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Explore-a-saurus
Teacher notes
Explore-a-saurus
Education Kit
Teacher notes
This education kit contains materials developed by education staff at Museum Victoria.
Rich Learning Tasks by Bronwyn Quint, Museum Victoria.
Teachers may photocopy the contents of this kit for educational purposes.
© Museum Victoria, 2011.
Scienceworks
Education bookings: telephone 03 9392 4819 weekdays 8.30am – 4.30pm
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Contents
Essential preparation .............................................................................................................................. 4
Exhibition map ........................................................................................................................................ 5
Explore-a-saurus exhibition description ................................................................................................. 6
Victorian curriculum relevance ............................................................................................................. 12
VELS Level 1 .................................................................................................................................. 12
VELS Level 2 .................................................................................................................................. 13
VELS Level 3 .................................................................................................................................. 14
VELS Level 4 .................................................................................................................................. 15
Dinosaur facts ....................................................................................................................................... 16
Background information ....................................................................................................................... 19
Dinosaur controversies ......................................................................................................................... 20
Fossilisation ........................................................................................................................................... 24
The plants that dinosaurs ate ............................................................................................................... 25
Glossary ................................................................................................................................................. 26
Resources .............................................................................................................................................. 27
Activities ................................................................................................................................................ 28
Activity 1: Making tracks and casts. .................................................................................................. 29
Activity 2: A question of scale. How to increase the scale of a drawing using a grid. ...................... 30
Activity 3: A question of scale. What happens to weight when size doubles. ................................. 31
Activity 4: A question of scale again. Calculating the weight of a dinosaur. .................................... 32
Rich Learning Tasks ............................................................................................................................... 33
Task 1: Design a Theme Park for Dinosaurs. ..................................................................................... 35
Task 2: Could dinosaurs rule the Earth? ........................................................................................... 36
Task 3: What if? ................................................................................................................................ 36
Task 4: How does a palaeontologist know what a dinosaur looked like and how it behaved? ....... 36
Dinosaur names .................................................................................................................................... 37
What will your final presentation look like? ......................................................................................... 42
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Explore-a-saurus
Teacher notes
Essential preparation
What to do before you visit Explore-a-saurus
1. Please check your confirmation letter to ensure that the details for your excursion are correct.

If there is a problem with your booking, please call the Bookings Office on 03 9392 4819.
2. Print the Explore-a-saurus exhibition map on page 5 and the exhibition description section on
page 6 of the Teachers notes.
These show the location of each exhibit, and describe the exhibits and the concepts that they
demonstrate.
3. Copies of the exhibition map should be given to each group leader. Group leaders can then use
the map to plan the order of exhibits they will see.
4. Ensure that group leaders are familiar with the Activities sections of the Education Kit.
5. Take some time in class to discuss your excursion to Scienceworks and assess student knowledge
and understanding of the relevant topics.
Research has shown that setting objectives for a museum visit is extremely important for students. It
makes the purpose of the visit clear to them and assists their ability to focus and cooperate during
the visit. Creating interest in the subject is vital to a successful and enjoyable visit to Scienceworks.
What to bring to your visit to Explore-a-saurus
 A record of the actual number of students visiting on the day with which to inform staff upon
arrival.
 A copy of the exhibition map on page 5 of the Teacher notes for each group leader.
 It is suggested that students do not bring bags to Scienceworks as there is limited storage
space. A clipboard and pen can be used for working. A trolley is available for lunches in tubs
or baskets.
What to do during a visit to Explore-a-saurus
 During their visit, students can explore the activities in each exhibit. The Activities can assist
group leaders in creating discussion with their group to review, reinforce or extend the ideas
introduced in the exhibits.
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Explore-a-saurus
Teacher notes
Exhibition map
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Explore-a-saurus
Teacher notes
Explore-a-saurus exhibition description
Might of a T. rex bite
The jaws of some carnivorous dinosaurs could
exert enormous bite pressure. Compare your
physical strength to the force of a dinosaurs
bite. Stand in the jaws of a Tyrannosaurus rex
and push out to ‘resist the bite’. Are you
strong enough to stop being eaten?
Dinosaur hide and seek
Like modern animals, the colouring of some
dinosaurs may have acted as camouflage. This
would have helped individuals blend in with
their surroundings, either to hide from
predators or stalk prey. By wearing different
coloured and patterned cloaks, stand in front
of various backdrops to see the effects of
‘disruptive’ and ‘concealing’ colouration.
Ancient plants
Some plants from the Mesozoic or ‘age of the
dinosaurs’ are still exist today. Make a rubbing
of the fossil plants and match them to their
modern equivalents.
Paintasaurus
Research has provided us with some clues
concerning the colouration of dinosaurs. This
exhibit will explain how these conclusions
were reached and enable visitors to colour in
various dinosaurs throughout different
environments.
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Teacher notes
Insects trapped in time
Palaeontologists can learn about the
environment of dinosaurs by studying the
animals and plants that lived with them. This
includes looking at ancient tree resin, known
as amber and observing insects trapped
within it.
This exhibit enables visitors to observe insects
that are equivalent to those existing during
the time of the dinosaurs. Six different
specimens in amber can be viewed and
compared under a magnifier.
Toneasaurus
Some duck-billed dinosaurs used complex
chambers in their skulls to make noises, a bit
like blowing air through a trumpet or tuba.
Mimic the shapes of these cavities by joining
tubes and replicate the sounds that some
dinosaurs may have made.
How did dinosaurs see?
Some carnivorous dinosaurs had forward
facing eyes and good binocular vision, while
some herbivorous dinosaurs had laterallyfacing eyes and good peripheral vision.
Experience the different vision of a
carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaur.
Munch-a-saurus
Different dinosaurs had different diets. Some
dinosaurs ate plants, while others ate fish or
the flesh of other dinosaurs. Palaeontologist
can tell what food dinosaurs ate by looking at
their teeth, claws, stomachs and fossilised
poo! Can you guess what these dinosaurs ate?
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Explore-a-saurus
Teacher notes
Dinosaur eggs?
Although some dinosaur eggs and rocks look
similar, the presence of several features can
easily distinguish fossilised eggs. There are
three eggs and two rocks; can you tell which is
which?
Why did dinosaurs become
extinct?
Several theories exist regarding the extinction
of non-avian dinosaurs. This exhibit
demonstrates the possibility of extinction via
collision of an asteroid with the Earth’s
surface and the resultant dust cloud obscuring
sun-light.
Trackasaurus
Some of the most famous dinosaur footprints
come from Lark Quarry, near Winton,
Queensland. Most of the tracks were made by
small two-legged ornithopod dinosaurs that
lived in Mid Cretaceous Period (approximately
90 million years ago). Palaeontologists first
thought that one large set of footprints
belonged to a meat-eating dinosaur that was
possibly hunting the smaller ornithopods,
resulting in a stampede. These large tracks are
now thought to belong to a large plant-eating
dinosaur, similar to Muttaburrasaurus. What
do you think?
Speedosaurus
The speed of some dinosaurs can be
calculated by measuring the distance between
fossilised footprints and the height of
dinosaur hips. This interactive enables visitors
to estimate the speed of a duck-billed
dinosaur by observing the height of relevant
leg bones and the distance between
footprints on the floor.
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Explore-a-saurus
Teacher notes
Quizasaurus
This game is for two players who adopt the
name of the dinosaurs on the screen. Answer
the quiz questions, based on information in
the exhibition. The quiz aims to clarify
misconceptions about dinosaurs and
consolidate information from the exhibition.
Robosaurus
Make a metal model of a Tyrannosaurus
skeleton move! This exhibit shows how the
animatronic dinosaurs in Explore-a-saurus move
through the use of compressed air.
Jigasaurus
This game invites players to select the correct
bones and construct the skeletons of
herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs.
Choose to build a slow-moving, plant-eating
Apatosaurus; a bone-crushing, meat-eating
Tyrannosaurus or a bird-like Deinonychus.
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Explore-a-saurus
Teacher notes
Dinosaurs on Show!
-
For more information on each dinosaur see Dinosaur Facts on page 16
•
Apatosaurus (Apat-o-saw-russ)
•
Stegosaurus (Steg-o-saw-russ)
•
Tyrannosaurus (Tie-ran-o-saw-russ)
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Explore-a-saurus
Teacher notes
•
Triceratops (Try-ser-ah-tops)
•
Maiasaura (My-ah-sore-ah)
•
Muttaburrasaurus (Mut-ta-bar-ra-saw-russ)
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Explore-a-saurus
Teacher notes
Victorian curriculum relevance
Student activities and experiences in the Explore-a-saurus exhibition are relevant to Levels 1 – 4 of
the Victorian Essential Learning Standards.
VELS Level 1
Domain
Dimension & Standards
In Science, standards for assessing and reporting on student achievement are introduced at Level 3. The
learning focus statements for Levels 1 and 2 provide advice about learning experiences that will assist students
to work towards the achievement of the standards at Level 3.

