution as well as some

things about the world in which the dinosaurs lived. Dinosaurs that could migrate were similar, but those

dinosaurs that were isolated evolved differently. Dinosaurs and other organisms have historically been placed

into hierarchical categories, using a system of classification called the Linnaean system. Today, research on

dinosaur relationships uses an approach called cladistics, which uses the presence of shared morphological

features to recreate the branching tree of dinosaur evolution. Because scientists have incomplete information

for dinosaurs, these groupings may change as new dinosaur fossils are discovered that could be the key that

unlocks more information about dinosaur evolution and ancestry.

In the Linnaean System, similar species are grouped into a genus, similar genera into a family, similar families

into an order, similar orders into a class, similar classes into a phylum, and similar phyla into a kingdom.

The new approach, called cladistics or phylogenetic systematic, is unlike the Linnean system, which puts

organisms into hierarchical categories. Instead it attempts to determine the many speciation events that

resulted in the separation by branching of all organisms, living and extinct. In simpler terms, cladistics is a

method of analyzing the evolutionary relationships between groups to construct their family tree.

Cladistics groups organisms on the basis of shared derived characteristics and uses a philosophical concept

called parsimony, which holds that the simplest branching pattern (the one with the fewest steps) is most likely

close to the true one. Scientists using cladistics do not place organisms into nested categories like the Linnean

system, because they assume that each branch occurs by the same simple process of speciation. However,

the various Linnean categories are still widely used for placement of groups into categories.

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It is almost impossible to prove that two species share a common ancestor. But by making an extensive list of

characteristics, scientists can show how likely it is that two species are related. The more traits two species

share, the more likely they are closely related and got those traits from a shared ancestor. For example, both

sparrows and bats have arms and hands that are wings, but sparrow wings and bat wings are much different.

Sparrow wings and bat wings evolved separately, and not because of a common ancestor. This is called

convergent evolution. On the other hand, the wings of sparrows, eagles, ostriches, and all other birds are alike.

This shows that today's bird species are closely related and came from a common ancestor.

Dinosaurs are classified as reptiles, but all reptiles do not form a single clade (a group that includes a common

ancestral species and all the species that descended from it). There are two reptilian clades. One clade

includes all living reptiles, dinosaurs, ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and birds (the Sauropsida). The other clade is

the mammals and the extinct mammal-like reptiles (the Theropsida). Crocodilians and birds are more closely

related to each other than either is to lizards and snakes. They are part of a smaller sauropsid clade, the

Archosauria. Lizards and snakes are in the clade Lepidosauria. Archosaurs had a large opening in the front of

each eye. As the many groups of archosaurs evolved, this antorbital fenestra ("window in front of the eye")

sometimes closed (in crocodilians and the later plant-eating dinosaurs) or merged with the nostril (in

pterosaurs).

The earliest archosaurs are found in Permian rocks, formed before the Mesozoic Era began. In the beginning

of the Mesozoic, when animal life was recovering from the worst mass extinction in the world's history, the

archosaurs expanded and quickly spread. Most of those first archosaurs were extinct by the end of the Triassic

Period, but the Pterosauria, Saurischia, and Ornithischia survived to the end of the Mesozoic, and the

Crocodilia survived to the present. Birds have not been found in the Triassic, although some puzzling Triassic

bird-like animals have recently been discovered in Asia, Europe, and Texas. Two important evolutionary

changes took place among the archosaurs. They changed from-sprawling, lizard-like animals to animals that

walked with their legs held directly under their bodies. The other change was from a cold-blooded, lizard-like

metabolism to a warm-blooded, bird-like metabolism. These changes did not take place in all archosaurs, but

they happened in the dinosaurs. Crocodilians are the only surviving example in which those changes did not

occur; birds are the only surviving group in which they did occur.

Birds are dinosaurs but pterosaurs aren’t?

Crocodiles, dinosaurs, pterosaurs and

birds all evolved from the same ancestor,

archosaurs, however not all archosaurs

are dinosaurs. While pterosaurs, birds and

dinosaurs are all archosaurs, pterosaurs

are classified as ornithodirans which

branch off the family tree before the

dinosaurs evolved. The dinosaurs can then

be broken up into ornithischians which

include Triceratops, Stegosaurus and the

duck-billed dinosaurs and the saurischians

which include Tyrannosaurs rex,

Brachiosaurus and modern day birds!

The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction

event caused the extinction of all

dinosaurs except the branch that had

already given rise to the first birds.

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Classroom Connections

Vocabulary Review

Prepare for some of the vocabulary presented throughout the exhibit by having students define the following:

Carnivore Fossil Omnivore

Continental Drift Geology Paleontology

Dinosaur Herbivore Plate Tectonics

Evolution Inference vs. Evidence Supercontinents

Extinction Mesozoic Era Trace Fossil

Charting Dinosaur Knowledge

Discuss what students already know about dinosaurs and explore what they would like to learn further by

creating a classroom Dinosaur Chart to keep track of classroom progress. As the class studies dinosaurs, add

to the chart as you learn more.

Tectonic “Egg”tivity

Have students research the layers of the Earth and their properties. Students should also have a basic

knowledge of plate tectonics and how plates move.

Break the class into 3 groups and have each group study a different type of plate boundary – convergent,

divergent and transform. Groups should create a poster presentation and present their findings to the class.

Now’s your chance to create those boundaries! Have students take a hard-boiled egg and gently crack the

shell. This egg will now represent the Earth with the broken shell as the lithosphere broken into tectonic plates

and the hard-boiled egg white as the firm but slippery asthenosphere. As students gently squeeze the egg,

they can watch the “plates” slowly move, creating the different plate boundaries. Notice how the shell

separates in some places, exposing the “mantle,” collides and/or slides past each other in other areas.

Create a Timeline

In order to place dinosaurs in a historical context, discuss the concept of timelines, why they are important,

how they can help us learn and the importance of creating a scale for a timeline. As a class, (students will

make individual/small group timelines as part of the Post-visit Classroom Connections), create a timeline

including important historical markers for dinosaurs. As you learn more about dinosaurs, both before and after

your visit to Cincinnati Museum Center, add to your classroom timeline.

