Wildlife of Gondwana
Unit of Work: Early Years
PrimeSCI!
Credits
This teacher resource booklet was devised and produced by the following members of
the staff at the Monash Science Centre (1990 - 2012):
Professor Pat Vickers-Rich
Priscilla Gaff
Dr. Corrie Williams
Special thanks to: Kathy Smith, Dr. Sanja Van Huet
and Cindy Hann - for the education framework and content
Special thanks to: Peter Trusler - for the artwork
The cliparts used in this kit are from CorelDraw 7.
No part of this document may be copied or distributed without the written permission of PrimeSCI!
This excludes the use of handouts for classroom activities in conjunction with this kit.
Contact Us
PrimeSCI!
9 Rainforest Walk
Monash University
Clayton, 3800
Victoria
Australia
The Education Team at the
Monash Science Centre was
proudly supported:
The research on the fossils from
the Precambrian included in the
exhibition has
been generously
supported by:
Phone: 613 9905 1370
Fax:
613 9905 1312
primesci.monash.edu.au
IGCP493
Special Thanks
The Monash Science Centre would like to
thank Visions of Australia - an Australian
Government Initiative, for their generous
support for the 'Wildlife of Gondwana
Exhibition'.
The Monash Science Centre would also
like to thank the School of Geosciences,
Faculty of Science, Monash University, for
their support of the scientific research on
display in the 'Wildlife of Gondwana
Exhibition'.
Education Level of this Kit
This education kit is suitable for the following year levels:
Prep
1
2
3
4
5
7
6
2
8
9
10
11
12
WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
PrimeSCI! © 2015
Index
Item
Page
Credits
How to Contact Us
Index
Key Understandings
National Statement in Science
Part 1: What do we know?
Part 2: What do we want to find out?
Part 3: How can we find out more information?
Part 4: Processing the experience
Activities 1 - 8
Part 5: Linking activities
Background Information
Glossary
Resources
2
2
3
3
3
4
5
9
9
9-19
20
21-22
23-24
25
EARLY YEARS - Key Understandings
4A fossil is the preserved remains of a once-living organism.
4Palaeontologists are scientists who study fossils.
4Fossils may provide information about the size and shape of ancient creatures.
4Many different kinds of creatures lived on the Earth millions of years ago.
4Palaeontologists use fossils to reconstruct ancient animals, plants, and climate.
4By studying fossils palaeontologists can begin to determine information about their diet, behaviour,
how they died, and how they were preserved.
National Statement in Science
LEVEL 1: Life & Living - Biodiversity change & Continuity
1.9: Identifies features and those of animals and plants that change over time.
2.9 Compares and contrasts similarities and differences within and between groups of familiar living
things.
Working Scientifically1.15 Talks about observations and suggests possible interpretations.
2.13 Formulates questions to guide observation and investigations of familiar situations.
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WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
PrimeSCI! © 2015
PART 1: What do we know?
1. Locating the boundaries of experience.
The experiences outlined in this initial aspect of
learning invite students to think about ideas and
information related to the topic area. In many cases
simple stimuli, both visual and auditory, such as
picture charts, multimedia images from internet sites,
pictures from books, texts, story telling, etc., have
been selected to provide a vehicle to promote
discussion and prompt children to recall any existing
relevant knowledge they may have to contribute to the
exploration of the topic in the classroom.
Creating a thinking a board
TEACHER BACKGROUND:
4Act as scribe for your class and create a “Thinking
Board”.
4To find out what the students prior knowledge is on
the topic of fossils, ask the students "What do you
know about fossils?"
4Use the board to record the students ideas and
information.
4It is also the place to record any questions that have
been raised during or as a result of sharing ideas.
4Alternatively students ideas can be written in
outlines of dinosaur shapes on the board.
4In this activity all student ideas and contributions are
valued and important.
4This board represents the children's areas of interest
in relation to this topic and is therefore useful as a
'working display' in the classroom.
4The board can be returned to on a regular basis, it
may be used many times; as a starting point for
research work, to inform the selection of activities
used in the classroom, to revise topic language, the
list may be expanded by adding new pieces of
information as appropriate and relevant, to
contribute information when constructing a glossary
of terms, etc.
