TeacHer's guiDe - Royal Ontario Museum

TEACHER’S GUIDE 1

DINOSAUR DETECTIVES

Digging Deep & Discovering Dinosaurs!

TeacHer’s guiDe

2 TEACHER’S GUIDE

Specimen 1 (trilobite)Specimen 2 (coprolite)Specimen 3 (dinosaur bone fragment)Specimen 4 (modern mammal bone fragment)Specimen 5 (hadrosaur jaw bone cast)Specimen 6 (sauropod tooth)Specimen 7 (Tyrannosaurus rex tooth cast)Specimen 8 (carcharodontosaur tooth)Specimen 9 (spinosaur tooth)Specimen 10 (Pterodactylus antiquus cast)Specimen 11 (Archaeopteryx cast)Specimen 12 (turkey wishbone cast)Specimen 13 (Tyrannosaurus rex wishbone cast)Specimen 14 (Grallator footprint cast)Specimen 15 (tyrannosaur claw cast)Specimen 16 (hadrosaur claw cast)Specimen 17 (theropod egg cast)Specimen 18 (Lepidotes–type fish scale)Specimen 19 (champsosaur vertebra)Specimen 20 (Onchopristus tooth)Specimen 21 (Tyrannosaur tooth cast)Specimen 22 (crocodile tooth)Specimen 23 (Gar fish scales)Specimen 24 (Myledaphus tooth)Specimen 25 (basalt crystal)Specimen 26 (meteorite fragment)Specimen 27 (zircon crystals)

SpECImEN LIST

TEACHER’S GUIDE 3

DIggINg DEEp & DISCOVERINg DINOSAURS!The Dinosaur Detectives travelling outreach case gives students and youth an opportunity to explore and discover the amazing fossilized remains of the largest animals to ever walk the Earth—dinosaurs! Flourishing during the Earth’s Mesozoic Era, the fossil record of dinosaurs spans roughly 170 million years of prehistory, and the myriad forms they assumed during this time astound and fascinate youth and adults alike.

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DINOSAUR DETECTIVES:AN OVERVIEW• TheDinosaur Detectivesoutreachkitisorganized intoeightnon–sequentialactivitycentres,each focusingonacertainaspectofprehistory,fossils, and/orlifeduringthetimeofthedinosaurs.

• Studentsworkthroughself–guidedactivitybooks whichencouragethemtointeractwiththe information,objects,andothermaterialsprovided.

• Whilesomecentresrelyonlyonprintedmaterials, themajorityincludeacombinationofrealfossil, bone,and/ormineralspecimens,aswellasdetailed casts(durablereplicasmadefrommoldsofreal fossilspecimens).Thespecimen Listonpg.2 providesadetailedlistoftherealandcastspecimens includedinthiskit.

• Asmuchaspossible,this Teacher’s guideincludes supplementalinformationrelatedtothecontent oftheactivitycentres.

Me saurischia

TEACHER’S GUIDE 5

OVERALL CURRICULUmDinosaur Detectiveshasbeendesignedtobe(hopefully)bothapplicableandhelpfulinachievinganumberofcurriculargoals.Dinosaurs,generallyspeaking,arenolongermentionedorlistedinOntariocurriculardocuments.Thatsaid,dinosaurswerelivinganimalsthatinteractedwitheachotherandtheirenvironmentsincomplexways,verymuchlikewhattakesplacetoday.Conceptsandtheoriespertainingtobasicbiological,ecological,andenvironmentalphenomenaareasapplicabletodinosaursastheyaretothelivingbiota,withtheaddedbonusofdinosaurshavingasingularcapacitytofascinate. THis ouTreacH kiT Has been DesigneD To TargeTgrade 4 • ScienceandTechnology—Habitats&Communities, Rocks&Minerals• Math

iT buiLDs on knowLeDge from previous graDesgrade 2• Growth&ChangeinAnimals

iT is sTiLL appLicabLe To THe curricuLar expecTaTions of oLDer sTuDenTsgrade 6• Biodiversity

JUNIOR

PALAEONTOLOG

IST

6 TEACHER’S GUIDE

HOw TO USE THE KITBeforestudentscanbegin,theteacherwillneedtoremovethestudentactivitybookletsandaccompanyingspecimensandequipmentfromthecase,andplacethemattheirrespectivecentres.Thespecimensandmaterialsrequiredforeachcentreareoutlinedintheinventory Listoneachcentre’senvelope.