Becoming a Paleontologist

As a paleontologist, we are studying an extinct group of animals that we never saw. Have the class discuss

how we find out about dinosaurs. Ask students questions like: How do we learn about and study dinosaurs?

What evidence do we have about dinosaurs? What is the difference between a fossil and a trace fossil? Why is

the study of paleontology important? What can paleontology tell us? and Why do we not find dinosaurs in the

tri-state? As the class discusses some of these answers, add them to your Dinosaur Chart.

Have students read “The Mother’s Day Site” story on the next page. Is this story real or make-believe? How do

you know? What can we learn from the Mother’s Day dig site and why is it important? As a paleontologist, we

have to take the evidence we have and, using what we know about current environment, try to piece together a

full picture of what might have happened at a dig site. This often means different paleontologists have different

opinions on how and why the dinosaurs ended at that location. After reading The Mother’s Day Site story and

looking at all of the evidence, do you agree with Dr. Storrs or do you think there might be a different

explanation? If the class is able to come up with different explanations, start a debate and have students

defend their theory to the class.

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The Mother’s Day Site

South-central Montana today does not represent what it looked like

150 million years ago. Instead of the breathtaking views of the

mountains we see today, the land would have been somewhat similar

to the Amazon Basin with a large river flowing through a densely

forested area. The conifers and palm-like trees called cycads were a

food source for large herbivorous dinosaurs. However, not far from

the water, the land would be filled with large, dry areas similar to

Africa’s savannahs. The climate would have been monsoonal,

meaning extended periods of drought followed by torrential rains.

When these droughts would hit, only the strongest and healthiest

dinosaurs would have survived the barren, inhospitable conditions.

Now we fast forward to our more recent history. On Mother’s Day in 1994, a Museum of the Rockies volunteer was

exploring the area along the base of the Pryor Mountains when he found what is now called the Mother’s Day

Quarry. The Museum of the Rockies worked the area for two years before turning it over to Cincinnati Museum

Center in 1999. Over the next 12 years the museum conducted annual educational trips to the site which unearthed

more than 1,000 fossils, mainly from what are believed to be juvenile Diplodocus dinosaurs. Diplodocus were big

sauropod dinosaurs with long necks, long tails and small heads. While an

adult Diplodocus could grow to be 90 to100 feet long and weigh 118 tons,

most juveniles were 20 to 40 feet long. In the Mother’s Day Quarry, most of

the fossils were piled up in a relatively small area and at varying depths. “In

collecting these bones, we believe we have identified 16 individuals at this

one site” Dr. Glenn Storrs, Withrow Farny Curator of Vertebrate

Paleontology at Cincinnati Museum Center explains. But how did these

juveniles get here and why were their fossils found in such a small area?

The stone where the fossils were found offers some clues as to what might have happened. The fossils were found

within a layer of sedimentary rock known as the Morrison Formation which stretches from Canada to New Mexico.

According to Dr. Storrs, “Scientists used to believe that the Montana portion of the Morrison Formation did not

contain any fossils until the discovery of the Mother’s Day site”. The 10 foot layer of rock at the Mother’s Day site is

made up of mudstone and siltstone that appears to have been deposited all at once. There were also small chert

pebbles in the rock that are “completely alien in a sedimentary environment” Dr. Storrs explains. Because the fossils

were all positioned at different angles, researchers ruled out the possibility that the bones were swept to their final

position over time by a stream or river, if that were the case, all the bones would have been lying in a horizontal

position in one direction. “It’s like a flood, all washing it in one event,” Storrs said. ”However, remember, none of the

bones were broken up, so they weren’t worked very far. That suggests a quick event.” Even more interesting is the

fact that, in digging through the mudstone, the researchers found a few scattered teeth of Allosaurus predators and

there were bite marks on some of the diplodocus bones. “It’s an unusual set of clues, not your average stream

washing these fossils downstream,” Storrs said.

Based on all the clues, Storrs and his colleagues concluded that a group of juvenile Diplodocus, probably migrating

with adults in search of water, died together near a shrinking water hole. Only the juveniles died because they were

less able to go long periods without water. A few Allosaurus dinosaurs may have come along and fed upon the

remains, losing some teeth and scattering the bones in the process. When the monsoonal rain returned, a downpour

caused the slightly sloped soil on which the dead dinosaurs lay to slide in one big event, burying all the bones at odd

angles. “It traveled a quarter-mile at most,” Storrs said. “As it flows downslope, it dewaters and freezes like cement,

which explains why the bones are at different angles.” What about the small pebbles found at the site? Dr. Storrs

believes these are gastroliths, small stones swallowed by plant-eating dinosaurs to help them digest the tough,

fibrous vegetation they ate. In one area where a dozen stones were found together amid black carbon, Storrs

hypothesizes that the black was the organic matter in the stomach of one of the dinosaurs, explaining why the rocks

were together—it was the petrified contents of a stomach!

Dr. Glenn Storrs

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Exhibit Walk-through Highlights of the Exhibition

Surrounded by life-like environmental murals, the exhibition features real fossils, skeletons and 20 full-scale

skeletal casts, many of which have never been seen before in the U.S. You'll see Giganotosaurus, possibly the

largest land predator to have ever lived, as well as the crocodile-faced spinosaur Suchomimus, the horned

meat-eater Carnotaurus, and many more.

Augmented Reality

Come face-to-face with these bizarre creatures through the use of Augmented Reality (AR), layering virtual

experiences over real environments in the exhibition. This is the first time Cincinnati Museum Center is using

AR technology in an exhibition setting – bringing these giants to life and encouraging you to look at them from

a new perspective. Experience a fearsome face-off between carnivores Giganotosaurus and T. rex, enhanced

by AR iPad technology, where you can decide for yourself which one is the largest meat-eating dinosaur of all

time while learning about key differences between the northern and southern worlds in the twilight of the Age of

Dinosaurs.