4This input forms the basis for future direction and
topic exploration within the unit.
4
some
dinosaurs
were very large
birds
can be
fossils
fish
can
be
fos
sils
WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
PrimeSCI! © 2015
Follow Up: Student Journals
Throughout the topic, students write entries on a regular
basis in their journals. The focus of these entries is to enable
the student to record a new piece of information or an
observation they made that was of particular interest to them.
These entries may be shared. At the completion of the first
session related to the Thinking Board, students are
encouraged to record such an entry in their journal.
Encourage the use of drawings and key words. Journals may
be an effective strategy for encouraging students to reflect on
new information and consider how this may link with their
existing ideas. These entries are also a useful tool when
assessing student involvement and interest in the unit topic
and may determine the future direction of unit planning.
PART 2: What do we want to find out?
There is research evidence (Biddulph 1990, p.68) that when children have that
opportunity in science they prefer learning from their own questions and value
learning about other children's questions as this often challenges them to think about
aspects of a topic they had not considered.
Fleer, M. Hardy, T. 1996
Pinning Questions on the Wall
4Return to the Thinking Board constructed in the last session.
Review the information.
4Working with students, discuss the information on the board.
4Encourage students to write one or two questions they hope will
be answered during the unit.
4These questions can be written in large print and pinned on the
walls of the classroom.
4Questions are removed only when the author of the question feels
it has been answered, such as after their visit to the exhibition. In
fact, students could bring their question along to the exhibition,
and write the answer on the back.
This activity has the possibility to set the agenda for the unit, to
involve the students in the structure and focus of the unit, to identify
any gaps in information to be taught, to focus on a particular task
each lesson and to reflect on what has been achieved and learned
throughout the unit of work.
How d
o scie
ntists
what
know
dinosa
urs at
e?
What is a fossil?
n Earth
id life o
When d
begin?
Reference: Learning from the PEEL (Project for Enhancing Effective Learning)) experience.
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WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
PrimeSCI! © 2015
Preparation for Visit to Exhibition
Pairing Up!
6
graptolite
mammal
insect
amphibian
coral
ammonite
Bullockornis
trilobite
Tasmanian
tiger
dinosaur
þ Cut out the squares, and then try and match the word with the picture.
þ Next, check if you got it right when the teacher calls out 'The Clues'.
þ Keep these cards safe in an envelope for special games.
WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
PrimeSCI! © 2015
Preparation for Visit to Exhibition
4Photocopy the previous sheet for each student. Each of the pictures is of an
animal they will see in the exhibition.
4Have the students cut out the boxes, and then try and match the picture with the
word.
4The students can work in pairs and discuss which they think match.
4Once they have matched their pairs, read out the CLUES. Students should check
to see if they need to make changes to their original matches.
4Allow students to make any changes.
Trilobites
4 extinct marine arthropods
4 like insects and crabs, they are covered in
an exoskeleton.
4 their bodies of trilobites divided into three
parts; head, thorax and pygidium (tail).
4 lived from 542 to 245 million years ago.
Amphibians:
4animals that had a backbone,
4they live in the water and on
land
4most have soft skin,
4they must lay eggs in the water or moist
places.
Ammonite:
Dinosaur:
4 extinct marine animal
4 covered in a shell, and its soft
parts look a bit like an octopus
4 lived in the sea more than 400
million years ago to 65 million
years ago.
4 extinct animals that had a
backbone
4 lived on the land 230 to 65
million years ago, except
for their relatives - birds - who survive today.
4 ancient reptiles, who walked with their legs under
their body, not out to the side.
Graptolites:
4 extinct marine animal
4 their name means 'writing in rock'
4 each graptolite consists of a stick- or twiglike colony of tiny animals
4 they look like little 'branches of saw blades'
4 lived between 542 to 250 million years ago.
Coral:
4tiny marine animals that live in
cone-like cells, commonly in warm
water.
4often live in colonies
4has an external skeleton
Insects:
4amongst first animals to live on dry
land
4they have a hard exoskeleton
4their body is divided into 3 parts head, thorax and an abdomen
Tasmanian tiger:
4meat-eating marsupial
4is now extinct, but lived in
Australia until 1933
4has stripes on its back
4had a pouch
Bullockornis:
4extinct flightless bird
4was approximately 2.5 meters tall
4lived in Australia, about 15 million
years ago
4closest living relatives are geese!
