C a p t i o n e d
M e d i a
P r o g r a m
#10406
FOSSILS AND
DINOSAURS
BIG KIDS PRODUCTIONS, INC., 1998
GRADE LEVEL: 2-8
15 MINUTES
1 INSTRUCTIONAL GRAPHIC INCLUDED
DESCRIPTION
Dinosaurs are extinct, so how do we know about them? Through fossils--those bones or
traces that remain. Fossils can reveal dinosaurs' size, shape, and what they ate, but cannot
tell us their skin color, skin patterns, or the sounds that they made. Discusses the three
prehistoric eras and how dinosaurs may be grouped. Concludes with theories of how they
became extinct.
ACADEMIC STANDARDS
Subject Area: Science
• Standard: Understands Earth's composition and structure.
ƒ Benchmark: Knows how features on the Earth’s surface are constantly changed by
a combination of slow and rapid processes (e.g., slow processes, such as
weathering, erosion, transport, and deposition of sediment caused by waves, wind,
water, and ice; rapid processes, such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and
earthquakes). (See INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS 1.)
ƒ Benchmark: Knows that fossils provide evidence about the plants and animals that
lived long ago and the nature of the environment at that time. (See
INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS 2 and 3.)
ƒ Benchmark: Knows how successive layers of sedimentary rock and the fossils
contained within them can be used to confirm the age, history, and changing life
forms of the Earth, and how this evidence is affected by the folding, breaking, and
uplifting of layers). (See INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS 4.)
INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS
1. To
2. To
3. To
4. To
illustrate the formation of fossils.
describe the work of paleontologists.
explain what information about dinosaurs that fossils can provide.
introduce the three eras of life on Earth.
VOCABULARY
1. asteroid
2. body fossil
3. carnivores
4. decayed
5. extinct
6. herbivores
7. impression
8. pace
1
9. paleontologist
10. plaster
11. stride
12. theory
VOICE (800) 237-6213 TTY (800) 237-6819 FAX (800) 538-5636 E-MAIL [email protected] WEB www.captionedmedia.org
Funding for the Captioned Media Program is provided by the U.S. Department of Education
C a p t i o n e d
M e d i a
P r o g r a m
13. trace fossil
BEFORE SHOWING
1. Present a timeline showing the three prehistoric eras. Point out the years dinosaurs
first appeared on Earth.
2. Display pictures or images from the Internet of close-up photos.
a. Identify the objects in the pictures.
b. Discuss what attributes or features helped to identify the objects.
c. Discuss the difficulty of looking at a part and trying to identify the whole.
d. Compare this to using fossils to identify large animals.
DURING SHOWING
1. View the media more than once, with one showing
uninterrupted.
2. Pause at the section on stride and pace. Clarify
the difference between the two.
3. Pause at the section showing the pointed teeth of
carnivores. Name other modern day animals that
have similar teeth.
4. Pause at the section showing the flat teeth of
herbivores. Name other modern day animals that
have similar teeth.
5. Pause after the sections on Saurischian and
Ornithischain dinosaurs.
a. Obtain various pictures of dinosaurs from a dinosaur card game or dinosaur
dictionary.
b. Sort the pictures into these two groups.
AFTER SHOWING
Discussion Items and Questions
1. What are two kinds of fossils?
2. How are body fossils formed?
3. How are trace fossils formed?
4. What are scientists who study fossils called?
5. How are fossils prepared before they are sent to the laboratory to be studied?
6. How many years ago did dinosaurs appear on Earth?
7. What information does a dinosaur’s footprint give?
8. How can scientists determine how fast a dinosaur was walking or running?
9. How can fossil teeth tell scientists what a dinosaur ate?
10. What are animals who eat other animals called?
11. What is an example of a carnivore?
12. What are animals who eat plants called?
13. What is an example of an herbivore?
14. What information can a scientist get from the skeleton of a dinosaur?
15. What are the three eras of the history of life?
16. What kind of life was abundant during the Paleozoic Era?
17. What kind of animals roamed the earth during the Mesozoic Era?
2
VOICE (800) 237-6213 TTY (800) 237-6819 FAX (800) 538-5636 E-MAIL [email protected] WEB www.captionedmedia.org
Funding for the Captioned Media Program is provided by the U.S. Department of Education
C a p t i o n e d
M e d i a
P r o g r a m
18. What kind of animals appeared in the Cenozoic Era?
19. What are the three periods of the Mesozoic Era?
20. Name animals that appeared during each of the periods.
21. How do scientists know which fossils are older than
others?
22. What does the word dinosaur mean?
23. Into what two groups are dinosaurs classified?
24. What is the scientific term for “lizard hip”?
25. What are two groups of Saurischians?
26. How large is the Apatosaurus?
27. Describe the dinosaurs in the Theropoda group.
28. What do Ornithischain dinosaurs look like?
29. What is a special feature of Parasaurolophus?
30. What kind of head does a Pachycephalosaurus
have?
31. What is a prominent feature of Stegosaurus?
32. How big can a Euoplocephalus be?
33. What are some features that dinosaurs have that are not shown on fossils?
34. What are two theories explaining the extinction of dinosaurs?
Applications and Activities
1. Set up an activity creating fossil imprints.
a. Distribute Play-Doh, plastic fish, and plastic plants.
b. Flatten the Play-Doh and press the plastic figure into it.
c. Carefully remove the figure and pour plaster of Paris into the Play-Doh.
d. Let it dry, and peel out the plaster of Paris.
e. Compare the resulting fossils and write a description.