Section Overview

Section 1: Introduction – The Supercontinent of Pangaea and the Origin of Dinosaurs

a) The Supercontinent of Pangaea and the Earliest Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs originated during the time when all the continents were joined together to form Pangaea. As

a result, early dinosaur communities, dominated by coelophysoid theropods and prosauropods were

globally distributed throughout the Triassic Period and the early Jurassic Period.

b) The Concepts of Continental Drift and Evolution in Isolation

This sub-section explains the principles of plate tectonics and evolution and how these two forces

shaped the history of dinosaurs. It includes examples of the same kinds of fossils that spurred the

revolutionary idea of continental drift.

Section 2: The North-South Divide: the Formation of Laurasia and Gondwana

In the first stage of continental break-up, the supercontinent of Pangaea divided near the equator to form a

northern land mass (Laurasia) and a southern land mass (Gondwana). This section describes the initial stages

of the break-up, a process that accelerates into Cretaceous time and sets the stage for the evolution of

dinosaurs of Gondwana. Dinosaur casts include Cryolophosaurus (a meat-eating dinosaur from the Early

Jurassic of Antarctica) and a Massospondylus, illustrating the close similarities of very widespread animals.

Section 3: The Great Gondwana Dinosaurs

This, the largest section of the exhibit, focuses on the fragmenting of Gondwana. Organized along geographic

lines into three major sub-sections – Africa, Madagascar and South America – this part of the exhibit profiles

southern dinosaurs during the same time slice.

MUSEUM VISIT INFORMATION

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a) Section Introduction

The fragmentation of Gondwana began in the early Cretaceous Period, after the southern

continents had become largely isolated from those in the North. As Gondwana broke into the

individual landmasses of South America, Africa and Madagascar (along with Australia, Antarctica

and India), their faunas began to evolve in their own unique direction. During this time, each of the

continents became completely separated from each other. This splendid isolation resulted in some

of the most bizarre-looking and gigantic dinosaurs that we know of today.

b) The Dinosaurs of Africa

This section features dinosaurs from Gadoufaoua, a rich fossil locality in Niger, Africa that dates

back 130 million years. Thanks to the discoveries by Dr. Paul Sereno and his team in the last fifteen

years, these are some of the best-preserved dinosaurs from Africa and include 75 million year old

fauna of crocodiles, birds and amphibians. Specimens include Ouranosaurus, Malawisaurus,

Nigersaurus (skull only), Suchomimus and Carcharodontosaurus (skull only).

c) Madagascar: Late Cretaceous Island Wonders

Unlike South America and continental Africa, which have reconnected to other continents since the

break-up of Gondwana, Madagascar has remained isolated to the present day. The strange lemur-

dominated fauna of Madagascar today evolved under the same evolutionary conditions of biotic

isolation as the strange dinosaurs millions of years before. This section includes wonderful

specimens from the Late Cretaceous including complete skeletal casts of Majungasaurus,

Masiakasaurus and Rapetosaurus. The amazing plant-eating specimens were discovered by Dr.

David Krause and his team in the last fifteen years.

d) The Giants of South America

This, the largest part of section 3, highlights the most famous dinosaurs from South America, an

area where enormous sauropods were the dominant herbivores and horned abelisaurids, huge

raptors and gigantic carcharodontosaurids (such as Giganotosaurus) were the top carnivores.

Specimens include: Amargasaurus, Buiteraptor, Carnotaurus and Austroraptor. This section also

includes a touchable vertebrae from an Argentinosaurus.

Section 4: Reprise – Dinosaurs and Drifting Continents

The final section of the exhibition illustrates the difference between northern and southern dinosaurs by

presenting a dramatic face-off between the mega-predators Tyrannosaurus rex (from the north) and

Giganotosaurus (from the south). Here visitors determine for themselves which one was the biggest

carnivorous dinosaur of all time. During the Late Cretaceous, the familiar tyrannosaurs were the dominant

carnivores in North America, while the plant-eating hadrosaurs (duck-bills) and ceratopsians (horned

dinosaurs) were the dominant herbivores. This contrasts with the Gondwana fauna, where the dominant

carnivores were Giganotosaurus and its relatives and the sauropods were the dominant plant-eaters.

While adding drama, this final section links the two narrative threads of continental drift and evolution that run

through the exhibit. Specimens include Giganotosaurus and T. rex, and an original skull from an

Edmontosaurus.

13

Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana Student Worksheet As you experience everything the exhibit has to offer, look for the answers to some of these questions.

Also don’t miss out on the hands-on activities and virtual experiences throughout the exhibit.

1. When did the earliest dinosaurs appear on Earth?

a. Triassic Period (250 to 200 million years ago)

b. Jurassic Period (200 to 145 million years ago)

c. Cretaceous Period (145 to 65 million years ago)

2. Dinosaurs were not dominant on Pangaea. Can you name and describe at least 2 animals that were fairly dominant?

1. _________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

3. The Earth was drastically different during the Mesozoic Period; present-day Antarctica was once a warm dinosaur-

rich area. Which dinosaur got its name from the large crest on its head and the fact that it was found in Antarctica?

What does its name mean?

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What is genetic separation and how does this explain why dinosaurs from the U.S. are different from those in

Africa?

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Name two of the “Heroes of Science” shown in the exhibit and explain why they were significant to science.

1. _________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

2. _________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Just before the dinosaurs appeared, a huge mass extinction at the end of the Paleozoic Era saw the loss of

_________ % of all species!

7. Plants first appeared some _______ million years ago and flowering plants (angiosperms) occurred during the

Lower Cretaceous, about _______ million years ago.

8. The most famous of all mass extinctions marks the end of the Cretaceous Period, about _____ million years ago. A 6

mile wide asteroid struck the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, wiping out an estimated ________ % of all species,

including the non-avian dinosaurs (birds live on today).

9. Can you name the 3 main types of dinosaurs?

1. ________________________________

2. ________________________________

3. ________________________________

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10. The vertebrae of Ouranosaurus had very large spines, creating a sail down the middle of its back. What are some

of the theories of the sails’ purpose? Why do you think the Ouranosaurus had a large sail?

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

11. Paleontologists often only find the bones left behind by dinosaurs, but in some special cases, like the original

Carnotaurus, soft tissue, such as skin impressions, can be preserved. What were we able to learn about the

Carnotaurus by studying the skin impressions found? What were we NOT able to determine?