Wombat:
4Australian marsupial
4has a backbone
4walks on 4 legs
4is a herbivore and digs burrows
4they have 3 pairs of jointed legs
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WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
PrimeSCI! © 2015
Part 2: Grouping games
The cards can be used for grouping games for the students to find out more
information about each animal.
Group 1:
Group the animals according to whether you think they lived in the water or on the land?
Let students work together and talk about their answers. Ask the students why did they
group the animals the way they did.
Group 2:
Using the same method - ask students to group the animals according to whether they
think the animal is extinct or still alive.
This animal lived
on water or land?
This animal is
extinct?
graptolite
water
yes
trilobite
water
yes
ammonite
water
yes
coral
water
amphibian
water and
land
no
no
yes
dinosaur
land
insect
land
no
land
yes
Wombat
land
no
Bullockornis
land
yes
Tasmanian Tiger
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WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
PrimeSCI! © 2015
PART 3: How Can We Find Out More Information?
Visiting the Exhibition and the students complete Scavenger Hunt Sheet.
PART 4: Processing the Experience.
TEACHER BACKGROUND:
Exploring individual children's understanding of and feelings about science is an important
component of science teaching, as these ideas have direct implications for their learning and
the teaching of science. Providing a range of ways for students to express their
understandings is also crucial. Exposing students to a variety of alternative ideas and
interpretations may encourage them to consider alternative viewpoints to their own and this
may enhance learning. It can also expose the students to how science really works:
hypothesis, testing, and refinement of ideas.
The activities below are designed to encourage students to process and make sense of
information they have covered in classroom research and through their visit to the exhibition.
The following activities focus on visual representation of information providing students with a
vehicle for expressing their understandings and conveying these to others.
A Period of Time
Create a class mural depicting the periods of geological
time. Use one colour as a background coding for each
period of time. Students contribute to the mural by
constructing representations of plant and/or animal life
from each time period. Include bubbles of background
information composed by students. Display mural
across the back of the classroom or in a prominent
display area.
Fossil Diorama
Have students select a fossil of their choice. Students share with
the class their choice and their knowledge of this animal or plant.
Working independently, in pairs or small groups, students
construct a diorama in a shoe-box depicting an interesting scene
of this fossil's existence. Students may need to undertake further
reading and research to find out more about the fossil they have
selected to determine what other animals and plants are suitable
for inclusion in their diorama.
Fossil Vote
Create a class room graph where each student votes for their
favourite fossil. Each student must write their name on a piece
of paper (all pieces of paper need to be the same size) with the
name of their fossil, these pieces of paper can be used to create
a bar graph in the classroom.
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WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
PrimeSCI! © 2015
Activity 1: Fossil sequence
Cut & paste the following pictures into sequence next to the
sentences to tell the story of how the dinosaur became a fossil.
The body of the dead
dinosaur falls to the bottom
of the river.
Pressure from the earth
above makes the layers of
mud and sand become rock.
The muscles and flesh of the
dead dinosaur rot away
leaving only the skeleton.
The rock is eroded away by
weather e.g. wind and rain.
The skeleton is covered by
layers of mud and sand.
The fossil is found by a
palaeontologist.
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WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
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Activity 2: Creatures of the Slime
Creatures of the Slime - these animals (if they are indeed animals!) predated the dinosaurs by millions of years! They lived in the oceans
on Earth during a time know as the PreCambrian, from around 600
to 542 million years ago. Some of the best fossils of these creatures
are from Australia, Namibia and Russia. The Flinders Ranges in
South Australia is one of the best places on Earth where these kinds
of fossils have been found. The following activities allow students to
become familiar with these early multi-cellular creatures - some of
which are our ancestors!
Fossilised creatures of the slime!
Background information
The Ediacaran animals are all soft bodied creatures (a bit like a worm
or soft coral). This means they had no hard-parts such as a skeleton,
like you and I have, nor a hard shell on the outside like a crab or
insect. It is much easier for the hard-parts (like bones and shells) to
end up as fossils than the soft-parts - which usually wear away or rot
before they have a chance to be fossilized. This experiment explores
how difficult it is for a soft-bodied animal to end up as a fossil.