Discipline-based Learning
Science

Maths
Learning focus
 use their senses to explore the world around them; for example, day and night, the seasons, and living and
non-living things
 describe their activities and observations using both general and science-specific language
 by participating in very simple investigations involving observation and measurement they learn about basic
procedures and processes, including collecting and recording data
Number
 They count the size of small sets using the numbers 0 to 20
Reading
 match print and spoken text in their immediate environment
 use title, illustrations and knowledge of a text topic to predict meaning

English
Information and
Communication
Technology
Learning
Interdisciplinary

Design,
Creativity and
Technology
Physical,
Personal &
Social
Learning

Interpersonal
Development
Speaking and listening
 ask and answer simple questions for information and clarification, contribute relevant ideas during class or
group discussion, and follow simple instructions
 listen to and produce brief spoken texts that deal with familiar ideas and information
 sequence main events and ideas coherently in speech, and speak at an appropriate volume and pace for
listeners’ needs
In the Information and Communications Technology domain, standards for assessing and reporting on
student achievement are introduced at Level 2. The learning focus statement for Level 1 provides advice
about learning experiences that will assist students to work towards the achievement of the standards at
Level 2.
Learning focus
 work with different types of data, such as text, numbers and images, to create simple information products
and share their ideas
 develop their navigation skills by responding to stimulus in multimedia resources that develop literacy and
numeracy skills
In Design, Creativity and Technology, standards for assessing and reporting on student achievement are
introduced at Level 3. The learning focus statements for Levels 1 and 2 provide advice about learning
experiences that will assist students to work towards the achievement of the standards at Level 3.
Learning focus
 think and talk about how their designs will solve a problem or meet a need, and reflect on the steps they
took to design and make their product
At this level standards are not organised by dimensions. At Level 1, students identify the qualities of a friend
and demonstrate care for other students. They contribute to the development of positive social relationships
in a range of contexts. They use appropriate language and actions when dealing with conflict. Students
describe basic skills required to work cooperatively in groups.
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Explore-a-saurus
Teacher notes
VELS Level 2
Domain
Dimension & Standards
In Science, standards for assessing and reporting on student achievement are introduced at Level 3. The
learning focus statements for Levels 1 and 2 provide advice about learning experiences that will assist
students to work towards the achievement of the standards at Level 3.

Discipline-based Learning
Science

English

Physical, Personal
& Social Learning
Learning
Interdisciplinary
Information and
Communication
Technology
Learning focus
 observe and describe phenomena
 expand their simple scientific vocabulary by using words and terms for concepts such as temperature, life
cycles, light and reflection, sound, magnetism and fair testing
 begin to generate questions about situations and phenomena, and suggest forms of observations and
measurements that are appropriate for the investigation of their questions
Reading
 read independently and respond to short imaginative and informative texts with familiar ideas and
information, predictable structures, and a small amount of unfamiliar vocabulary
 locate directly stated information, retell ideas in sequence using vocabulary and phrases from the text, and
interpret labelled diagrams
Speaking and listening
 listen to and produce spoken texts that deal with familiar ideas and information
 demonstrate, usually in informal situations, that they are able to speak clearly using simple utterances and
basic vocabulary
 contribute to group activities by making relevant comments and asking clarifying questions to facilitate
communication
 After listening to short live or recorded presentations, they recall some of the main ideas and information
presented
 listen to others and respond appropriately to what has been said
At this level standards are not organised by dimensions. At Level 2, students manipulate text, images and
numeric data to create simple information products for specific audiences. With some assistance, students
use ICT to locate and retrieve relevant information from a variety of sources.
In Design, Creativity and Technology, standards for assessing and reporting on student achievement are
introduced at Level 3. The learning focus statements for Levels 1 and 2 provide advice about learning
experiences that will assist students to work towards the achievement of the standards at Level 3.
Design, Creativity and
Technology

Interpersonal
Development
Learning focus
 talk about their design ideas and thought processes and start to represent these visually by using models,
pictures and words
 follow a set of instructions and may begin to contribute to planning the main steps to make a product
 explain what they are making and which tools and equipment they are using
Working in teams
 work in teams in assigned roles, stay on task and complete structured activities within set timeframes
 share resources fairly
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Teacher notes
VELS Level 3
Domain

Science
Dimension & Standards
Science knowledge and understanding
 identify and describe the structural features of living things
 identify how these features operate together to form systems which support living things to survive in their
environments
 distinguish between biotic and abiotic factors in their environment and describe interactions that occur
between them
 describe natural physical and biological conditions and human influences in the environment which affect
the survival of living things
Discipline-based Learning
Science at work
 plan, design, conduct and report collaboratively on experiments related to their questions about living and
non-living things and events
 select and use simple measuring equipment, use a range of appropriate methods to record observations,
and comment on trends

English
Reading
 read and respond to an increasing range of imaginative and informative texts with some unfamiliar ideas
and information, vocabulary and textual features
 interpret the main ideas and purpose of texts
 infer meaning from material presented in informative texts
 use several strategies to locate, select and record key information from texts
Speaking and listening
 vary their speaking and listening for a small range of contexts, purposes and audiences
 project their voice adequately for an audience, use appropriate spoken language features, and modify
spoken texts to clarify meaning and information
 listen attentively to spoken texts, including factual texts, and identify the topic, retell information
accurately, ask clarifying questions, volunteer information and justify opinions
Information and
Communication
Technology
Learning
Interdisciplinary