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

12. Draw a picture of something you were able to see through the microscope.

13. Match some of the largest predators to their proper continent:

Draw a line from the dinosaur to its continent.

Tyrannasaurus rex Africa

Giganotosaurus North America

Carcharodontosaurus South America

14. The dinosaurs were virtually wiped out by the end of the Cretaceous Period, except for this small feathered group:

__________________________

15. Paleontological work can be long and difficult. Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) is currently working on the

skeleton of a small sauropod thought to be Diplodocus or a rare Suuwassea. It took ______ years of lab work to

clean rock from the bones with blocks weighing as much as ________ tons! The fossil is approximately ________

million years old and the dinosaur died on a flood plain in _____________.

16. Although here in Cincinnati we are unable to go in our backyards and dig up dinosaur fossils, we are able to find

fossils and rocks that are older than the dinosaurs and that have attracted worldwide scientific attention for over

150 years! How old are these fossils beneath our feet and why are they so important?

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

17. Did you know that the next time you have some chicken nuggets, you can say you ate a dinosaur? Modern birds

are acknowledged by paleontologists to be living dinosaurs! Name a few of the characteristics shared by both

birds and small, bipedal, carnivorous dinosaurs.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

15

Classroom Connections: Language Arts/Social Studies

Take a Mesozoic Walk

In the Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana exhibit, students were able to “experience” the Mesozoic

Era by seeing and learning about some of the animals, plants and environments that existed millions of years

ago. Have students write a first-person story from the perspective of one of the dinosaurs they learned about in

the exhibit. Be sure to include daily activities like what foods they eat, how they walk, who they interact with,

what their environment looks like and more. Students should also use their imagination to describe what they

look like, sound like, etc.

Dinosaur Mapping

Using a world map or globe, have students work in groups or individually to pinpoint where the different

dinosaur species listed below have been found. Some species may be found on several different continents,

what does this tell us about what our planet used to look like? After students have mapped out the locations of

the dinosaurs, have them create two of their own maps – one of Pangaea and another of Laurasia and

Gondwana. Does this help explain the locations of the dinosaurs? Why or why not? Be sure to include a

discussion about plate tectonics and the evolution of our landmasses over time.

Ankylosaurus (Late Cretaceous) – North America

Brachiosaurus (Late Jurassic) – Africa, Europe, North America

Camarasaurus (Late Jurassic) – North America

Compsognathus (Late Jurassic) - Europe

Cryolophosaurus (Early Jurassic) – Antarctica

Datousaurus (Mid Jurassic) – Asia

Eoraptor (Late Triassic) – South America

Iguanodon (Early Cretaceous) – Europe, North America

Leaellynasaura (Early Cretaceous) – Australia

Microraptor (Early Cretaceous) - Asia

Minmi (Early Cretaceous) – Australia

Saltasaurus (Late Cretaceous) – South America

Thecodontosaurus (Late Triassic) - Europe

Valdosaurus (Early Cretaceous) – Africa, Europe

Mapping Dinosaurs Today

After a brief lesson on plate tectonics and how the Earth has changed over time, give each student a different

dinosaur to research. Have students study where their dinosaur lived and what its habitat was like as well as

what types of foods it ate. Don’t forget that although a dinosaur might have been found in a modern day polar

region, that doesn’t mean that is what the habitat was during the Mesozoic Era. Using this information, have

students locate on a map where their dinosaur might survive if they were alive today and why. Can’t find the

same food or habitat on Earth today? Have students find similar foods and habitats that would allow their

dinosaur to thrive on Earth today.

Have your students complete the following worksheets/activities:

POST-VISIT INFORMATION

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Dinosaur Name Matching

Dinosaur names are usually made up of root words from the Latin or Greek languages. A dinosaur’s name

might describe what the dinosaur looked like, how it may have acted, or where its bones were found. For

example, the word “dinosaur” itself can be split into two parts, “dino” and “saur.” The Greek word “dino” means

terrible while “saur” means lizard, so the word “dinosaur” means terrible lizard. Using the Latin/Greek Word

Bank that shows word roots and their meanings, draw a line matching the dinosaur names below with their

correct meanings.

Tyrannosaurus Rex Massive Vertebrae

Carcharodontosaurus Crocodile mimic

Eoraptor Dragon hunter

Carnotaurus Sharp-toothed lizard

Giganotosaurus Dawn robber

Cryolophosaurus Southern thief

Massospondylus Giant southern lizard

Austroraptor Cold crested lizard

Suchomimus Meat-eating bull

Dracovenator Tyrant lizard king

Latin/Greek Word Bank

austr = south giga = giant saur, saurus = lizard

carcharo = jagged, sharp lopho, lophos = crest spondylis = vertebae

carno = meat-eating masso = massive sucho, suchus = crocodile

don, don’t = tooth mimus = mimic taur, taurus = bull

cryo = icy, cold notos = south tyrranos = tyrant

draco = dragon raptor = thief, robber venator = hunter

eo, eos = dawn rex = king

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Across 5. The large landmass created when multiple continents converge 9. The scientific explanation of why the continents move that states

that the Earth's outermost layer is fragmented into distinct rigid plates that move as they ride atop the hotter, more mobile, athenosphere

11. The fossilized remains of a track, trail, footprint, burrow, etc, of an organism

12. An animal that eats both flesh and plant foods 14. Change in the gene pool of a population from

generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift

15. An explanation derived by reasoning; to derive as a conclusion from facts or ideas

16. One of an extinct group of land-dwelling vertebrates that lived during the Mesozoic Era and, unlike modern reptiles, walked with their legs positioned directly under their bodies

Down 1. A coming to an end or dying out 2. An animal that feeds on grass and other plants 3. The study of the forms of life existing in former

geologic periods, as represented by their fossils 4. Any remains, impression, or trace of a living thing

of a former geologic age 6. An animal that eats flesh 7. The science that deals with the dynamics and physical

history of the earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the physical, chemical, and biological changes that the earth has undergone or is undergoing

8. The interval of geological time from 250 to 65 million years ago

10. Data that can be measured, observed, examined, and analyzed to support a conclusion

13. The theory that land masses have been "drifting" across the earth and have united and separated several times over the Earth's geological history

Ultimate Dinosaurs Vocabulary Crossword

18

Classroom Connections: Science

Geologic Walk at Sawyer Point

Take a trip to Sawyer Point to see the geologic time line. Set in the concrete walkway, starting near the old

waterworks building and ending near the statue of Cincinnatus, this is one of the largest outdoor time lines in

the world. Each square of the walk covers one million years of geologic time and covers the formation of the

Ohio River Basin from the creation of the earth to the founding of Cincinnati. Block by block, it describes the

geologic, geographic and agricultural changes that took place including the various life forms present during

each era.