Life in the ocean
555 million years ago!
Equipment:
4soft jelly lollies - like raspberry lollies or jelly beans (to be your 'soft
bodied animal)
4shells (to be your 'hard bodied animal'
4plastic cups
4sand or mud
Procedure:
ª The students work in groups of 4.
ª Each group has a 2 cups, a 'soft animal' and a hard animal.
ª They need to place sand or mud at the bottom of each cup.
ª Then they lay an 'animal' at the bottom of the cup.
ª Next they fill each cup with water.
ª This is left for a few days, and checked each day to see what
happens to their 'fossils'.
ª Extra: one group might like to 'cover' their animals in sand and
then pour water over.
Discussion Questions:
What happened in your experiment?
Which animal lasted the longest? Why do you think so?
Can you think of any soft bodied animals you have met?
Can you think of any animals with hard parts?
What does this experiment tell you about how fossils are formed?
11
raspberry lolly
in water
hard shell in
water
WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
PrimeSCI! © 2015
Activity 3: Creatures with no eyes!
Ediacarans lived in the dark because they had no eyes. We rely on sight
to identify objects, to find out way, to appreciate changes in our environment and
just to get through our life each day. Imagine what it would be like to live in a world where
you could not see.
Procedure:
4Put students in groups of 4.
4Give each group a picture of one of the Ediacaran animals (pictured below).
4Each group, or student, first needs to make a model of their animal in play-dough or
plasticine.
4Check their animals with the picture - make sure they didn’t add any eyes to the animals.
4Next each group needs to brainstorm how they think each animal survived in its
environment if they couldn’t see.
They might like to brainstorm the following questions:
Is it possible, and how would it:
ð find food?
ð tell when it found another one of its own kind if it couldn’t see the other animals?
ð tell if it is night or day? And would it matter?
ð tell if it is winter or summer?
ð tell if other animals are nearby?
Remind the students that these animals couldn’t talk like you and I - they had no voice box!
All of these creatures lived in
oceans that covered Australia
555 million years ago!
Dickinsonia
Charniodiscus
Pteridinium
This animal lived about 550
to 570 million years ago. It
was a kind of worm-like
creature, and moved slowly
along the ocean floor eating
the slimy microbial (like
algae) mats.
This animal lived 540 to
553 million years ago. It
most likely lived like a
modern 'Sea Pen',
attached to the ocean
floor and filter feeding
food from the water.
This creature lived in the
oceans about 565 to 545
million years ago. It lived partly
buried in the ocean floor.
Palaeontologists still need to
keep studying this creature to
really understand it!
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WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
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Activity 4: Word Detective
Match the word with the correct meaning or picture by
drawing a line to connect the two.
Carnivore
the remains or impressions of past life.
skeleton
no longer living on Earth.
extinct
Fossil
eats mostly meat.
dinosaur
someone who studies fossils.
herbivore
A type of extinct reptile that held their limbs under their body.
Palaeontologist
eats mostly plants.
skull
A small plant eating dinosaur named after Leaellyn.
teeth
Leaellynasaura
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Early Years Education Booklet
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Activity 5: Dinosaur Footprints
Some dinosaurs were really big. Others were not so large, but they all left footprints in the
sand and soil when they walked. Some of these were fossilised and have been found by
palaeontologists both amateur and professional.
On the back of this page are several drawings of a real Australian dinosaur footprint. The
original track was found at near Winton in southwestern Queensland.
Interpreting the fossil footprints
Photocopy the track-way for each student.
Let them know that they are know 'palaeontologists' as they will be studying fossil footprints,
much like a palaeontologist would who studies 'trace fossils'.
Discuss the following questions with the class:
1. How many animals made the trackway?
2. What kinds of animals do you think they were? How
can you tell?
3. How many legs did each of the animals walk with?
How can you tell?
4. In what direction did the animals move?
5. Did they change speed or direction? How can you tell?
6. What do you think might have happened to produce
this trackway?
Students could either:
$ write their own story
$ work together and roll play their story
$ draw a cartoon of the story
Remind students that they can interpret the track-way
however they like, so long as they can justify their story
using the evidence. Alternative stories might be: the
animal leaving behind the small footprints was a bird and
it flew away, or a baby dinosaur and it got on its mother's
back, or maybe one of the dinosaurs was eaten!