Physical, Personal
& Social Learning
Design, Creativity
and Technology

Interpersonal
Development
ICT for creating
 follow simple plans and use tools and a range of data types to create information products designed to
inform, persuade, entertain or educate particular audiences
Investigating and designing
 use words, labelled sketches and models to communicate the details of their designs and clarify ideas when
asked
Producing
 use their list of steps and are able to choose appropriate tools, equipment and techniques to alter and
combine materials/ingredients and assemble systems components
Working in teams
 cooperate with others in teams for agreed purposes, taking roles and following guidelines established within
the task
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VELS Level 4
Domain

Discipline-based Learning
Science

English
Dimension & Standards
Science knowledge and understanding
 explain change in terms of cause and effect.
 apply the terms relationships, models and systems appropriately as ways of representing complex structures
 identify and explain the relationships that exist within and between food chains in the environment
Science at work
 approach data collection systematically, and analyse data qualitatively in terms of errors of measurement
 use a range of simple measuring instruments and materials, and demonstrate understanding of their
personal responsibility in using them
 use the terms relationships and cause and effect when discussing and drawing conclusions from the data
they collect
Reading
 read, interpret and respond to a wide range of literary, everyday and media texts in print and in multimodal
formats
 analyse these texts and support interpretations with evidence drawn from the text
 describe how texts are constructed for particular purposes, and identify how sociocultural values, attitudes
and beliefs are presented in texts
Speaking and listening
 plan, rehearse and make presentations for different purposes

Learning
Interdisciplinary
Information and
Communication
Technology
Design, Creativity
and Technology
ICT for visualising thinking
 apply ICT tools and techniques to represent and explore processes, patterns and cause-and-effect
relationships
 use ICT tools and techniques that support the organisation and analysis of concepts, issues and ideas and
that allow relationships to be identified and inferences drawn from them
ICT for communicating
 use email, websites and frequently asked question facilities to acquire from, or share information with,
peers and known and unknown experts
 when emailing, successfully attach files and apply protocols for sending and receiving electronic information
 Using recommended search engines, refine search strategies to locate information quickly. Evaluate the
integrity of the located information based on its accuracy and the reliability of the web host
Investigating and designing
 contribute to the development of design briefs that include some limitations and specifications
 use a range of methods to research and collect data in response to design briefs
 generate and communicate alternative design ideas in response to a design brief and use words, labelled
sketches and models, to demonstrate that they are aware of environmental and social constraints
Physical,
Personal &
Social Learning
Analysing and evaluating
 reflect on designs as they develop them and use evaluation criteria, identified from design briefs, to justify
their design choices
 modify their designs/products/systems after considered evaluation of feedback from peers and teachers,
and their own reflection