Sawyer Point is located at the intersection of Eggleston Avenue and Pete Rose Way in Downtown Cincinnati.

Identify that Cast

Ever wonder how paleontologists make copies of trace fossils? Fossils form in many ways. Sometimes a plant

or animal can leave an imprint (leaf print, skin print, foot print, etc.) in soft earth, such as mud. These imprints

are known as trace fossils. When the imprint hardens, it forms a mold. Later, mud or other material can fill in

the mold to make a cast, or a copy of the original. Have students make their own molds and casts of objects

then have the class try to match each of the casts to the original objects.

Have students bring in a small object to mold and cast – i.e. a small toy, shell, coin, leaf, stamp, etc. Give each

student a small amount of modeling clay, salt and flour dough, or other hardening clay material. Shape the clay

into a small disk, slightly bigger than the object. Place the disk on a flat, dry surface and add a rim around the

top edge that will allow for pouring plaster into the disk without spilling over. Students will then spray their disk

with vegetable oil and carefully push their object into the clay. Remove the object, leaving an imprint behind.

You have created a mold of your object!

Mix up some Plaster of Paris and quickly pour the mixture onto the molds (being careful to not overflow the

rim). Tap the table and/or mold to remove any air bubbles from the Plaster of Paris. Allow the plaster to dry

until cool and hard. Once dry, carefully separate the cast from the mold. You have now created a cast of the

object.

Pass out the casts and see if students are able to identify what their cast is from. If they need help, place all of

the original objects out on a table and allow students to compare the casts with the objects to help with

identifying what their cast is. Can you imagine having to identify the cast of a dinosaur footprint with the right

dinosaur? Many times paleontologists are unable to narrow down exactly what dinosaur a trace fossil came

from and they must use the knowledge they have to get as close as they can. This is why you may see fossils

labeled as “large theropod footprint” or “small sauropod skin print.”

Have your students complete the following worksheets/activities:

19

Cookie Tectonics

After completing the Pre-visit Classroom Connections and visiting Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana,

students should have a good grasp of the layers of the earth and plate tectonics. Wrap up your plate tectonics

lessons with this fun and edible review of the different plate boundaries!

Pass out three Double Stuff Oreo cookies to each student and

have them explain how an Oreo is similar to the layers of the

earth. Make sure the students are able to relate the upper

cookie to the rigid lithosphere, the filling as the pliable

asthenosphere and the lower cookie as the rigid lower mantle

(as shown to the left).

Students should start by carefully twisting and removing the

top cookie on all three Oreos. Try sliding the upper cookie

over the creamy filling – this represents the lithospheric plate

moving over the softer asthenosphere.

Break the top cookies in half to represent two different plates.

These will be use to create the different plate boundaries as

shown below!

Divergent Plate Boundaries – Place both cookie

halves back together and put on top of the filling.

Push down on the two broken cookie halves and

slide them apart to create a divergent plate boundary.

Students may see some of the asthenosphere push

up between the rift in the plates if they are pushing

hard enough. This represents the rising,

decompression and partial melting of the hot

asthenosphere at mid-ocean ridges and continental

rift zones.

Convergent Plate Boundaries – Using a new Oreo

and a new broken top cookie, put both halves on top

of the filling, pushing one cookie piece beneath the

other. This collision between two oceanic plates or an

oceanic plate and a continental plate causes the

denser oceanic plate (or older and therefore denser

in the case of two oceanic plates) to subduct below

the less dense plate. Two converging continental

plates are a little harder with Oreos because

subduction doesn’t occur, however students can try

pushing the two halves together while pushing down

on the rounded outside edges causing the two side to collide in the middle and rise up like mountains.

Transform Plate Boundaries – Using a new Oreo and a new broken top cookie, put both halves on top of the

filling and push one half up while pushing the other half down. The two pieces should rub against each other as

they slide and you should be able to hear, feel and see the plates stick, crumble and crack forming

earthquakes as you push.

20

Classroom Connections: Mathematics

Geologic Timelines

Have students work individually or in small groups to create their own geologic timeline on calculator paper or

toilet paper. For older students, allow them to create their own scale, for younger students you can create a

scale. For calculator paper, 1 cm = 10 million years gets students working in about 5 meter strips of calculator

paper which is great for classroom use. For toilet paper, 1 square = 5 million years gets students working in a

1000 sheet roll (most single ply rolls are 1000 sheets) of toilet paper which is great for hallway or playground

use.

Ask students “How long is 4.6 billion years?” It is hard to imagine how old the earth is and comparatively how

long dinosaurs were alive vs. how long humans have been alive. Using either calculator paper or toilet paper,

students will be able to visualize the geologic timeline. With the scale they created, or the one given to them,

ask students to mark significant dates in history with a marker including the formation of earth, mass

extinctions, the formation of Pangaea, the appearance of mammals, dinosaurs, homo sapiens, and the first

plants but don’t forget to mark the eras, periods, etc. Have students draw symbols/pictures or cut out pictures

that correspond with these important dates to add to their timeline.

After the timeline has been created ask questions like “Relative to life on Earth, have we been around very

long?” and “Who was around longer, homo sapiens or dinosaurs?” along with other questions that get students

thinking about and comparing the evolution of Earth.