Youmaywantstudentstorecordtheiranswerstoactivitybookquestionsintheirworkbooksorindatatablesoftheirowndesign(someareprovided).

Oryoumaypreferstudentstosimplyusethequestionsasspringboardsforsmall–groupdiscussion.

TheActivityCentresarelikelybestworkedonbysmallgroupsofstudents—groupsoffourarerecommended.

TEACHER’S GUIDE 7

Thereareseveralwaysthiscaseanditscontentscouldbeusedintheclassroom:

• Allstudentsworkonthecaseatthesametime.Divide theclassintoeightgroups,sothateachgroupworks atonecentre.Eachgroupreportstheirfindingstothe restoftheclass.

noTe ActivityCentres2and7,aswellas5and7,usesome ofthesamespecimens,sothesestationsshouldbeset upclosetogether. ActivityCentre5,withitslargeroll–outdinosaur trackway,willrequireadditionalspace.

• Allstudentsworkonthecase,oneactivitycentreat atime,witheachgrouprotatingtoanewcentreuntil allstudentshavedonealltheactivitybooklets.Students andteachersthensummarizetheirfindings.

noTe DependingontheActivityCentre,studentsmayneedup to45minutestoworkthrougheachcentre.Foreveryone tocompleteallactivitycentres,youwillwanttoallocate approximately6to7hoursofclasstime.

• Setupthekitonestationatatimeinacornerofthe classroom,andhavestudentscyclethroughthem, onegroupatatime,overthecourseofseveraldays. Afterwards,studentsandteacherssummarizetheir findings.

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CENTRE by CENTRE bAckgROuNd INFORMATION & AddITIONAl cONSIdERATIONS

Thefollowingsectionsaimtohelpwithquestions,answers,anddiscussionsspecifictoeachoftheactivity centres.

TEACHER’S GUIDE 9

CENTRE 1: pREHISTORIC pRELUDEThiscentreprovidesabasicoverviewofimportantgeological(e.g.geologictimeandplatetectonics)andbiological(e.g.evolution)concepts,aswellaswhatmakesadinosauradinosaur,andhowdinosaursareclassified.Itprovidesabasicfamiliaritywiththe“bigpicture”contextforotherDinosaur Detectives stations.

CURRICULUm CONNECTIONSThiscentrehasmoderatecurriculartiesto:grade 2• Growth&ChangeinAnimals

grade 4• Habitats&Communities;Rocks&Minerals

grade 6• Biodiversity

Theprimaryfunctionofthiscentre,however,istoprovidepertinentpalaeontologicalbackgroundknowledgetofacilitateadeeperunderstandingoftheinformationinallothercentres.

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10 TEACHER’S GUIDE

can You caLcuLaTe? (pg. 7) Studentsmaybethrownbytheideaofsubtracting 66000000from235000000.Somemayneed guidancetodiscoverthat235–66=170millionyears.

acTiviTY 01.2: conTinenTs aDrifT (pg. 9) Peekingatthebackofthecardswillgiveawaythe answers!Laythesecards“mapup”ifpossible. Theflipbookmayhelpstudentsiftheyarehaving trouble.Itdoesn’tcontaindirectanswers,butafarmore completeseriesofmapstoshowmorecomprehensively howthecontinentshavechangedandmovedovertime.

acTiviTY 01.2: conTinenTs aDrifT (Digging Deeper, pg. 10) Studentsmayprovideanumberofdifferentanswers, suchas…

Q: What do you see happening to the continents through time? a: moving,separating(insomeplaces),coming/crashing together(inotherplaces)

Q:How about the oceans? a: somenoticeablygrowing(e.g.Atlantic),othersshrinking or“movingoff”continents(e.g.shallowinlandseasin N.America,S.America,Africa,Europe,and/orAustralia)

Q: Are there any other changes you notice?a: brownareas(i.e.deserts)gettingbigger/smaller/moving, iceappearingatthepoles

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ACTIVITy TIpS, TRICKS, AND/OR NOTES

TEACHER’S GUIDE 11

bonus facT (pg. 12) The three major rock types are:

IgNEOuS:rocksformedbythecoolingofmagma orlava(e.g.basalt,granite,pumice)

SEdIMENTARy: rocksthatformwhenmaterialeroded fromotherrocksgetscompressedandcemented together(e.g.conglomerate,sandstone,shale). Thisistheonlytypeofrockthatpreservesfossils.