Interpersonal
Development
Working in teams
 work effectively in different teams and take on a variety of roles to complete tasks of varying length and
complexity
 work cooperatively to allocate tasks and develop timelines
 provide feedback to others and evaluate their own and the team’s performance
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Dinosaur facts
MAIASAURA
(My-ah-sore-ah)
Meaning:
Size:
Weight:
Diet:
When:
Where:
Family:
Good mother lizard
7-9 metres long and 3 metres high
2 tonnes
Plants
83-74 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous
Montana, USA
Hadrosauridae
What’s so interesting about Maiasaura?
 Nested in large colonies
 Thousands of specimens found
 Travelled in large herds for protection
 Probably fed and protected their young
 Fossil poo from Maiasaura contains conifers
APATOSAURUS
(Apat-o-saw-russ)
Meaning:
Size:
Weight:
Diet:
When:
Where:
Family:
Deceptive lizard
21 metres long and 6 metres high
25 tonnes
Plants
155-145 million years ago, in the Late Jurassic Period
Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Oklahoma USA
Diplodocidae
What’s so interesting about Apatosaurus?
 Long tail for counterbalance and possibly defence
 Large claw on front foot for defence
 Peg-like teeth
 Long neck to reach vegetation
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Explore-a-saurus
Teacher notes
MUTTABURRASAURUS
(Mut-ta-bar-ra-saw-russ)
Meaning:
Size:
Weight:
Diet:
When:
Where:
Lizard from Muttaburra
7 metres long and 4 metres high
3 tonnes
Plants
100-98 million years ago, in the Middle Cretaceous Period
Near Muttaburra, central Queensland, Australia
What’s so interesting about Muttaburrasaurus?
 Strong hind limbs allowed walking on two feet
 Large bump on snout to make noise and improve sense of smell
 Horny beak for nipping vegetation
 Strong jaw muscles
STEGOSAURUS
(Steg-o-saw-russ)
Meaning:
Size:
Weight:
Diet:
When:
Where:
Family:
Roof lizard
9 metres long and 3 metres high
2 tonnes
Plants
155-145 million years ago, in the Late Jurassic Period
Colorado, Wyoming and Utah, USA
Stegosauridae
What’s so interesting about Stegosaurus?
 Walnut sized brain
 Bony plates possibly for body temperature regulation
 Four long tail spikes for defence
 Toothless beak for nipping plants
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TRICERATOPS
(Try-ser-ah-tops)
Meaning:
Size:
Weight:
Diet:
When:
Where:
Family:
Three-horned face
9 metres long and 3 metres high
6 tonnes
Plants
68-65 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous Period
Alberta, Saskatchewan, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado
Ceratopsidae
What’s so interesting about Triceratops?
 One of the most commonly found dinosaurs of the Late Cretaceous Period
 Numerous Triceratops skulls have been found, probably because they were so solid
 Bony frill possibly for defence, display and/or temperature regulation
 Bony horns for defence or conquering rivals during mating season
 Horny beak for grasping and plucking off plants
TYRANNOSAURUS
(Tie-ran-o-saw-russ)
Meaning:
Size:
Weight:
Diet:
When:
Where:
Family:
Tyrant lizard
12 metres long
4 metres high at hip
5.5 tonnes
Flesh
68-65 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous
Alberta, Saskatchewan, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Texas and
New Mexico
Tyrannosauridae
What’s so interesting about Tyrannosaurus?
 Tyrannosaurus fought amongst themselves and possibly undertook cannibalism
 Massive head and powerful jaws; teeth up to 20cm long with serrated edges
 Keen sense of smell, sight and hearing
 Tiny two fingered arms too small to reach mouth
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Explore-a-saurus
Teacher notes
Background information
The dinosaur family tree
Dinosaurs are distinguished from other ancient reptiles by their upright stance, with the legs positioned straight
underneath the body. This is opposed to the splayed-legged stance of crocodiles and lizards. Non-avian dinosaurs (all
dinosaurs except birds) lived between 230 and 65 million years ago. All dinosaurs are further grouped according to
their particular hip-structure as follows:
Saurischian or ‘lizard-hipped’ dinosaurs
In the Saurischia, the hip bones are arranged like those of other reptiles, with one of the two bones below the hip
joint pointing forwards (the pubis) and the other backwards (the ischium).
Hip joint of a lizard-hipped saurischian.
Saurischians include enormous plant-eating sauropods, like Apatosaurus and two-legged carnivorous theropods,
such Tyrannosaurus rex and Allosaurus. Birds are also saurischians, as they evolved from small theropods.
Ornithischian or ‘bird-hipped’ dinosaurs
In the Ornithischia, both of the pubis and the ischium point backwards, although the pubis in latter forms projects
both backwards and forwards. Other differences separating ornithischians from saurischians include the presence of
a predentary, smaller antorbital fenestrae and wider hips for stability. Ornithischians include duck-billed hadrosaurs
like Maiasaura; plated stegosaurs such as Stegosaurus; horned dinosaurs and their relatives, like Triceratops;
domed-skulled dinosaurs like Pachycephalosaurus and small, fast-moving ornithopods like Hypsilophodon. All
ornithischians are thought to have been plant-eaters.
Hip joint of an early bird-hipped ornithischian.
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Hip joint of a late bird-hipped ornithischian. Note the
extended pubis bone.
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Teacher notes
Dinosaur controversies
Many facts about dinosaurs are controversial. The Explore-a-saurus exhibition examines a number of issues such as:
 Did dinosaurs care for their young?
 What noises did they make?
 What was the colour of their skin?
 How fast could dinosaurs move?
Explore-a-saurus also examines the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs (all dinosaurs except birds), which is expanded
upon below.
Why did non-avian dinosaurs become extinct?
Nobody knows for sure. Many explanations have been proposed for the mass extinction event which occurred at the
end of the Cretaceous Period, around 65 million years ago. Listed below are a number of reasonable explanations, as
well as a few silly ones.
Biological causes
 too large to hibernate
 mammals ate their eggs
 malformations of eggshells
 died of stupidity
 collapse of the food web
 too many predatory species
 parasites
Terrestrial (non-biological) causes
 climate change (getting wetter, warmer, colder, drier)
 changes in atmospheric pressure
 floods
 earthquakes
 volcanic dust
 break up of super-continents by sea floor spreading
 spillage of frigid Arctic Ocean water into warm southern seas
Extraterrestrial causes
 reversal of terrestrial magnetic field allowing flood of cosmic radiation
 shift of rotational poles
 sunspots
 supernovae
 meteorites and comets
Miscellaneous causes
 entropy
 Noah's flood
 God's will
 killed by aliens
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Possible site of the meteorite impact which caused
the end of the dinosaurs.
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Teacher notes
Volcanoes, floods, earthquakes, disasters
There were a large number of active volcanoes at the end of the Cretaceous, and this might have triggered global
warming through the Greenhouse effect. This might have affected some of the dinosaurs, but probably not all,
because dinosaurs occupied a wide variety of ecological niches. It remains a mystery why birds and some reptiles,
such as crocodiles and tortoises survived while non-avian dinosaurs,
pterosaurs and most marine retiles died out.
Bombardment from space
The rock layer that marks the end of the dinosaur era is peppered with a
mysterious substance called iridium, a rare metal on Earth but very common
in meteorites. This suggests that a huge asteroid, 10 to 15 kilometres across,
hit the Earth, sending shock waves across the world and hurling massive dust
clouds into the upper atmosphere, blocking out the sun for several months.
No sunlight means no plants, which means no food for the plant-eating
dinosaurs, and ultimately, no plant-eating dinosaurs for the meat-eating
dinosaurs... so just about everybody goes hungry. Sounds like a crazy idea?
There is a massive crater the size of Tasmania just off the Yucatan Peninsula in
Central America, and it is just the right size and the right age to make
scientists think it is the best explanation so far. But obviously some life
survived because there is life on Earth today.
Cross section of the Earth showing Tertiary,
Fireball, Ejecta and Cretaceous layers
Continental drift
Scientists have discovered that the continents continue to move slowly. They now
understand that, in the time of the dinosaurs, Australia was connected to Antarctica. This
means that Australia was much further south than it is today and even though
temperatures were warmer during that time, the southern parts of Australia would have
endured long periods of darkness. Understanding the movement of continents over time,
gives us clues about changes in weather and volcanic and earthquake action, both of
which might have contributed to dinosaur extinction.
The continents as we know them
The geological and fossil record demonstrates that the crustal plates that make up the
exposed surface of the Earth have been colliding and separating since the Earth cooled
over four billion years ago. 650 million years ago Australia, Antarctica and India, moving
south on one side of the planet, collided with Africa and South America moving south on
the other side and formed a vast super continent named Gondwana. Two hundred
million years later, Gondwana collided with the northern continents forming the supercontinent, Pangea. After more than 200 million years, various continental plates that
formed Pangea tore apart again. Australia remained joined to Antarctica until the Eocene
approx. 55-40 million years ago, when it separated and, attached to the southeast edge
of the Indian oceanic plate, started its slow progress north. Twenty million years ago,
Australia collided with Indonesia, pushing up the New Guinea highlands.
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Teacher notes
Plate tectonics
In the last 30 or 40 years geologists and oceanographers have
amassed a vast body of evidence to support the theory of plate
tectonics. It is now universally accepted that the crust of the Earth is
in constant motion as 15 continental and ocean floor plates slide
past,
separate from, and collide with one another.
Why do the plates move?
We don't know with certainty but the most widely held
hypothesis is that convection currents drive the plates. Warm
fluids, including molten rock, tend to expand and rise as heat
lowers their density. Plastic rocks (rocks which have been
superheated) within the asthenosphere appear to rise towards
the crust, spreading out and sinking back down as they cool.
They are then rewarmed by heat generated by radioactive decay
in the Earth's core, which continues the convection cycle. The slow, horizontal movement of the plastic rocks moves
the relatively thin crustal rocks like rafts on a sea of hot tar. All the plates of the Earth's crust are joined to one
another along their boundaries. When any plate moves it disturbs its neighbours. This can happen in one of three
ways:



shear, where plates slip past each other
divergence, where plates separate
convergence, where plates collide
At shear zones a type of crustal break called a transform fault occurs. Here the rocks of two plates slide past each
other with many a jerk and lurch, as the plates continually stick to one another and then break apart. Each break
causes an earthquake. An example of a transform fault is the San Andreas of California where Baja California and
south-western California are separating from the mainland, and moving north towards Alaska.
Mid-oceanic ridges are plate boundaries where the basaltic ocean floor plates have moved apart. These divergence
zones, or gaps, are constantly filled by the intrusion of basaltic lava from below. Sometimes enough lava erupts in
these zones to form islands such as Iceland.
The boundaries where plates meet are known as convergence zones. Generally an oceanic plate will plunge under a
continental margin at a subduction zone. It is in these zones that the effect of convergence may cause uplifting and
the formation of mountain ranges and volcanic island chains. It is also an area where earthquakes are generated.
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Teacher notes
The Earth’s tectonic plates are constantly moving causing earthquakes, tidal waves and new islands to be formed.
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Teacher notes
Fossilisation
What is a fossil?
The word fossil comes from the Latin fossilis, meaning 'dug up'. Fossils are the remains, moulds or traces of
organisms that died a long time ago and were usually preserved in sedimentary rocks such as sandstones, silt
stones and shales. Fossils provide evidence of past forms of life including; mosses, ferns, leaves, wood, pollens,
shells, corals, crabs, worms, sea urchins, fish, amphibians, reptiles, dinosaurs, birds and mammals. About 250,000
different fossil species have been identified.
How are fossils formed?
For millions of years, life was only found in the oceans. The oldest fossils are therefore of marine organisms. When
these animals died, their remains accumulated on the sea floor where they were buried by mud, sand or silt. When
land animals or plants died, the soft parts usually decomposed or were eaten by scavengers. However, if the hard
parts (bones, shells, wood) were covered by a sudden flood, or sand, or even volcanic ash, they might be preserved.
Teeth are the hardest parts of an animal and were most likely to be preserved. Bone, wood and shell, although hard,
have minute air spaces. When buried, water containing dissolved minerals may seep into these spaces and deposit
minerals. Often, over millions of years, all the original bone or shell dissolves away leaving a complete mineral
replacement embedded in the surrounding rock. The bones, wood and shell are then said to be petrified, or turned
to stone. Rock is not the only medium that contains preserved fossils.
Extinct insects have been found in fossil tree sap (amber). Animals that
became trapped in natural tar pits have been beautifully preserved;
mammoths and other animals that lived during the ice ages have been
incorporated in ice, or frozen ground, so that flesh, hair and even stomach
contents have been perfectly preserved. In some locations, scientists have
also discovered impressions of skin. Sometimes, the entire animal
decayed away but left a 'mould' that was then filled by sediments or
minerals making a natural 'cast'. Similarly, footprints made in soft ground
created moulds that were later filled, making casts.
Where are fossils found?
Fossils are generally rare, but can be found in road cuttings, quarries, cliff faces, river valleys and seashores - even in
such places as building sites - fossil hunters (palaeontologists) can recognise sedimentary rocks that are likely to
contain fossils of a particular period. Background research plays a large part in knowing where to look but luck has a
major role as well. When a site has been identified as being a possible site for fossils and perhaps excavated with
some success, similar rock formations may be sought in other localities.
Some Victorian Sites
Some of the better known localities in Victoria, where you can fossick for fossils (mainly invertebrates) include:
 Batesford quarry (near Geelong) but permission is required from the owners, Portland Cement.
 Buchan district
 The cliffs at Beaumaris beach but care needs to be taken as these cliffs are unstable.
 Fossil Beach, Mornington
 Wandong district
 Lilydale district
 Kilmore district
Note that before removing fossils from excavation sites, permission must be acquired from the appropriate
authorities.
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Teacher notes
The plants that dinosaurs ate
During the Triassic and Jurassic Periods, the dominant plants were non flowering forms, including cycads, ginkgoes,
conifers, ferns, horsetails and quillworts. In the next large time period, the Cretaceous, flowering plants and grasses
first appeared.
Cycads
Sometimes called 'living fossils' because they reached their peak in the Jurassic (199-145
million years ago). They received their name from a resemblance to palms. Unlike palms,
however, cycads are cone bearing. They are found along the coastal areas and in isolated
patches in central and south west Australia. Seeds of some species were eaten by Aboriginal
people but are poisonous unless crushed and washed.
Araucarias
These ancient conifers are found scattered through the forests of eastern Australia. Araucarias
appeared in the fossil records before dinosaurs but reached their peak in the Mesozoic. They
are named after the South American Indians, Araucanos. The common names of the
araucarias grown in parks and large gardens include the Hoop pine, Bunya bunya pine, Norfolk
Island pine, Kauri and the South American monkey puzzle tree.
Ferns
Probably the most ancient plant group which still survives today. They first appear in the fossil
records around 360 million years ago, in the Carboniferous period. While ferns are restricted
to wet areas, they once dominated large areas of the Earth's forests and contributed much to
the Earth's coal supplies. They can be propagated by vegetative means or sexually from
spores.
Ginkgoes
Found in 270 million year old fossils. Curiously, the extensive family of ginkgoes has been
reduced to just one member, the species, Ginkgo biloba. This species surprised scientists, who
had thought it extinct, when it turned up in the gardens of some Chinese monasteries at the
turn of the century. Female plants produce a rather quaint smelling orange coloured soft fruit.
The fan shaped leaves have led people to refer to it as the Maidenhair Tree.
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Teacher notes
Glossary
Geological Periods
Triassic (251-199 million years ago [m.y.a.]) so named because the strata that comprise sediments of this age can be
divided into three distinct types.
Jurassic (199-145 m.y.a.) named after the mountain range between France and Switzerland where rock strata of this
age and type were first discovered.
Cretaceous (145-65 m.y.a.) from the French word for chalk, cretace, which is found in rock strata of this age.
Geological Eras
Proterozoic means ‘earlier life’ (2500-542 m.y.a.)
Palaeozoic means ‘old life’ (542-251 m.y.a.)
Mesozoic means ‘middle life’ (251-65 m.y.a.)
Cainozoic means ‘new life’ (65 m.y.a. - today)
Biochemistry
Endothermic - generating internal heat to moderate body temperature e.g.
and mammals (commonly referred to as ‘warm-blooded’).
Ectothermic - relying on the environment and behaviour to regulate body temperature.
e.g. typical reptiles (commonly referred to as ‘cold-blooded’).
modern birds
Dinosaur classification
Saurischia - lizard-hipped dinosaurs such as Apatosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex, and the ancestors of modern birds.
Ornithischia - bird-hipped dinosaurs such as Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Muttaburrasauru and Maiasaura.
Dinosaur families
Diplodcidae meaning ‘of the two-fold beams’.
Hadrosauridae meaning ‘of the large reptiles’.
Iguanodontidae meaning ‘of the iguana-toothed’.
Stegosauridae meaning ‘of the roofed reptiles’.
Tyrannosauridae meaning ‘of the tyrant reptiles’.
Ceratopsidae meaning ‘of the horned-faces’.
Dromaeosaurid meaning ‘running lizard’.
Dinosaur
The word dinosaur was coined in 1841 by Sir Richard Owen in specific reference to the only three known at the
time -Megalosaurus, Iguanodon and Hylaeosaurus. The word derives from the Greek, deinos - terrible and sauros lizard.
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Teacher notes
Resources
Student resources

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Holtz, T. R. Jr. 2007. Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages.
Random House, New York.
Paul, G. S. 2011. Dinosaurs: a field guide. A & C Black, London.
Long, J. and Schouten, P. 2008. Feathered dinosaurs: the origins of birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood.
Kear, B. P. and Hamilton-Bruce, R. J. 2011. Dinosaurs in Australia: Mesozoic life from the southern continent.
CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood.
Kool, L. 2010. Dinosaur Dreaming: exploring the Bass Coast of Victoria. Monash Science Centre, Clayton.
Rich, T. H. 2007. Polar dinosaurs of Australia. Museum Victoria, Carlton.
Rich, T. H. and Vickers-Rich. 2003. A century of Australian dinosaurs. Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery,
Launceston.
Websites
•
Melbourne Museum Education Resources - Dinosaur Walk and 600 million years
http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/discoverycentre/dinosaur-walk/
http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/discoverycentre/600-million-years/

Natural History Museum, London
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/kids-only/dinosaurs/
•
The Dinosauria
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/dinosaur.html
•
Walking with Dinosaurs
http://www.abc.net.au/dinosaurs/default.htm
•
Dinosaurs for Kids
http://www.kidsdinos.com/