And the Winner is…

Have a classroom discussion about Tyrannosaurus and Giganotosaurus, two of the biggest carnivorous

dinosaurs. While the two dinosaurs never met because they evolved on different land masses, who would win

a territorial battle? Have the students imagine if Tyrannosaurus and Giganotosaurus were to meet and battle

over land and food. Both of these dinosaurs were compared in the exhibit, now it’s your students’ turn to be the

paleontologists and debate which one was bigger and/or stronger.

Have students research both the Tyrannosaurus and Giganotosaurus including their height, weight, length and

other aspects of the size and strength such as how fast they could run, who had the stronger jaw, the size of

their feet, skulls, teeth, brains, claws, etc. Ask students to take a stance on which dinosaur would win the battle

and the split the class giving each side their chance to present their findings and defend their position on the

issue.

Create a table showing who wins in each aspect of size and strength, discussing the evidence for each as you

go.

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Classroom Connections: Fine Arts

Design a Dinosaur

In this activity, students will create a new species of dinosaur by combining Greek and Latin root words.

Explain to the students that dinosaurs are often named using Greek and Latin roots that describe how the

dinosaur may have looked or behaved. For example, the name triceratops comes from the roots tri, cerat, and

ops, which translate to “three-horned face” in English. Have the students choose two or more roots from the

chart below and create a new dinosaur name.

allo = strange

anato = duck

ankylo = crooked

anuro = no tail

apato = deceptive

baro = heavy

bi = two

brachio = arm

bronto = thunder

canthus = spiked,

spined

cerat, ceros = horned

cephalo = head

compso = pretty

cory = helmet

di = two

dino = terrible

diplo = double

docus = beam

don, don’t = tooth

drypto = wounding

echino = spiked

elasmo = plated

gnathus = jaw

lana = wooly

lepto = slender

macro = large

maia = good mother

mega = huge

micro = small

mimus = mimic

mono = one, single

nano = dwarf

nodo = lumpy

ops = face

ornitho = bird

pachy = thick

pacro = ridge

ped = foot

plateo = flat

proto = first

raptor = robber

rex = king

rhino = nose

saur, saurus = lizard

stego = roof

stereo = twin

super = superior

tri = three

tyranno = tyrant

ultra = extreme

urus = tail

veloci = speedy

xeno = strange

xero = dry

After the students have named their dinosaurs, have them draw or paint a picture or create a model of their

new species using clay or another medium. The students should also explain their new dinosaur in writing-

exploring what it ate, where it lived, how it behaved, etc. You may even want to take this activity a step further

and have the students write creatively about their new creations. They may write a poem or short story about

the new species of dinosaur they invented.

Who’s in That Song?

Discuss as a class the idea that songs can be used to represent people or things and can even evoke

emotions in the listener. Play Henry Mancini’s “Baby Elephant Walk” for the students. Have the students

explain through discussion or essay why the name “Baby Elephant Walk” is fitting for the piece. Do elephants

have certain characteristics that are brought to mind by the song? Do certain instruments used in the song play

a part in making it reminiscent of a baby elephant? Does the tempo seem particularly elephant-like? (You may

choose to brainstorm as a class words that come to mind when students think of a baby elephant and have the

students analyze and discuss which of these words the song best represents.) Assign the students a dinosaur

and have them research facts about the dinosaur such as what it ate, where it lived, how it may have acted,

etc. Once the students have gathered information about their dinosaurs, they should choose a song that they

feel best represents the dinosaur they researched. The songs can have words or be instrumental, can be

current pop songs or old standards, but the students must be able to explain the connections they see between

the song and their dinosaur. Have students present their dinosaur facts and songs to the class.

Alternate Assignment: Instead of assigning students particular dinosaurs, you may choose to play a song for

the entire class and have the students write about or discuss what dinosaur they feel is best represented by

the song and why.

22

Further Readings K-2

The Magic School Bus in the Time of Dinosaurs by Joanna Cole

Digging Up Dinosaurs by Aliki

Dinosaurs! by Gail Gibbons

Dinosaur Eggs by Jennifer Dussling

Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and Her Remarkable Discoveries by Don Brown

Shadow of the Dinosaurs by Dennis Nolan

3-5

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs by Dennis Nolan

Dinosaur (DK Eyewitness Books) by David Lambert

The Care and Feeding of Dinosaurs by Timothy J. Bradley

Dinosaur Eggs by Jennifer Dussling

The First Dinosaur Eggs and Roy Chapman Andrews by Brooke Hartzog

Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and Her Remarkable Discoveries by Don Brown

Shadow of the Dinosaurs by Dennis Nolan

Ankylosaurus and Other Armored Plant Eaters by Virginia Schomp

Dinosaurs A-Z by Jim Pipe

T. Rex: Hunter or Scavenger? by Thomas R. Holtz

6-8

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs by David Norman

Dinosaur (DK Eyewitness Books) by David Lambert

National Geographic Dinosaurs by Paul Barrett

A Dinosaur Named Sue: The Story of a Colossal Fossil: The World’s Most Complete T. Rex by Patricia Relf

Dinosaur Parents, Dinosaur Young by Kathleen Weidner-Zoehfeld

Secrets From the Rocks: Dinosaur Hunting with Roy Chapman Andrews by Albert Marrin

The Tales Fossils Tell by Jonathan R. Gallant

Asteroid Impact by Douglas Henderson

Collecting Fossils: Hold Prehistory in the Palm of Your Hand by Steve Parker

Advanced/Teacher Resources

National Geographic Dinosaurs by Paul Barrett

Eggs, Nests, and Baby Dinosaurs by K. Carpenter

Feathered Dragons: Studies on the Transition from Dinosaurs to Birds by P.J. Currie, F.B. Koppelhus, M.A. Shugar and J.L. Wright

The Dinosauria (second edition) by D.B. Weishampel, P. Dodson and H. Osmolska

Online Resources University of California Museum of Paleontology:

Paleoportal – www.paleoportal.org

Dinosauria – www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/dinosaur.html

Evolution - evolution.berkeley.edu/

Discovery Channel – www.dsc.discovery.com/dinosaurs

American Museum of Natural History – www.amnh.org/dinosaurs

National Geographic - science.nationalgeographic.com/science/prehistoric-world/

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History - http://paleobiology.si.edu/dinosaurs/

Finding the World’s First Dinosaur Skeleton - http://www.levins.com/dinosaur.shtml

TEACHER RESOURCES

http://www.paleoportal.org/

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/dinosaur.html

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/

http://www.dsc.discovery.com/dinosaurs

http://www.amnh.org/dinosaurs

http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/prehistoric-world/

http://paleobiology.si.edu/dinosaurs/

http://www.levins.com/dinosaur.shtml

23

OHIO REVISED EDUCATION STANDARDS = Standards addressed within Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana

= Standards addressed within the This Little Dinosaur Learning Lab (Pre-K-K) or the Dinosaur Discovery Learning Lab (Grades 1-5)

Grade Science Social Studies Mathematics Language Arts

K Life Science: Physical and Behavioral Traits of Living Things

Describe traits living things have that assist in their survival.