METAMORpHIc:rocksthatformwheneither sedimentaryorigneousrocksarechemicallyand/or physicallyalteredbyheatand/orpressure,without melting(e.g.marble,slate,gneiss)

evoLuTionarY cHange (pg. 14) Naturalselection,asamajordriverofbiological evolution,isaconceptthatstudentsoftenstrugglewith, andisseldomtouchedonwithelementarystudents. Forteachersandstudentswhomightbeinterestedin exploringevolutioninalittlemoredepth,wehave providedasupplementalactivity (Of mOTHS & Microraptor)inwhichstudentscansimulatethe processofnaturalselectionanditseffectsover generationsinadinosaur–relatedscenario.Seethe teacher’sguidelinesbelow,andadditionalsheetsfor studentsincludedintheTeacher’s materials envelope.

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suppLY LisT (not provided in this kit)Everygroupofstudentswillrequire:

• Asheetofwhitepaper—roughlythesizeofanopened newspaper• Onepairoftweezersorforceps• Aclockwithasecondhandorastopwatch• 30circlesofwhitepaper&30circlesofnewspaper (madewithaholepunch)—thesearethe“moths”• Writingmaterialstorecordtheirobservations&data

DaTa TabLe Studentscanrecordtheirdatainatable(and,ifdesirable,constructagraph)modelingthechangeinmothpopulation“throughtime”.Asampledatatableisprovidedbelow,whichyoucanphotocopyforyourstudents,ifdesired.

ACTIVITy 01.5 Of mOTHS & Microraptor


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SERIOUS SCIENCE THe reaL sTorY

Thefeatheredtheropod,Microraptor,isknownfromtheEarlyCretaceousPeriodinChina.Itlivedinavolcanicallyactivearea,andateavarietyofsmallprey—andindeedmothshadevolvedbythattime.So,thesituationdescribedinthisactivitywouldhave,hypothetically,beenpossible.TheREAlexamplethismothgameisbasedon,however,isthatofthePepperedMoth(Biston betullaria):aspeciesfoundacrosspartsofEurope,Asia,andNorthAmerica.

Inthe1800s,pepperedmothsweremostlylightwithdarkspeckles.WhenEnglandwasinthemiddleofitsIndustrialRevolution,factoriesandhomeswereburninga LoT ofcoaltoproduceenergyandheat.Aspollutionkilledoffthelichensandmossesthatgrewonthelight–colouredtrees,andblackenedtheirtrunkswithsoot,black–colouredmothsbecamemoreandmorecommon.Why?Birdswerehavingamucheasiertimefindingthespeckledmothsonthenowblackenedtrees.Now,ascoal–dustpollutionhasreducedinEngland,thetreeshavebecomelighteragainandthespeckledmothshavemadeacomeback!

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White–bodied Peppered Moth Black–bodied Peppered Moth

Phot

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Placingthecards“creature”sideupduringsetupwillkeepthestudentsfromjumpingahead.Whiletheinformationonthebackofthecardsisintendedforusebystudentsinhelpingtodeterminewhatisandisn’tadinosaur,theirfirstimpressionsfromthe“creature”sideofthecardisalsoimportant.

answers Dimetrodon—noTadinosaur! Deinosuchus—noTadinosaur! Pteranodon—noTadinosaur! Triceratops—aDinosaur! Tylosaurus—noTadinosaur! Tyrannosaurus—aDinosaur! WoollyMammoth—noTadinosaur!

acTiviTY 01.3: wHo’s THe Dinosaur? (pg. 23)

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CENTRE 2: fANTASTIC fOSSILSAsageneralintroductiontothescienceofPalaeontology,thiscentrefocusesonwhatfossilsare,howtheyform,andhowthey’recollectedandfinallycometobeinthemuseum.Anamazingvarietyofancientlifeispreservedinfossils,offeringpalaeontologistssuchastonishinginsightintothehistoryanddevelopmentoflifeonourplanet.