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WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
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Activity 5: Dinosaur Footprints
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WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
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Activity 6: Body Bits
Aim:
To get familiar with the names of bones in the vertebrate body of a dinosaur.
Equipment:
ð coloured pencils or textas
ð photocopy of this sheet
Procedure:
1. To get to know the names of dinosaur bones, colour the different bones of the
dinosaur using the colour chart or make up one of your own.
Orbit (eye socket)
Nostril
Temporal fenestra
Cervical vertebra
Dorsal vertebra
Caudal vertebra
Sacral vertebra
Illium
Mandible
Scapula
Humerus
HAND
(manus)
Phalanx
Claw
Ischium
Ulna
Radius
Femur
Pubis
Fibula
Tibia
Metatarsal
Claw
Phalanyx
Colour chart:
VertebraeHumerus and femurUlna, radius, tibia and fibulaSkull and jaws-
green
red
yellow
blue
Phalanges (bones of the fingers and toes)orange
Neck and tailpink
Ribsblack
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WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
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Activity 7: Dinosaur Flick-book
4
12
6
9
16
3
11
13
8
7
14
5
2
15
10
1
To make this flick book cut around the squares and put them in order to assemble
the dinosaur. Once they are in order hold one side of the assembled pieces and
flick through them to make your own animation.
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WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
PrimeSCI! © 2015
Activity 8: Before and After
Below is a picture of Megalania and Genyornis, two exinct animals.
Both of these animals lived about 50,000 years ago, and lived in Australia. This drawing was
reconstructed based on the fossil bones of these animals. Rather than making a static
picture of the animals, the artist, Peter Trusler, chose to depict the animals in an interaction
that very possibly would have happened more than 50,000 years ago in Australia. This image
can be used to brainstorm what life would have been like for both of these animals in the
past.
Procedure:
4Photocopy of the picture onto an overhead sheet, or photocopy the next page and it give
it out to each of the students.
4Brainstorm with the students what is happening in the picture. You could ask questions
like:
* Why is Genyornis running?
* What do you think Megalania might eat and why do you think so?
* How can you tell Genyonris is a bird?
* Do you think Megalania could run fast? How do you know? (Hint: look at the legs)
* Do you think Genyornis could defend itself? Why do you think so?
4Nest take the students beyond the picture by brainstorming what they think could have
happened before the picture. Encourage students to write their own story of what they
think happened before. Remind that we don't know, so there may be many things that
could have happened - so long as they can justify their answer according to the evidence
in the picture.
4Next allow the students to brainstorm what they think happened after,
4and write their own stories. (Again, students need to 'stick to the evidence' - for example
Genyornis has very tiny wing bones - so this bird could not fly away).
This procedure was developed by Jo Osler and Jill Flack as part of the
PEEL (Project for Enhancing Effective Learning).
Genyornis
Megalania
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Early Years Education Booklet
PrimeSCI! © 2015
Before and after
Name:
Look at the picture, write about what happened before:
Genyornis
Megalania
Look at the picture, write about what happened after:
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WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
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Part 5: Linking activities
Planning for learning requires the inclusion of explicit activities that 'focus on
building a richer meaning for the knowledge presented by the teacher by linking it to
elements of memory.” (p.187 Baird.J & Mitchell,I. 1995).
In this unit, concept mapping is used as a strategy to provide valuable feedback about the
effectiveness of the processing activities outlined earlier in the unit. The activity outlined
below allows the students to work in groups and explore all the possible links they can think
of between key concepts covered to date. How well students understand the content
covered to date may be reflected in the types responses each group composes.
Activity: Completing statements from the stem
Students complete responses to sentence stems. Some examples include:
$ We know about animals that lived in the past because……………..
$ Some fossils tell us that……………….
$ My favourite fossil was _________ because …………………
Students complete sentences and these are shared with rest of the class by displaying them
in a special area of the room. Students can be encouraged to go on a print walk and read
other students responses. For the younger students the sentence stem may be written on
the board and the teacher can list for the students all the ideas they have for sentence
endings.