Dinosaurnews Webzine
http://www.dinosaurnews.org/
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Teacher notes
Activities
The following activities may be used prior to, and/or after a visit to Explore-a-saurus at science works.
For younger ages:
Dino bones
Cut out bones of dinosaur split-pin them together to form a dinosaur skeleton.
http://pbskids.org/curiousgeorge/printables/dino.html
Which Dinosaur is Different?
A spot the difference in dinosaurs. Very young children just circle odd one out, as the students get older they can
write the differences between dinosaurs, eg. Long neck, no horns.
http://www.kidssoup.com/dinosaurs/a_dinodifferent.pdf
For older ages:
Students may make their own fossil casts (a simplified version could be made for younger years but would require a
lot of assistance and be very time consuming)
For all ages:
What did you know before? What did you know after?
This will assist teachers in discovering how beneficial excursion was.
Students can also gage their own learning when they use this technique and can apply it to many topics of learning.
Design your own dinosaur
This activity can be adapted depending on age. Younger students may be required to draw a dinosaur, older students
will need to provide a lot more information and give thought to their reasoning.
ie:
Create a name for your dinosaur using the table of names on page 37.
What body shape and skin colour does the dinosaur have?
Does it use camouflage, if so why?
Is the animal an herbivore or carnivore?
What sound does it make?
How did it move?
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Teacher notes
Activity 1: Making tracks and casts.
What you need:





some damp sand
a long cardboard rectangle to circle the footprint
a bag of dental plaster
a large ice cream container for mixing
a wooden spoon
What to do:
Either find a cooperative animal or make shoe or foot impressions in the sand.
Circle the impression with the cardboard rectangle and secure with staples or paper clips.
Mix the plaster according to the instructions on the bag.
Pour and wait about 10 minutes for the plaster to harden.
Remove the cardboard circle.
The plaster cast becomes the negative impression of the footprint. To make a positive version, one needs to press
the negative impression into a soft material like clay. Circle the clay impression and repeat the plaster pour.
Questions:
1. Who else makes plaster impressions of footprints or tracks?
2. If there was not any plaster to fill an animal’s footprint, what must have fallen into the impression to
preserve it?
Extension idea:

Go for a walk around the school or home and look for impressions left in concrete footpaths. What stories
can the students generate from these marks? Presumably some marks are graffiti like, while animals or
pedestrians may inadvertently leave others.
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Teacher notes
Activity 2: A question of scale. How to increase the scale of a drawing using a grid.
What you need:





A drawing of a dinosaur
ruler
pencil
eraser
A3 paper for the enlargement
What to do:
You are going to scale up a drawing of a dinosaur using the grid method. Draw a 10 by 10 grid over your dinosaur.
Decide on the ratio of enlargement for the dinosaur, would you like to scale the drawing up by a factor of two, four
or ten?
On the larger paper, construct the next 10 by 10 grid according to the ratio you have chosen.
Transfer the elements of each square in the original photocopy to the larger grid, square by square.
This is a standard method used by artists and designers to enlarge or compress the size of things they want to draw.
Extension questions:
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

Why does the surface area of an animal increase at the square of the enlargement but the mass of the animal
increase at the cube of the enlargement?
Palaeontologists have observed that the length of a dinosaur is often about 5 times the length of its femur or
thighbone. What is the relationship to human height and femur length?
Palaeontologists have also connected foot length to height, as well as stride length.
Try graphing the foot length of students in your class with their heights. Was there a strong connection between
the length of student’s feet and their height?
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Teacher notes
Activity 3: A question of scale. What happens to weight when size doubles.
What you need:



models of dinosaurs
plasticene
set of kitchen scales
What to do:
When dinosaurs grew in size their weight increased at an exponential rate. This means that if the dinosaur doubled
its size or dimensions, the weight increased at a cube rate, that is 2 x 2 x 2 or by a factor of 8.
To test this mathematical modelling of weight increase, you will need to make a plasticene model of a dinosaur and
compare its weight with a model which has been doubled in length, height and width, that is, twice as big in every
dimension.
•
•
•
•
Make a small plasticene model of a dinosaur, for convenience sake try to make its height and length a
convenient whole number of centimeters.
Weigh the plasticene model.
To double the size of the original plasticene model, all components have to be twice as big.
Weigh the larger plasticene model.
dinosaur
1
size
Weight estimate
weight
grams
2
Twice dino #1
3
Thrice dino #1
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Teacher notes
Activity 4: A question of scale again. Calculating the weight of a dinosaur.
What you need:
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
model dinosaurs
bucket of water
cotton thread
a tray to catch the water which overflows from the bucket
a one litre graduated jug
What to do:
You are going to work out the approximate weight of the dinosaur from the model.
Fill the bucket of water to the very brim, this is important as you are going to immerse the model dinosaur and
calculate the volume of the model dinosaur.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Suspend the model dinosaur from the cotton thread
Immerse the model into the full bucket, ensuring you catch all the water, which overflows.
Measure the volume of the water displaced by the model in the graduated jug in millilitres.
Calculate the weight of the displaced water, the millilitres of water displaced equals the weight of the water
in grams.
To calculate the weight of the original dinosaur, multiply the weight of the water displaced by the model, by
the scale cubed.
For example, if the model is one tenth scale and the water displaced was 400 grams or 0.4 kg. Therefore, the
approximate weight of the original dinosaur would be 4 x 10 x 10 x 10 kilograms = 400 kg.
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Teacher notes
Rich Learning Tasks
If teachers wish their students to undertake a Rich Learning Task, they should be aware that the tasks require
discussion and preparation prior to the visit to Scienceworks. This will determine which exhibits students should
see. Additional work may be required to be completed when back at school, particularly if students are required
to make a presentation based on the Rich Learning Task for assessment purposes.
Teachers will need to decide or negotiate;

Whether students will be working in groups or individually. If students are to work in groups, then teams of
three to four students are best to avoid crowding around each exhibit. The Rich Learning Task resources
include a team agreement/contract to assist students to explore how they can work within their teams.
Teams will also need to discuss how they will collect the images/information they require for their task,
during their visit.

Which one or more Rich Learning Tasks are suitable for students within the class to complete? All students
may complete the same activity or they may be allowed to choose one for themselves. These may be
adapted to ensure that they are appropriate for each individual or group of students. The activities have
flexibility to cater for individual needs and interests. A particular VELS domain could also be selected as the
focus of the visit.

Whether students are allowed bring digital cameras or mobile phones so they can document their
experience in the exhibition for later use. Students may also be allowed to use the voice recording function
on their mobile phone or mp3 player to record their observations.

How students will move through the exhibition and what they might see. Taking their particular Rich
Learning Task into consideration, each team should map out which exhibits may be of most relevance to
completing their task, on their copy of the exhibition map. The exhibit descriptions on page 6 will help them
to identify these. During their visit, they must try to get through as many of the relevant exhibits as possible
and gather the information or images they need to be able to complete their task back at school. If an
exhibit is ‘busy’ it is important that they try to find another one that they can use rather than just waiting for
one to become free. The order in which students work through the exhibits is not important, so encourage
the class to start at different places within the exhibition.