CURRICULUm CONNECTIONSThiscentrehasmoderatecurriculartiesto:

grade 4• Rocks&Minerals

Theexplorationoffossilizationandhowitcanoccurisintimatelyrelatedtosedimentaryprocessessuchasweathering,erosion,transport,anddeposition.


ACTIVITy TIpS, TRICKS, AND/OR NOTES fossiL QuiZ (pg. 5) Anoteonthe“hardparts”ofplants:studentswill likelynotanswer“pollen”,buttheouterwallsofplant sporesandpollengrainsaretough,andthereforeare oftenpreserved.Theincrediblevolumeofsporesand pollengrainsplantsproduceduringreproduction meansanextensivefossilrecord—providinggreat insightintotheevolutionofthesegroups,aswellas invaluableinformationaboutancientenvironments andclimates.

acTiviTY 02.1: How fossiLs are formeD (part 1, pg. 9) Correctanswerscanbefoundonthebacksofthecards.

acTiviTY 02.2: How fossiLs are formeD (part 2, pg. 9) Differencesstudentsmayobservebetweenthetwo specimenscouldinclude…colour,size,shape,weight, and/ordensity(densityisusuallyexpressedasfeeling more“solid”).

acTiviTY 02.3: from DiscoverY To DispLaY (pg. 10) Correctanswerscanbefoundonthebacksofthecards.

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CENTRE 3: DINOSAUR DIETSByadoptingawidevarietyofdiets,dinosaurswereabletothrive,andforatimebecomethemostprominentlarge–bodiedanimalsonthelandscape.Inthiscentre,studentswillexamineanddiscussadaptationsofdinosaurteethandjaws—forherbivoresandcarnivores—prehistoricfoodwebs,andinteractionsbetweendinosaursandtheirenvironments.CURRICULUm CONNECTIONSThiscentrehasstrongcurriculartiesto:grade 1• Characteristics&NeedsofLivingThings

grade 2• Growth&ChangeinAnimals

grade 4• Habitats&Communities


Thiscentreexaminesavarietyofadaptationsinherbivoresandcarnivores,andimpliestheroleofdinosaurswithintheirlocalfoodwebs.


LeT’s TaLk: imagine You HaD a beak (pg. 8) Ifstudentsshowinterest,orneedclarification,therearealotofgreatvideosonsiteslikeyouTubethatcandemonstratethedifferencesbetweenwideandnarrowbeaks.Showthemavideoofagoosegrazingandoneofaparroteatingfruitsornuts,orafincheatingseeds.

LeT’s TaLk: abouT How THese THeropoDs aTe (pg. 15)

Thedifferencebetweenbitingandchewingissometimestrickyforstudentstograsp.Theideathatincisorsandmolarsfunctioninonemouth(i.e.theirown)makesteasingouttheseparatefunctionsdifficult.Butdinosaurteetharen’tdifferentiatedlikethat.Ornithischianshavebeaksforcroppingandsnipping,whiletheirteethwereefficientforshreddingplantmaterial.Theropodsusedtheirteethforpiercing,ripping,andtearing.Asaresult,theyswallowedlargechunksofmeatwhole—andalotofbonealongtheway(whichwouldn’thavehurtthechancesoftheirfecesbecomingacoprolite!).


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CENTRE 4: wINgED wONDERS & fEATHERED fRIENDSThiscentre’sfocusistwo–fold:toexaminethefirstflyingvertebrates,pterosaurs,incomparisonwithbirds,andtolearnabouttheanatomyofflight.Second,tomorecloselyexaminebirdsandtheiranatomy,gainingabetterappreciationfortheirsimilaritieswithmeat–eatingdinosaurs,andtheimplicationsthishasontheevolutionofourfeatheredfriends.spoiler alert: birds are dinosaurs!


grade 2• Growth&ChangeinAnimals

grade 4• Habitats&Communities


Thiscentrelooksatthestructuraladaptationsofpterosaurs(flyingreptiles)andbirdsforflight,aswellasotherfunctionsoffeathersamongbothlivingbirdsanddinosaurs.Thedistinguishingcharacteristicsunitingbirdswithdinosaursarediscussedatlength.