Match function with identified body part (e.g., mouth-eating, nose-smelling).

Identify a living thing.

Identify part of plants and animals (e.g., leaves, flowers, feet, eyes).

Physical Science: Properties of Everyday Objects and Materials

Sort or classify objects based on one property.

List properties of an object.

Interact with an object for a purpose (e.g., touch a pencil, look at a ball).

History: Historical Thinking and Skills

Time can be measured.

Geography: Spatial thinking and Skills

Terms related to direction and distance, as well as symbols and landmarks, can be used to talk about the relative location of familiar places.

Models and maps represent places.

Counting and Cardinality: Count to tell the number of objects.

Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities; connect counting to cardinality.

Count to answer “how many?” questions about as many as 20 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 1-20, count out that many objects.

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: Understand addition as putting together and adding to, and understand subtraction as taking apart and taking from.

Represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations.

Measurement and Data: Describe and compare measureable attributes.

Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.

Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has “more of”/”less of” the attribute, and describe the difference.

Reading Standards for Informational text: Key Ideas and Details

With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

Reading Standards: Foundation Skills Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

Speaking and Listening: Comprehension and Collaboration

Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.

Speaking and Listening: Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

1 Life Science: Basic Needs of Living Things

Describe food sources for a variety of animals.

Identify a source of food.


Time can be divided into categories (e.g. past, present, future).


Maps can be used to locate and identify places.

Geography: Places and Regions Places are distinctive because of their physical characteristics(landforms and bodies of water).

Measurement and Data: Measure lengths indirectly and by iterating length units.

Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps.


Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.

Reading Standards for Informational text: Craft and Structure

Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.

Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the

24

words in a text.



Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.


Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.

2 Life Science: Interactions within Habitats

Compare an animal that once lived and is now extinct with an animal alive today with similar traits.

Recognize that fossils are physical traces of living things preserved in rock.

Match an animal to its environment.

Identify a fossil as the remains of an organism.


Time can be shown graphically on calendars and timelines.

Change over time can be shown with artifacts, maps, and photographs.


Maps and their symbols can be interpreted to answer questions about location of places.

Measurement and Data: Measure and estimate lengths in standard units.

Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference in terms of a standard length unit.



Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.


Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.

3 Life Science: Behavior, Growth and Changes

Describe how an animal’s behavior helps it to survive (e.g., a cat will stalk its prey so it can go undetected in the hunt).

List two or more survival behaviors that parents teach their offspring.

Given a physical trait, match the trait to its specific function (e.g., birds have wings to fly).

Match animal babies to their parents.

Identify a survival behavior.


Primary sources such as artifacts, maps and photographs can be used to show change over time.


Physical and political maps have been distinctive characteristics and purposes. Places can be located in a map by using the title, key, alphamumeric grid and cardinal directions.


Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

Reading Standards for Informational text: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).



Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.


Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an

25

experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.

4 Life Science: Earth’s Living History

Compare a fossil with a present day organism of similar species noting similar characteristics.

Identify environmental changes that occur suddenly or gradually.

Match fossils with a representation of the organism.

Identify an object as a fossil.


Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.





Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

5 Life Science: Interconnections within Ecosystems

Identify predator/prey relationships in a food chain.

Match a food source for a given animal.


Globes and other geographic tools can be used to gather, process and report information about people, places and environments. Cartographers decide which information to include in maps.

Latitude and other geographic tools can be used to make observations about location and generalizations about climate.

Geography: Places and Regions Regions can be determined using various criteria (e.g. landform, climate).


Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.





Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

6 History: Historical Thinking and

Skills Events can be arranged in order of

Reading Standards for Informational Text: Key Ideas and Details

Determine a central idea of a text and how it is

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occurrence using the conventions of B.C. and A.D. or B.C.E. and C.E.


Globes and other geographic tools can be used to gather, process and report information about people, places and environemts. Cartographers decide which information to include and how it is displayed.

Latitude and longitude can be used to identify absolute location.

Geography: Places and Regions Regions can be determined classified and compared using various criteria (e.g. landform, climate).

conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).

Reading Standards for Informational Text: Craft and Structure

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.

Reading Standards for Informational Text: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.

Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Studies: Key Ideas and Details

Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Studies: Craft and Structure

Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6–8 texts and topics.

Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Studies: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.

7 Life Science: Cycles of Matter and Flow of Energy

Provide examples of how a plant/animal population changes in relation to the availability of certain resources.


Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others.


Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video, or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each medium’s portrayal of the subject (e.g., how the delivery of a speech affects the impact of the words).

Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.


Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from

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prior knowledge or opinions.



Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to an understanding of the topic.

Science and Technical Studies: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas


8 Earth and Space Science: Physical Earth

Recognize how the geologic record can be used to determine the age of Earth.

Explain how fossils indicate Earth’s history, environment changes and life on Earth.

Recognize that the crust is broken into plates that move.

Identify a fossil.

Life Science: Species and Reproduction

Make a list of traits that are passed through DNA.

Explain how fossils indicate Earth’s history, environment changes and life on Earth.

Match animals to traits that help them survive in their environment.

Recognize that living things reproduce.

Identify an animal trait needed for survival.


Modern and historical maps and other geographic tools are used to analyze how historical events are shaped by geography.


Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).


Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.


Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.






9-12 Biology: Heredity Identify that different species have different DNA.

