Faculty of Sciences
e-Science Teachers Pack
Issue 11, October 2014
Survivor: Chicxulub
Summary & learning outcomes
The theory that birds may have evolved from dinosaurs has perplexed scientists for hundreds of
years. However with the emergence of evidence including three-toed feet, wishbones and even
feathers in prehistoric fossils, the idea that birds could be non-extinct dinosaurs is gaining strength.
In this pack, students will learn about the evidence that scientists have uncovered which shows the
evolutionary pathway dinosaurs took which lead to the emergence of the birds we now see every
day. They will also learn about what “saved” prehistoric birds from the catastrophic events that
occurred when a meteorite crashed into Chicxulub, Mexico and threw all Mesozoic biota into
disarray.
Learning outcomes:
 There is evidence showing bird-traits in fossils of theropod dinosaurs as well as dinosaur-traits
being uncovered in primitive birds which strengthens the theory that birds evolved from dinosaurs
 Birds are the only dinosaur ancestors which shrunk in size with each successive descendant
being smaller than its predecessor
 Body shape and size gave prehistoric birds the ability to survive over non-avian dinosaurs when a
meteorite struck Chicxulub, Mexico as they could escape the event quickly
Prior learning
Some students may already know about the dinobird theory. Determine their level of understanding
during brainstorming and before reading the article. Some concepts will be easier for them to
understand, but other students can easily develop an opinion after explanation of the topic.
 Brainstorm examples of different dinosaurs that the students already know about. Where did
these dinosaurs live? What did they look like? Did any of them fly?
Curriculum
View the relevance of this article and its resources to the Australian Curriculum:
www.sciences.adelaide.edu.au/schools-resources/docs/curriculum-issue11-survivor-chicxulub.pdf
Lesson plan & learning activities
Lesson 1: Introducing the dinobird theory and dinosaur evolution
 Brainstorm examples of different dinosaurs that the students already know about. Where did
these dinosaurs live? What did they look like? Did any of them fly? Steer the discussion so that
the students realise that some dinosaurs did in fact have feathers instead of scales or skin. What
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animals could these dinosaurs evolved into? What do they already look like? Which parts of
some dinosaurs look like parts of a bird?
Introduce the dinobird theory and dinosaur evolution by reading “Survivor: Chicxulub” (Issue 11,
October 2014) article as a class (organise students into pairs or small groups to share
resources).
Images within the article can be utilised (printed out or used on an interactive whiteboard) to
reinforce points of importance.
Discuss with the class what they learned from the article. Find out:
o Were there things that they already knew about the dinobird theory and dinosaur
evolution but reluctant to mention during brainstorming?
o What things didn’t they know? Did they learn anything interesting?
o Are there things they want to find out more about from the article?
Define any unknown words and use them to create glossary of keywords.
View the videos (see resources list below) if there is time, otherwise show them at start of lesson
2.
Lesson 2: Quiz
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Show videos if you didn’t have time in the first lesson.
Quick review of points from e-Science article.
Download and print out the Survivor: Chicxulub quiz questions (withhold the answer sheet).
Read “Survivor: Chicxulub” in e-Science Magazine Issue 11, October 2014 and then attempt
these questions. Some of the answers can be found in the article, but some you may need to
investigate.
 Answer the questions individually or in pairs but discuss the answers as a class. Answers to the
questions can be downloaded with the Survivor: Chicxulub quiz resource.
Resources
Videos (can be shown through a PC or interactive whiteboard):
 Scott Hocknull talks passionately about his love of dinosaurs and his work as a palaeontologist
uncovering new dinosaurs, including Australia’s answer to T-Rex.
http://youtu.be/dQJqylz9SrI
 How did feathers evolve? This TED-Ed talk explains.
http://youtu.be/hPLgfGX1I5Y
 DNews reports on research by Mike Lee and colleagues in this video.
http://youtu.be/0-7iXyYS0uw
 The BBC’s Planet Dinosaur takes a look at winged dinosaurs.
http://youtu.be/-fyxUxGdrns
 The documentary ‘The Four-Winged Dinosaur’ form PBS examines the discovery of the feathered
dinosaurs in more depth.
http://youtu.be/yL0UIzU0EEc
 This animation from Discovery shows what scientists believe happened when the meteorite hit
earth 65 million years ago.
www.discovery.com/video-topics/other/dinosaur-videos/the-end-of-the-dinosaurs.htm
Useful Websites
 This article on the Smithsonian website details the discovery of bird fossils in China that heralded
a new age of palaeontology.
www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dinosaurs-living-descendants-69657706/
 A great dinosaur-centric blog by a palaeontologist, Dave Hone.
http://archosaurmusings.wordpress.com/
The University of Adelaide
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 This website from NOVA allows you to compare the body parts of Microraptor with those of its
relatives.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/bodies-built-fly.html
 Want to learn more about all the different dinosaurs? Check out the Natural History Museum’s
Dino Directory.
www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/dinosaurs-other-extinct-creatures/dinodirectory/name/a/gallery.html
Materials
 “Survivor: Chicxulub” (Issue 11, October 2014). This can be supplied on iPad or printed out from
the web edition here:
www.sciences.adelaide.edu.au/schools-resources/e-science/
 Survivor: Chicxulub quiz questions and answers worksheet:
www.sciences.adelaide.edu.au/schools-resources/docs/quiz-survivor-chicxulub.pdf
Assessment
Teachers should choose assessment rubrics relevant to the year level and topic that they are
teaching.
Summative assessment:
 Answers to Survivor: Chicxulub quiz questions
 Teachers could also elect to assess students understanding of the differences in body parts of
the Microraptor from those of its relatives through the NOVA interactive (see useful websites for
link)
 Teachers could also choose to set up a classroom debate focusing on the evidence of whether
birds evolved from dinosaurs or the evidence to disprove this theory
Formative assessment:
 Contributions to discussions
 Glossary of words
The University of Adelaide
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