LeT’s TaLk: was arcHaeopTerYx a birD or a Dinosaur? (pg. 14) Gettingstudentstowritedownwhattheythinkthedefining characteristicsofabirdare,orofdoingsowiththeclass, iskeyhere—wewillberevisitingtheiranswerslater.acTiviTY 04.2: comparing arcHaeopTerYx wiTH moDern birDs (pg. 15) AprintablecopyoftheCreature–Featureworksheetis included.Teacherswillwanttocreateenoughcopiesfor onesheetpergrouporperstudent,astheyseefit.

wHaT scienTisTs know: for Discussion (pg. 17) Onceagain,suggestingstudentswritethesedownisideal, astheywillberevisitedinactivitiestocome.

acTiviTY 04.3: (pg. 19) Thefurcula(wishbone)isoneofthefeaturesthatwaslong thoughttobeuniquetobirds.Onlyinthelastcouple decadeshavepalaeontologistscometodiscoverthat furculaearecommoninawidevarietyoftheropoddinosaurs.

acTiviTY 04.4: wHaT exacTLY is a birD? (pg. 20–21) Understandingphylogenetic(i.e.evolutionary)tree diagramscanbecomplex.Keepinmindwhenusingthe fold–outtreethatcharacteristicsaremarkedwhere theyFIRSToccur.Forexample,“hardshelledeggs”,the characteristicatthebaseofthetree,issharedbyALLof theanimalsabovethatpoint.A“toothlessbeak”isshared bythefewestanimals,andsoonlythosetwo(thebluejay andtheturkey)occurabovethatbranch.Thebluejayand theturkeypossessALLoftheothercharacteristicslistedas well,buttheyareunitedbythefeaturetheyshare,butthat noneoftheotherspossess.


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CENTRE 5: TRACKINg TITANSThiscentrefocusesonhowfootprintsandtrackwaysprovideadditionalinformationaboutdinosaurs.Usingsimplemeasurementsandcalculations,aswellassomerelativelystraight–forwarddetectivework,studentswillrelatefootprintstothefootskeletonsofdifferentdinosaurs,andultimatelyworkwithareproductionofapartialtrackwaytolearnaboutthedinosaursthatmadeit.Theywilldeterminedinosaurbehaviourinawaythatletsthem(almost)actuallyobserveit,gaininginsightintohowtheseanimalsmighthavebeenadaptedtoimprovetheirchancesofsurvival.


grade 4• Habitats&Communities;NumberSense&Numeration; Measurement;DataManagement&Probability


Inthiscentre,studentswilltakemeasurements,recorddata,andusesimplealgebratoforminterpretationsabouttrackmakersandtheirpossibleinteraction.Whilethemathematicaloperationsareprimarilyatafourthgradelevel,teachersmayadaptthisforslightlyyoungerstudents(e.g.byworkingitasaclass).


Dino maTH & acTiviTY 05.2 (pg. 8–15) Thisfullscale(lifesize)rollouttrackwayisbasedona sectionofanactualLateCretaceousdinosaurtrackway (thePaluxyRivertrackway)fromTexas,whichisondisplayat theAmericanMuseumofNaturalHistoryinNewYorkCity.

insTrucTions: Teachersshouldsetupthetrackwaybeforethestudents begintheactivity.Butsettingitupasaclassisanoption aswell.

1. Take out all 4 rolls of the trackway and unroll them. 2. place them side by side in order — from roll #1 on the left to roll #4 on the right.

Tips for seT–up: • Youwillneedaclearfloorspaceapproximately5mx3m tounrollthecompletetrackway.Ifyoucan’tclearenough spaceinyourclassroom,youcanuseawidehallway, gymnasium,orotherlargespace.• Ifyouneedtoweighdownthecornersoftherolls,please donotusetape.• please ask students to remove their shoes before walking on the trackway(shoesmakeexcellentweightsforweighing downthecorners!).• Worksheetsareprovidedforstudentstorecordtheir measurementsandcalculations.Forolderstudents, youmaywanttohavethemproducetheirowndatasheet.• Whenyou’vecompletedtheactivity,rollupeachpiece ofthetrackwayseparately.Beginwiththeprintedsideup, andstartrollingfromthebottom.