Activity: Group Concept Maps
Concept mapping is a procedure that assists students in their understanding of the
connections between the major concepts in a content area. (Baird.J & Mitchell,I. 1995).
«Using key words from the topic list select 5 and paste on large cards.
fossil
«Place these cards on the floor in a random arrangement.
«Place students in teams of at least 4. Each team is given a piece of
streamer.
«The team must select two words from the floor and when it is their
turn they must place their strip of streamer between these cards and
dinosaur
explain their understanding of how these words could be linked.
«On a sheet of paper record the main ideas expressed (in key words)
and place this sheet on the piece of streamer.
«Continue until all groups have had a turn. If there are further ideas continue again for
another round. This can also be completed on a pin board and the results can be left on
display.
This activity provides informative feedback for you the teacher about how students are
making sense of the information that has been covered through the unit and also exposes
students to other student's ideas.
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Early Years Education Booklet
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Background Information
What are fossils?
Fossils are the remains of once living organisms.
How do fossils form?
Fossils are usually found in sedimentary rocks.
Sedimentary rocks are often made up of
particles sand, silt or gravel. When an organism
dies, it may be covered by layers of sediment,
which later consolidate into sedimentary rocks.
Sediments are usually deposited in the bottom
of lakes, rivers or in the sea, or even from windblown sand dunes. These layers can sometimes
enclose the remains of the organism. If
conditions are right, the layers will consolidate
(solidify) into rocks, and the preserved remains
of the dead organism will become fossils.
How old is the Earth?
The Earth began to solidify and divide into its
layers, and have a solid surface, about 4.6
billion years ago, or in other words that's 4600
million years ago long, long ago!
When did life begin?
The oldest records of life on Earth are 3.8 billion
years old that's 3800 million years ago!
What did the first life look like?
Very small! Microscopic. The oldest life forms on
Earth were so small, to see them you would
need a microscope. These organisms were
single celled - made up of only one cell. We are
multicelled animals, made up of many cells.
When did the first vertebrate animals
appear?
The first fossils of backboned (vertebrate)
animals are Cambrian in age, dating back nearly
530 million years. These first vertebrates were
fish but fish that had no jaws.
Can fossils tell you the age of a rock?
Fossils can give a relative date, not a date in
years. Trilobites are found in rocks that lie
below those that contain dinosaurs, and so
trilobites lived before the dinosaurs. Trilobites
became extinct approximately 245 million years
ago, so if you find a rock with a trilobite in it you
know the rock must be older than 245 million
years old.
When did the biggest extinction event
occur?
The extinction of the dinosaurs at the end of
the Cretaceous time period (some 65 million
years ago) was nothing when compared to
what happened on Earth at the end of the
Permian about 245 million years ago. Some
palaeontologists have suggested that up to
97% of life was wiped out at that time. Life
was almost lost at the end of the Permian.
What happened to cause such a massive
wipe out of species at the end of the
Permian?
There are many theories, but for the moment
this is one of the big mysteries that is not so
well explained. In the millions of years before
the end of the Permian, there had been a
lengthy glaciation big ice sheets moved from
the north and the south affecting many
continents. So, times were cold. But during
the Permian, glaciation subsided and at the
end of Permian times there were great
volcanic outpourings and Earth may have
been blasted by a large meteorite!
With all the water tied up in ice, the sea level
was lowered and many of the areas of the
world that form the shallow marine waters
around the continents were laid bare. These
are areas where most marine animals today
thrive and would have in the Late Permian.
So, those shallow marine animals would have
been under great stress.
We know that the was vast volcanic activity
at this time would have thrown ash up in the
air which would have caused climatic change
that affected animals and plants the world
around.
And the recent evidence that a gigantic
meteorite hit Earth and caused rapid and
catastrophic climatic cooling, wildfires, acid
rain may well have also contributed to the
mass extinctions that occurred at this time.
Thankfully life survived - but maybe only just!
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WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
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Background Information
What killed the dinosaurs?
The debate still rages between palaeontologists
as to what killed the dinosaurs, some 65 million
years ago, it may have been instantaneous or
prolonged over a period of hundreds of
thousands or possibly even a few million years.
At present, there are two main ideas about what
wiped out the dinosaurs.
Asteroids and comets?