Biology: Evolution Describe adaptations animals and

World Geography: Region Criteria are used to organize regions and as the criteria change, the identified regions change. (e.g. natural vegetation)

Grades 9-10

Reading Standards for Literature: Key Ideas and Details

Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as

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plants make to survive in their environment.

Complete a cladogram (evolutionary tree) showing the common ancestor of specific organisms.

Identify the time it takes for an evolutionary change to take place.

Identify how plants or animals adapt to their environments.

Match a common ancestor to a living organism (e.g., an elephant and a mammoth).

Describe changes to an organism that has changed over the course of many generations.

Identify evolutionary changes between a living organism and its ancestor (e.g., change in size through horse evolution).

Identify an organism that has changed over the course of many generations.

Biology: Diversity and Interdependence of Life

Describe how a plant/animal population changes in relation to the availability of certain resources.

Identify how a population would change in relation to a predator/prey population.

Match a plant/animal to a resource it uses from its environment.

Physical Geology: Earth’s History Identify fossil evidence that supports a theory of the conditions of a past environment (e.g., location was a lake; fossils of fish and aquatic plants are found at that time in the rock record).

Physical Geology: Plate Tectonics Determine which continents used to be connected based on tectonic evidence.

Recognize that the shape of the continents is evidence of plate motion (e.g., they fit together like puzzle pieces).

The characteristics of regions change over time and there are consequences realated to those changes.

inferences drawn from the text.

Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.


Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.


Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text’s explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.



Analyze the structure of the relationships among concepts in a text, including relationships among key terms (e.g., force, friction, reaction force, energy).


Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claim or a recommendation for solving a scientific or technical problem.

Grades 11-12


Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.


Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective

29

summary of the text.


Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.

Reading Standards for Informational Text: Integration of Knowledge and ideas

Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.


Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.



Analyze how the text structures information or ideas into categories or hierarchies, demonstrating understanding of the information or ideas.


Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information.

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NATIONAL EDUCATION STANDARDS = Standards addressed within Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana

= Standards addressed within the This Little Dinosaur Learning Lab (Pre-K-K) or the Dinosaur Discovery Learning Lab (Grades 1-5)

Grade Science Social Studies Mathematics

(Common Core) Language Arts (Common Core)

K Science as Inquiry: As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students should develop an understanding of

Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry

Understanding about scientific inquiry

Life Science: As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students should develop an understanding of

The characteristics of organisms

The Life cycles of organisms

Organisms and environments

Earth and Space Science: As a result of their activities in grades K-4, all students should develop an understanding of

Properties of earth materials

Changes in earth and sky

Science and Technology: As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students should develop an understanding of

Abilities of technological design

Understanding about science and technology

Geography: The World in Spatial Terms As a result of activities in grades K-12, all students should

Understand how to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.

Understand how to use mental maps to organize information about people, places, and environments in a spatial context.

Understand how to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth's surface.

Geography: Physical Systems As a result of their activities in grades K-12, all students should

Understand the physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's surface.

Geography: The Uses of Geography As a result of activities in grades K-12, all students should

Understand how to apply geography to interpret the past.

Understand how to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future.

Counting and Cardinality: Count to tell the number of objects.

Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities; connect counting to cardinality.

Count to answer “how many?” questions about as many as 20 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 1-20, count out that many objects.

Operations and Algebraic Thinking: Understand addition as putting together and adding to, and understand subtraction as taking apart and taking from.

Represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations.

Measurement and Data: Describe and compare measureable attributes.

Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.

Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has “more of”/”less of” the attribute, and describe the difference.


With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.



Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.


Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

1 Science as Inquiry: As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students should develop an understanding of


Understanding about scientific


Understand how to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire,

Measurement and Data: Measure lengths indirectly and by iterating length units.

Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object (the length


Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.

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inquiry











process, and report information from a spatial perspective.








unit) end to end; understand that the length measurement of an object is the number of same-size length units that span it with no gaps or overlaps.

Reading Standards for Informational text: Craft and Structure

Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.

Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text.



Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.


Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.











Science and Technology: As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students should







Geography: The Uses of Geography As a result of activities in grades

Measurement and Data: Measure and estimate lengths in standard units.

Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference in terms of a standard length unit.



Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.


Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.

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develop an understanding of Abilities of technological design


K-12, all students should Understand how to apply geography to interpret the past.

























Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.


Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).





Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.









Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.



Engage effectively in a range of collaborative

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discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.


Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

5 Science as Inquiry: As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop an understanding of


Understandings about scientific inquiry

Life Science: As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop an understanding of

Structure and function in living systems

Reproduction and heredity

Populations and ecosystems

Diversity and adaptations of organisms

Earth and Space Science: As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop an understanding of

Structure of the earth system

Earth's history











Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.





Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

34











Earth's history











Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).


Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.


Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.





Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Studies: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas











Understand how to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on


Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others.


Compare and contrast a text to an audio, video, or multimedia version of the text, analyzing each medium’s portrayal of the subject (e.g., how the delivery of a speech affects the impact of the words).

Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.

35





Earth's history

Earth's surface.























Earth's history











Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).


Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.


Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.






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9-12 Scientific Inquiry: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop



Life Science: As a result of their activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop understanding of

Biological evolution

Interdependence of organisms

Matter, energy, and organization in living systems

Behavior of organisms

Science and Technology: As a result of activities in grades 9-12, all students should develop

Understandings about science and technology










Grades 9-10


Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.


Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.


Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text’s explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.



Analyze the structure of the relationships among concepts in a text, including relationships among key terms (e.g., force, friction, reaction force, energy).


Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claim or a recommendation for solving a scientific or technical problem.

Grades 11-12


Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.

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Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.


Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.

Reading Standards for Informational Text: Integration of Knowledge and ideas

Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.


Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.



Analyze how the text structures information or ideas into categories or hierarchies, demonstrating understanding of the information or ideas.


Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

Evaluate the hypotheses, data, analysis, and conclusions in a science or technical text, verifying the data when possible and corroborating or challenging conclusions with other sources of information.

What is a Dinosaur? - Cincinnati Museum Center

Documents

Transcript of What is a Dinosaur? - Cincinnati Museum Center