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TEACHER’S GUIDE 23TEACHER’S GUIDE 23

HOw TO ROLL THE TRACKwAy

24 TEACHER’S GUIDE24 TEACHER’S GUIDE

05SUR LA PISTEDES GÉANTS

05TRACKINGTITANS

ACTIVITY 05.2

DINOSAUR TRACKWAY

ACTIVITÉ 05.2

PISTES FOSSILESDES DINOSAURES

87 cm

50 cm

50 cm 87 cm

311 cm

304 cm

use these to line up the rolls

TRACKwAy fULL VIEw (wITH ANSwERS)


pg. 10–11 Trytohelpyourstudentstaketheirmeasurements asaccuratelyaspossiblealongtheway.Slighterrors willaffectthecalculationstheydolater.Havingthem showtheirworkwillbeimportantfordiscussion,iftheir answersareslightlyoffthoseprovided.

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ACTIVITY 05.2 TRACK–MAKER WORKSHEET — ANSWERS

LEFT TRACK–MAKER (RED) RIGHT TRACK–MAKER (BLUE)

DINOSAUR TYPE: THEROPOD DINOSAUR TYPE: SAUROPODBIPEDAL (two–legged) — measure any foot QUADRUPEDAL (four–legged) — measure one of back (bigger) feet

BIPEDAL (two–legged) — measure any foot QUADRUPEDAL (four–legged) — measure one of back (bigger) feet

FOOTPRINT LENGTH = 50 cm FOOTPRINT LENGTH = 87 cm

STRIDE LENGTH = 311 cm (is it a quadruped? If so, use the back feet!)

STRIDE LENGTH = 304 cm (is it a quadruped? If so, use the back feet!)

HIP HEIGHT = 245 cm HIP HEIGHT = 400.2 cm

RELATIVE STRIDE LENGTH = 1.27 RELATIVE STRIDE LENGTH = 0.76

WAS IT WALKING, TROTTING, OR RUNNING? WAS IT WALKING, TROTTING, OR RUNNING?

SPEED = 6.6 km/h SPEED = 3.6 km/h

✓ ✓


HEIG

HT

acTiviTY 05.2: sTep 3 — caLcuLaTing HeigHT (pg. 12) Palaeontologistsdon’tmeasuretheheightofa dinosaurthesamewaywedoinhumans.Howhigh adinosaurmight“typically”holditshead,versushow highitmightbeabletoliftitsheadisquitevariable. Tobeconsistent,palaeontologistsmeasure“height” astheheightofthehip(i.e.fromthebottomofthefoot tothetopofthehip,neartheback).

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wHaT Does iT aLL mean? (pg. 15) In your final discussion, consider this: Justhowfastare3.6and6.6km/hr?Here’ssomecontext: theaveragehumanwalkingspeedisusually5km/hr (thoughobviouslythiscanbehighlyvariable).Thefastest recordedhumanrunningspeed(asof2015)is44.72km/hr, setbyUsainBoltin2009attheWorldChampionships inBerlin,Germany.Interestedstudentscouldresearchthe walkingorrunningspeedsofotheranimals,orcalculate theirownforcomparison.


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CENTRE 6: gROwINg gIANTSThiscentrefocusesontheamazinggrowthanddevelopmentofdinosaurs.Studentswillexplore,insimpleterms,howdinosaursreproduce.Theywillalsogetachancetolookathowquicklywenowthinkdinosaursgrewandhowtheirbodieschangedastheygrew,whilecomparingagainsthumangrowth.

CURRICULUm CONNECTIONSThiscentrehasstrongcurriculartiesto:

grade 1• Characteristics&NeedsofLivingThings

grade 2• Growth&ChangesinAnimals;HealthyLiving

grade 4• Habitats&Communities;NumberSense&Numeration; Measurement;DataManagement&Probability

Examiningdinosaurreproductionandgrowthusessimplemultiplicationanddivisiontocomparethemassesofinfantandadultdinosaursandhumans,andqualitativelyexaminehowdifferentpartsofanimalbodiesgrowatdifferentrates.


acTiviTY 06.2: comparing Maiasaura anD Humans (pg. 9–12) Themathinthisactivityprimarilyinvolvesmultiplication anddivisionofweights(inkg)—youngerstudentscould workasaclassorwithcalculators.Olderstudentscould bechallengedtomaketheirowndatatablestoorganize theircalculations,orresearchothergrowthdatafor comparison. Thehumanweightscitedare50thpercentilevaluesfrom WorldHealthOrganizationgrowthchartsforNorth Americans,averagedforsex–differences.