One theory suggests that the extinction of the
dinosaurs was brought about by the impact of
an extraterrestrial object, a comet or an asteroid.
Such an impact could have brought about an
immediate rise in the surface temperature of the
Earth, causing widespread wildfires, dramatic
increase in global ocean temperatures, and a
short period of terrible acid rain. This short-term
event may have then been followed by a longer
term cooling of Earth temperatures because of
the dust particles kicked up in the atmosphere
by the impact, restricting the amount of sunlight
reaching the Earth's surface.
Volcanic activity?
A second theory about dinosaur extinction
suggests that intensive volcanic activity filled the
atmosphere with particles and reduced the
amount of energy reaching the surface of the
Earth from the Sun. Effects of even small
volcanic eruptions such as Krakatoa, Pinatubo or
Mount St Helens have shown a temperature
drop due to volcanism.
Or a double whammy?
Some scientists have suggested that perhaps
the impact of a comet or asteroid triggered
massive volcanic activity on Earth, such as that
in India at about this same time. In any case, the
biological consequence of one or both of these
events brought about a relatively rapid turnover
in the vertebrate and invertebrate fauna of the
Earth.
What happened to life on Earth after
the dinosaurs become extinct?
During the last 65 million years, once most
of the dinosaurs became extinct, the world
changed a great deal. From the warm
Greenhouse conditions of the Cretaceous
some 100 to 65 million years ago, the
Earth's climate began to cool. It was
during this time, without the dinosaurs that
mammals and birds, insects and teleost
fishes exploded into many different kinds of
new species.
The flora changed too. Plants bearing
flowers became dominant and so the
whole smell of the world changed from that
of the green conifer forests of the Mesozoic
to the blossom-bearing shrubs and trees
that are typical of today.
What is megafanua?
Megafauna is defined as reptiles, birds, and
mammals over 40 kilograms in weight.
During the Plesitocene Period (1.8 million
years to 10,000 years ago), Australia
supported a diverse assemblage of
megafaunal mammals such as Diprotodon,
megafaunal birds such as Genyornis, and
megafaunal reptiles such as Megalania.
Why did the megafauna in Australia
become extinct?
A few theories have been suggested as
possible explanations of what caused the
extinction of the megafauna of Australia.
Natural climate change is one theory,
habitat change resulting from human
burning of the bush is another, and hunting
of the megafauna by humans is yet another
theory.
Were mammals living during dinosaur
times?
Yes, mammals lived and developed at the same
time as the dinosaurs. But as long as dinosaurs
were around, mammals were relatively small, and
probably nocturnal. Once the dinosaurs were
gone, mammals took over the world!
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WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
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Glossary
Absolute date:
a method which
determines the time order
in rock sequences,
measured in years by
radiometric techniques
that is, those techniques
which depend on the
regular and statistically
predictable decay of
radioactive elements
(Carbon14 for example).
Amphibian:
animals that live in water
and on land during their
life. However, some
amphibians were
completely aquatic and
some were completely
terrestrial.
Ancient:
old
Aquatic:
living in water.
Bacteria:
microscopic single-celled
organisms, they lack
chlorophyll, and they
reproduce by fission.
Biostratigraphy:
ordering of rock
sequences, to determine
their approximate age,
based on the fossils found
in the rock.
Conifer:
a plant that reproduces
through the production of
seeds in cones.
Cycad:
an ancient type of seed
plant that was around at
the dinosaurs, and still
lives today.
Deposit:
to lay down in one place,
eg: sediments are
deposited in lakes.
Erosion:
wearing away of the land
surface by the
transportation of debris by
wind or water.
Evolution:
changes over generations
in the characteristics of
plants and animals.
Extinct:
no longer living on the
Earth.
Fauna:
animals living in one area
or at a particular time.
Flora:
a group of plants living in
on area or at a particular
time.
Carnivore:
an animal that eats mostly
meat.
Fossil:
From the Latin word
meaning to "dig up". The
remains or impressions of
life, that lived in the past.
Gondwana:
a massive supercontinent
of the past, that included
South America, Africa,
Antarctica, Australia, New
Zealand, India, and
perhaps parts of China.
Glacier:
a large mass of ice on the
land or over a water body,
which moves in a definite
direction.