2. Write a story from a fossil’s point of view. Describe what it looked like, where it was
found, how it lived when it was alive, and how it died.
3. Obtain several pictures or slides of fossils. Attempt to identify the animal associated
with the fossil.
4. Design a visual depicting a geological timeline beginning with the formation of the
Earth 4.6 billion years ago.
a. Use a very large space such as a gym, sidewalk, or long hall.
b. Determine how many inches, feet, or yards represent a given number of years.
c. Use rolled paper and markers to make the timeline.
d. Use flag markers to denote special events on the timeline:
i. First microscopic life (3.6 billion years ago).
ii. First land plants appear (450 million years ago).
iii. First appearance of dinosaurs (225 million years ago).
iv. First appearance of humans (.5 million years ago).
5. Complete a chart of the three eras mention in the video. (See INSTRUCTIONAL
GRAPHIC.)
6. Create a dinosaur alphabet book. Research
names of dinosaurs that begin with each
letter of the alphabet. Draw a picture and
write a short description of each.
7. Research and report on the dinosaurs
mentioned in the media. Present the
information as a slide show.
a. Allosaurus
b. Apatosaurus
3
VOICE (800) 237-6213 TTY (800) 237-6819 FAX (800) 538-5636 E-MAIL [email protected] WEB www.captionedmedia.org
Funding for the Captioned Media Program is provided by the U.S. Department of Education
C a p t i o n e d
M e d i a
P r o g r a m
c. Apatosaurus
d. Archaeopteryx
e. Euoplocephalus
f. Pachycephalosaurus
g. Parasaurolophus
h. Plateosaurus
i. Stegosaurus
j. Tyrannosaurus rex
8. Make a dinosaur diorama in a box.
a. Paint or color dinosaur scenes on the inside of the
box.
b. Decorate with plastic plants and real rocks.
c. Make clay figures of various dinosaurs to put in the
box.
9. Create a match game of dinosaurs.
a. Write the name of specific dinosaurs on index cards
and paste or draw pictures of them on other index
cards.
b. Mix the cards and turn them over.
c. Draw two cards and attempt to match the name of the dinosaur with the correct
picture.
10. Report on paleontologists:
a. Duties of paleontologists.
b. Famous paleontologists and their discoveries.
c. Tools used by paleontologists.
INSTRUCTIONAL GRAPHIC
• PREHISTORIC ERAS CHART
RELATED RESOURCES
Captioned Media Program
• Dinosaurs! Dinosaurs! #3230
• Our Earth: Fossils #10549
World Wide Web
The following Web sites complement the contents of this
guide; they were selected by professionals who have
experience in teaching deaf and hard of hearing students.
Every effort was made to select accurate, educationally
relevant, and “kid safe” sites. However, teachers should
preview them before use.
The U.S. Department of
Education, the National Association of the Deaf, and the
Captioned Media Program do not endorse the sites and
are not responsible for their content.
4
VOICE (800) 237-6213 TTY (800) 237-6819 FAX (800) 538-5636 E-MAIL [email protected] WEB www.captionedmedia.org
Funding for the Captioned Media Program is provided by the U.S. Department of Education
C a p t i o n e d
M e d i a
P r o g r a m
• ZOOM DINOSAURS
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/index.html
Serves as a comprehensive site on information on types of dinosaurs. Includes topics
such as extinction, fossils, and paleontologists. Contains classroom activities and printouts.
• LESSON PLAN CENTRAL
http://lessonplancentral.com/lessons/Science/Dinosaurs/
Contains free lesson plans about dinosaurs. Includes Web quests, worksheets, student
links, and dinosaur clipart.
• GEOLOGICAL ERAS
http://cybersleuthkids.com/sleuth/Science/Geology/Geological_
Eras/
Contains links to the three eras mentioned in
the video. Includes a geological timeline
stairway, a dinosaur floor, and a geological
time activity, using a scale model of a football
field.
• SMITHSONIAN—NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/paleo/dinosaurs/index.htm
Participate in a virtual dinosaur discovery (an interactive dig!); click through the “Tree of
Life,” which highlights milestones in dinosaur evolution; and find out where you can view
dinosaurs anywhere in the world using the interactive world map. Also, take a behindthe-scenes tour of the Department of Paleobiology’s Vertebrate Paleontology (VP) Lab
through its slideshow display to see how specimens are prepared for exhibition.
5
VOICE (800) 237-6213 TTY (800) 237-6819 FAX (800) 538-5636 E-MAIL [email protected] WEB www.captionedmedia.org
Funding for the Captioned Media Program is provided by the U.S. Department of Education
#10406 DINOSAURS AND FOSSILS
PREHISTORIC ERAS CHART
Directions: Research and complete the chart below.
ERA
PERIODS
MYA
(MILLION YEARS AGO)
DINOSAURS/EVENTS
Paleozoic
Mesozoic
Cenozoic
Captioned Media Program
VOICE (800) 237-6213 TTY (800) 237-6819 FAX (800) 538-5636 E-MAIL [email protected] WEB www.captionedmedia.org
Funding for the Captioned Media Program is provided by the U.S. Department of Education