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CENTRE 7: SCRAmbLED SKELETONSThiscentreexploreswhatpalaeontologistscanlearnfromfragmentarydinosaurremains.Studentslearnaboutdifferentwaysdinosaurskeletonsmaybepreserved,andhowevenscrambledskeletalremainscanprovidegreatinsight.Finally,studentsexaminemultiplefossilstocompareandcontrastdistinctfossilgroupsfromdifferentareasinthenorthernandsouthernhemispheres,offeringinsightintothediversityoflifeduringthetimeofthedinosaurs.CURRICULUm CONNECTIONSThiscentrehasstrongcurriculartiesto:

grade 2• Growth&ChangesinAnimalsgrade 4• Habitats&Communities grade 6• BiodiversityRelativelyintactskeletonscaninformourunderstandingofanatomy,whilescrambledskeletalmaterial(involvingmultiplespecies)cangiveussignificantinsightintopotentialecologicalinteractions.


acTiviTY 07.1: arTicuLaTeD vs. scrambLeD (pg. 6–8) Thequestionsinthisactivityarepurposefullyrepetitive, tohelpdemonstratehowdifferenttypesoffossilized remainsyielddifferentinformation.

Ifstudentsarehavingdifficultyestimatingthenumberof dinosaursinthebonebed,tellthemtolookfornasalhorns. Bonesthatonlyappearonceonadinosaur(likenasalhorns) areusedbypalaeontologiststoestablisha minimum numberofindividualsforabonebed.

Similarly,ifstudentsaren’tsurewhetherornotthese dinosaurscaredfortheiryoung,thehintistolookfor juveniledinosaurbonesinthebonebed,andconsider whatthatcouldmean.

acTiviTY 07.2: verTebraTe microfossiL iD guiDe (pg. 11) Ifstudentsarestrugglingtofigureoutwhatwasacarnivore andwhatwasaherbivoreusingsuchfragmentaryfossils, instructthemtolookattheshapesoftheteethand/orclaws.


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CENTRE 8: END Of AN ERATherehavebeenmanytheoriesabouttheextinctionofthedinosaursattheendoftheCretaceousPeriod.Whilesometheorieshavemoresupportingevidencethanothers,therealityisthattherewereanumberofdifferentphenomenatakingplace,interactingwithoneanotherincomplicatedways.Inthiscentre,studentsreviewsomeofthatevidence,reachtheirownconclusions,andcompareagainstthescientificconsensus.CURRICULUm CONNECTIONSThiscentrehasmoderatecurriculartiesto: grade 2• Growth&ChangesinAnimalsgrade 3• Growth&ChangesinPlants grade 6• SpaceThiscentrehasstrongcurriculartiesto:grade 4• Habitats&Communities;Rocks&Minerals grade 6• Biodiversitygrade 7• InteractionsintheEnvironmentWhenconsideringthefactorscontributingtoextinction,youngergradescanlookatthebasicneedsofanimalsandplantsforsurvival,aswellastheextraterrestrialoriginofthemeteorite/cometthatstrucktheEarth66millionyearsago.StudentsinGrade4andupcanexaminethegeologic,oceanographic,andatmosphericphenomenathatcoincidedwiththeCretaceous–PaleogeneMassExtinctionandconsidertheirimpactsonfoodwebs,biodiversity,andecosystemsacrosstheglobe.


generaL noTe: Thequestionsinthiscentreareprimarilydiscussion–based, andaremeanttogetstudentsthinking,ratherthan emphasizinganyparticular“right”answer.Thefollowing aremeanttogiveexamples,additionalpoints,and/or contexttoguidediscussion.


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acTiviTY 08.2 — sHifTing sHoreLines (pg. 8–10)

What differences do you see between the Earth today and 90 million years ago? 90 million years ago there were...