Habitat:
a place where an animal or
plant lives.
Herbivores:
an animal that eats mostly
plants.
Hibernate:
to pass the winter in a
torpid state. During this
state, the animal's
metabolism slows down
and there is no need to
eat.
Invertebrate:
animal that has no
backbone.
Labyrinthodont:
crocodile-like amphibians
that lived before and along
side the dinosaurs.
Cell:
the smallest living unit that
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WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
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Glossary
Lungfish:
most of these fish breathe
in oxygen from the air
rather than taking it from
the water. They are a
particular group.
Mammal:
a group of vertebrates that
usually give birth to live
young. Mammals usually
have hair, are warmblooded, and feed their
young with milk.
Marsupial:
a mammal that gives birth
to its young at a very early
stage. The baby marsupial
crawls into the pouch and
grabs onto a teat where it
stays, drinking milk, for a
while, until developed
enough to get about on its
own.
Megafauna:
very large animals,
generally animals that
weigh more than 40
kilograms.
Vertebrate:
Animals with a backbone.
Meteorite:
a solid body from outer
space; there are two kinds;
- those that are mostly
stone and those that are
mostly iron.
Multicelled:
many cells, an animal that is
multi-cellular is made up of
more than one cell.
Nocturnal:
active at night.
Organism:
a living bacteria, plant, fungi
or animal; they can
duplicate itself.
Omnivore:
an animal that eats both
plants and meat; thus has a
varied diet.
Plesiosaur:
an extinct group of seadwelling reptiles.
Plesiosaurs had a barrelshaped body, a short tail
and paddle-like limbs
perfect for swimming.
Placental Mammal:
mammals that give birth to
highly developed young,
with a specialised tissue the placenta - which
nourishes the developing
embryo.
Reptile:
a group of vertebrates (have
a backbone), which are
covered by scales, and lay
eggs on land to reproduce.
Sedimentary Rocks:
rocks formed of sediments
deposited by water or air,
e.g.: claystone, sandstone,
siltstone or conglomerates.
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Sediments:
the grains and organic
debris that are the result
of rocks weathering
(breaking down) and the
'debris' being transported
by wind and water, laid
down in some kind of
sedimentary environment
(e.g.: a lake, ocean or
sand dune).
Skeleton:
the bones that make up
the internal structure of a
vertebrate animal, or the
external covering of an
invertebrate animal (such
as a crab shell).
Solidify:
to become solid or firm.
Species:
a unique kind of animal or
plant, e.g.: Homo sapiens
(the scientific name for
humans).
Weathering:
the break down of rocks
into smaller pieces by
exposure to wind, water,
sun, heat, cold and
chemicals.
Vegetation:
plants growing in a place.
e.g.: all of the plants
growing in Southeast
Australia.
WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
PrimeSCI! © 2015
Resources
Web Sites
http://primesci.monash.edu
This is the website for PrimeSCI! (previously the Monash Science Centre) at Monash
University.
http://www.dinosaurdreaming.net/
This is the official site of the dinosaur dig in Victoria. This site gives excellent information
about the Inverloch dinosaur dig and the dinosaurs found there. It also has links to other
dinosaur sites around the world.
http://www.abc.net.au/dinosaurs/
This site has more information about Australian dinosaurs from around the world.
http://www.nhm.ac.uk
The Natural History Museum, London site has data files on the most well known dinosaurs,
plus it has great suggestions for classroom activities on dinosaurs.
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/fosrec/Learning.html
This sites lists classroom activities on dinosaurs and fossils. It also has excellent interactive
lessons online, including topics such as geological time.
http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/dinosaurs/
The Museum Victoria fossil project web site. This site contains lots of information on fossils,
fossilisation, megafauna and dinosaurs.
http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/thezone/fossils/games.htm
http://www.sdnhm.org/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/fossil-mysteries/
Interactive activities for students about fossils.
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/evolution/
Watch a short video on the evidence for evolution
http://www.abc.net.au/science/ausbeasts/
Information and games about Megafauna.
http://www.monash.edu/science/research-groups/earth-atmosphere-environment/precsite
Information about Precambrian life and environments.
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WILDLIFE OF GONDWANA EXHIBITION
Early Years Education Booklet
PrimeSCI! © 2015