• Nopolaricecaps• Manyinlandseas (shallowseasonthecontinentsor“morewater”)• Fewerdeserts• TheAtlanticOceanwasmuchsmaller (andthePacificwasbigger)• Indiawasanisland,muchfurthersouth• AustraliawasattachedtoAntarctica

What differences do you see between the Earth 66 and 90 million years ago? 66 million years ago…

• Mostinlandseasweresmaller (e.g.seeN.America,Eurasia,Africa,India)• TheAtlanticOceanwasalittlebitwider• Thereweremore/largerareasofdesert• IndiahadmovedfurtherawayfromAfricaandAntarctica• AustraliahaddetachedfromAntarctica


8How do you think the shrinking of inland seas and cooling water temperatures might have put life in the seas under stress at the end of the Cretaceous?

Foreverythingthatlivedintheshallow,warm,inland seas,thiswasaseriouslossofhabitat.Astheoceans weregettingcolder,warm–waterspecieswouldhave amuchhardertimefindingfoodandreproducing.

What about life on land?

Astheseasretreatedandthelifewithindisappeared, allthelandanimalswhichreliedonitforfoodwould alsosuffer.Warmseasandoceanshaveabigeffect onkeepingtheweathermoderateandmoistonland. Sotheretreatandcoolingwouldhavemadetheweather cooler,drier,andmorevariablebetweensummer andwinter.


8acTiviTY 08.3: LoTs of Lava! (pg. 11–12) How do you think the Deccan Trap eruptions affected life locally, in India?

Thelavawouldburnvegetation,killanimals,andstart forestfires.Poisonousgaseswouldalsokillplantsand animalslivinginthearea.Themixingofsulphurous gaseswithwatervapourintheatmospherewouldcause acidrainacrosstheregion.

How do you think it might have put stress on life, both on land and in the sea, around the rest of the world at the end of the Cretaceous? Theacidrainwoulddefinitelynothavebeengoodfor lifeintheoceansaroundIndia.Butthemainglobal affect,forlifeonlandandinthesea,wouldbethe coolingthatwouldcomefromsomuchashanddust beingthrownhighintotheatmosphereandblocking thesun.


8iT came from ouTer space! (pg. 15) How do you think the Chicxulub impact would have affected life in the sea?

TheChicxulubimpactisthoughttohavetakenplacein ashallowsea,sotheeffectsontheoceanwouldhave beenextreme.

• Theimpactwouldhaveflash–boiledmillionsofgallons ofwater,andcreatedablastofsuper–heatedsteam, killingasignificantamountoflifeinthesurroundingsea.

• Itwouldhavecausedkilometres–highmegatsunamis, whichwouldhavescouredmuchoftheseaflooraround whatisnowtheCaribbeanandthegulfofMexico.• Themassivecloudsofashanddustthatwerespewed intotheatmospherewouldhaveblockedoutthesun, coolingtheoceansandshuttingdownphotosynthetic algaeandbacteria,andseriouslyaffectingtheanimals thatdependonthemaroundtheworld.


8 How would it have affected life on the land?

• Theblastwaveofsuperheatedsteamandairwouldhave flattenedanythingstandingwithinseveralkilometres androastedmanyanimalsalive.

• Earthquakesandvolcaniceruptionswouldhavebeen triggeredworldwide.• Theimpactwouldhavevaporisedhugequantities ofrockfromtheseafloor,whichwouldmixwithwater vapourintheatmospherecausingstronglyacidicrain tofallovertheland,poisoningfreshwatersourcesand killingwildlife.

• Asred–hotpiecesofrockandfragmentsofthemeteorite blastedoutoftheimpactsite,massiveforestfireswould resultinthedeathofmanyplantsandanimals.• Withthesunblockedoutforadecadeormore,plantlife woulddieoff,andtheanimalsthatreliedonthoseplants wouldfollow.


8wHaT HappeneD To THe Dinosaurs? (pg. 18)

Which do you think was most to blame for the extinction of the dinosaurs (and so many other forms of life) at the end of the Cretaceous Period? Thisquestionistrulyuptothestudentsfordebate.It ismeanttoleadthemtowardstheideathatsomething asmajorasamassextinctioneventmaybemore complicatedthananysinglecause.

Thatsaid,themajorityofpalaeontologistswouldlikely saythattheChicxulubimpacteventwasthefinal strawformanyLateCretaceousplantsandanimals. Withterrestrialandmarineecosystemsunderstressfrom thecombinedeffectsofsignificantlong–termsealevel changes,climaticshifts,andmassivevolcanism, ameteoriteimpactwassimplymorethanthemajority ofdinosaurscouldhandle.


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