Each student or team will need to decide what format their final presentation will take. For some
suggestions see page 42.
Rich Learning Task resources
Assessment rubrics, a work log, and a team agreement/contract are included in this kit as separate PDF documents
to assist teachers to assess and promote student learning. Refer to the ‘Resource’ section on the Explore-a-saurus
web page. Decide which of these resources are relevant to your students’ needs and the curriculum areas you wish
to cover before your visit. Spend some time in class with your students discussing the requirements associated with
these materials.
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Create your own rubrics with your students
A very useful educational activity is to allow students to develop their own rubrics for a particular task. This allows
them to identify the key features or skills relevant to the task and promotes self-reflection on their work habits and
skill levels.
You could start this process by asking students to consider the following:
What are some of the key features that you would expect to find in a really good presentation? List these.
Discuss your answers with your team and together come up with a final list.
Discuss your ideas with the rest of the class.
Key features of Rich Learning Tasks could include:

working with others

organisational skills

self-reflection

written content

visual or verbal content
You may also want students to focus on particular VELS domains and dimensions.
You could prepare a template (‘Make your own rubric’) and ask students to write brief statements that describe
observations to be made for each feature. Use Rubrics 1 – 3 as a guide. Remember that whatever choices are made,
they need to be meaningful to students and able to be measured or clearly observed.
Working in teams
If your students are working in teams, you may find that the sample ‘Team agreement /contract’ provided is a useful
resource. By allowing all members of the team to work on the contract, students will develop an understanding of
how they are responsible for working together.
Developing organisational skills
If you are encouraging students to enhance their organisational skills while working on the activities provided, you
may find that the sample ‘Work log’ is useful.
If you wish to explore the world of electronic mind mapping with your class, you may wish to consider using Bubbl.us
which is a simple, free web application that allows your students to brainstorm online. The program allows you to
create mind maps online and students are able to share their work. For more details go to: http://www.bubbl.us/
A similar program that has a free version is Mindmeister.
For more details go to: http://www.mindmeister.com/home/premium
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Teacher notes
Task 1: Design a theme park for dinosaurs.
There are many things that need to be considered in the design of a theme park. Not only do you need to think
about the rides that will be offered, but also what facilities you will need to provide.
Some things you will need to decide on are:

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

What menus will the food stalls offer?
How will you design the toilets?
What are the height and weight limits for each ride?
Have you designed the layout for easy access for all sizes of dinosaurs?
Do you need a locker space? How big do the lockers need to be?
There are other things you will need to consider in your design. What allowances do you need to make for different
dinosaurs? Have you catered for both carnivores and herbivores?
The task:
1. Design the layout of the park, placing rides, shops and facilities at convenient locations. Be prepared to
justify your design and placement of facilities.
2. Make a sketch of your layout, or a model of your park.
3. Present your ideas to the rest of your class.
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Teacher notes
Task 2: Could dinosaurs rule the Earth?
It is thought that the dinosaurs died out after the Earth was hit by an asteroid. If the dinosaurs didn’t die out and
were still alive today, how would they have evolved? Would they be the dominant species on Earth? What would
their relationship be with other life forms on the planet? Would humans still have evolved?
Task 3: What if?
An asteroid did hit the Earth and the resulting dust cloud meant that the planet had six months of darkness. What
would be the effect on the food chain? Hint: look at plants as well as animals in the food chain. What would survive?
How would the different species survive and would they thrive?
Task 4: How does a palaeontologist know what a dinosaur looked like and how it
behaved?
What evidence does a palaeontologist use to decide what a particular dinosaur looked like, how it moved, what it
ate? What evidence is presented in the exhibition? Is there anything that is missing? How accurate are their ideas,
have they changed over time as new discoveries are made?
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Teacher notes
Dinosaur names
Name
(Language of Origin)
Meaning in English
acantho
(from the Greek akanthos, meaning bear's foot)
spiny
acro
(Greek)
high
aeto
(Greek)
eagle
allo
(from the Greek word allos)
other
alti
(from the Latin word altus)
high
ambi
(Latin)
both or two
amphi
(Greek)
both or two
an
(Greek)
not or without
anato
(Latin)
duck
anchi
(from the Greek word agkhi)
near
ankylo
(from the Greek word ankylos)
hook, joint, fused, stiff or bent
anser
(Latin)
goose
antho
(from the Greek word anthos)
flower
anuro
(Greek)
no tail
apato
(Greek)
deceptive
archaeo
(from the Greek word archaios)
ancient
avi or avis
(Latin)
bird
bactro
(from the Greek word baktron)
baton or club
baga
(from the Mongolian word baga)
little
baro or bary
(from the Greek word barys)
heavy
bellu
(from the Latin word bellus)
beautiful
brachio
(from the Greek word brachion and the Latin
word brachium)
arm
brachy
(Greek)
short
bronto
(from the Greek word bronte)
thunder
calamo
(from the Greek word kalamos)
reed
camara
(from the Greek word kamara)
chamber
campto
(from the Greek word kamptos)
flexible
campylo
(from the Greek word kampylos)
bent
carchar
(from the Greek word karkhar)
jagged
cardio
(from the Greek word kardia)
heart
carno
(Greek )
flesh
caud or caudia
(Latin)
tail
centro
(Latin)
left
cephalo
(from the Greek word kephale)
head
cera, ceras
(from the Greek word keras)
horn
cerno
(from the Latin word secerno)
divide or sever
cero
(from the Greek word keras)
horn
chasmo
(from the Greek word khasma)
chasm or yawning fissure
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chiro or cheirus
(from the Greek word kheir)
hand
chondro
(from the Greek word khondros)
cartilage
cion
(from the Greek word kion)
column or pillar
clao
(from the Greek word klao)
break or crush
cneme
(from the Greek word kneme)
lower leg or shin bone
coeli or coelo
(from the Greek word koiloma)
opening or cavity
compso
(from the Greek word kompso)
elegant
coryth
(from the Greek word koryth)
helmet
costa
(from the Greek word costa)
rib
cryo
(from the Greek word kryos)
cold
crypto
(from the Greek word kryptos)
hidden
cyon
(from the Greek word kuon)
dog
dactly
(from the Greek word dactylos)
finger
deino
(from the Greek word deinos)
fearfully great or terrible
derm
(Greek)
skin
di
(Greek)
two
dino
(from the Greek word deino)
fearfully great or terrible
diplo
(from the Greek word diploos)
double or in pairs
docus
(from the Greek word dokos)
beam, bar or shaft
don or dont
(from the Greek word odon)
tooth
draco
(from the Greek word rakon)
dragon
dromeus or dromeo
(from the Greek word dromeus)
runner
drypto
(from the Greek word drypto)
wounding
echino
(Greek)
spiny
elasmo
(from the Greek word elasma)
metal plated or elastic, like thin,
beaten metal
elmi
(Greek)
foot
eo
(from the Greek godess of the dawn, Eos)
dawn
equus
(from Latin)
horse
eu
(from the Greek word eus)
good or well
eury
(From the Greek word eurys)
wide
felis
(From Latin)
cat
giga
(from the Greek word gigas)
savage giant
gnathus
(from the Greek word gnatos)
jaw
hadro
(from the Greek word hadros)
large
hetero
(from the Greek word heteros)
mixed or different
hippos
(Greek)
horse
hydro
(Greek)
water
hypacro
(Greek)
top
hypselo or hypsi
(from the Greek word hypsos)
high
ichthyo
(from the Greek word ichthys)
fish
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Teacher notes
iguano
(from the Arawak word iwana)
iguana
kentro
(from the Greek word kentron)
sharp point or spur
krito
(from the Greek word kritos)
chosen or separated
lana
(from the Latin word lanatus)
woolly
lepto
(from the Greek word leptos)
thin or slender
lestes
(from the Greek word leistes)
robber
lio
(from the Greek word leios)
smooth
lite or lithos
(from the Greek word lithos)
stone
lopho, lophos
(from the Greek word lophos)
crest or tuft
lyco
(from the Greek word lykos)
wolf
lystro
(Greek)
shovel
maia
(from the Greek Maia, mythical mother of
Hermes)
good mother
macro
(from the Greek word makros)
long or large
megal
(from the Greek word megas)
great
micro
(from the Greek word mikros)
small
mio
(Greek)
less
mono
(Greek)
single or alone
masso
(Greek)
long or bulky
mega
(from the Greek megas)
huge
merus
(from the Greek meros)
part or portion
metro
(Greek)
measure
micro
(from the Greek word mikros)
tiny
mimus
(from the Greek word mimikos)
mimic
morph
(Greek)
shape
nano
(Greek)
dwarf or very small
neo
(from the Latin word neos)
new
neustes
(from the Greek word neustes)
swimmer
nodo
(from the Latin word nodulus)
knotted or lumpy
noto
(from the Greek word nodus)
node or nodulus
notos
(from the Greek word notos)
south
nycho or nychus
(from the Greek onykh)
clawed
odon or odont
(from the Greek word odon)
tooth
oid or oides
(Greek)
like
oligo
(from the Greek word oligos)
few or little
onyx
(from the Greek word onyx)
claw or talon
opistho
(from the Greek word opisthen)
at the back or behind
ops
(from the Greek word ops)
eye or face
opsis
(from the Greek word opsis)
face
ornis or ornitho
(from the Greek, ornis means bird)
bird
oro, oros, oreios
(from the Greek word oros)
mountain
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Teacher notes
ortho
(from the Greek word orthos)
straight
ovo or ovi
(from the Latin word ovum)
egg
pachy
(from the Greek word pachys)
thick
para
(Greek)
beside
patri
(Latin)
father
pedi
(Latin)
foot
pelon
(from the Greek word pelos)
mud or clay
peloro
(from the Greek word peloros)
monstrous
penta
(Greek)
five
phalanges
(from the Greek word phalanx)
fingers or toes
phyllo
(from the Greek word phyllon)
leaf
physis
(Greek)
form
placo
(Greek)
broad or flat
plateo
(from the Greek word plateos)
flat
plesio
(from the Greek word plesios)
near
pleuro
(from the Greek word pleuron)
side or rib
plio
(from the Greek word pleion)
more
pogon
(Greek)
beard
poly
(from the Greek word polys)
many or much
pod or pos
(Latin)
foot or to put
preno
(Greek)
sloping
prio
(from the Greek word prion)
saw
pro
(Greek)
before
protero
(from the Greek word proteros)
earlier or former
proto
(from the Greek word protos)
first or earliest
psittaco
(from the Greek word psittakos)
parrot
pteron
(from the Greek word pteron)
feather or wing
pteryx
(from the Greek word pterygion)
wing or fin
pyro
(from the Greek word pyros)
fire
quadr
(Latin)
four
raptor
(Latin)
robber or plunderer
rex
(Latin)
king
rhinus or rhino
(Greek)
nose or snout
rhomale
(from the Greek word rhomaleos)
robust or strong
saetum
(Latin)
bristle
salto
(Latin)
leaping
sarco
(Greek)
flesh
saur, sauro or sauros or
saurus
(from the Greek word sauros)
lizard (or generalized reptile)
scapho
(from the Greek word skaphe, meaning boat)
canoe
scelida
(from the Greek word skelis)
hind leg
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Teacher notes
segno
(from the Latin word segnis)
slow
seismo
(from the Greek word seismos)
earthquake
Sino
Chinese
smilo
(Greek)
knife
spino
(Latin)
thorn or backbone
spondyl
(from the Greek word spondylos)
vertebrae
stego
(from the Greek word stegos)
roof or cover
steno
(from the Greek word stenos)
narrow, close or slender
strepto
(from the Greek word streptos)
reversed
struthio
(Greek)
ostrich
suchus
(from the Greek word soukhos)
crocodile
tetra
(Greek)
four
thallasso
(Greek)
sea
thero, therium
(from the Greek word therion)
beast
titano
(Greek)
titanic
tops
(Greek)
face
tri
(Greek)
three
troo
(Greek)
wound
tyranno
(from the Greek word tyrannikos)
tyrant
ultra
(Latin)
extreme
urus
tail
veloci
(from the Latin word velocitas)
speedy
venator
(from the Latin word venator)
hunter
vulcano
(from the Latin god Vulcanus)
volcano
zo, zoa, zoon
(from the Greek zoia)
animals or life
zygo
(Greek)
joined
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Teacher notes
What will your final presentation look like?
Select a project format
Discuss the format you will use for this task with your teacher, taking into account your learning task. Here are some
suggestions with useful hints to consider:
Design a pamphlet, newspaper article or instruction manual
Incorporate your photos of exhibits and text from the exhibition.
1. Think about the size and layout of the final product. Incorporate photos/illustrations and text.
2. Decide on your content.
3. What will be the key headings/sections/paragraphs?
4. What photos/illustrations do you need to include?
5. Decide on font type, colour and style.
6. Map out a timeline for completion of tasks.
Produce a TV advertisement/documentary or an online journal/blog
Use your images/footage taken in the exhibition.
1. Identify the main points you want to communicate to your audience.
2. Identify approach – e.g. will there be narration or written text?
3. Storyboard the main scenes.
4. Develop the text/script.
5. Identify material/equipment required to complete task (video camera/mobile phone, microphone for
narrations, set design, sound effects/music, etc). What software will you use to edit your production? For
example, you could use ‘Movie Maker’. For an introduction to Movie Maker go to:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/getstarted/DLmovies.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/create/polish.mspx
http://www.adobe.com/education/digkids/storytelling/index.html
A good website that is useful for learning about video production:
http://kidsvid.altec.org/
6. Identify any training needed so that students can operate the equipment they require to complete the tasks
they have been allocated. Discuss who will carry out the training and when.
7. Allocate tasks to group members.
8. Map out a timeline for completion of tasks.
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42
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Teacher notes
Produce a slideshow presentation
Use your images/footage taken in the exhibition.
1. Identify the main points you want to communicate to your audience.
2. Identify approach/format – e.g. will a team member narrate the presentation, how much written text will be
used? What type of images (or visual information) will you use? Will you use special sounds or music?
3. Decide on the layout or look of your slides.
4. Plan the slideshow by storyboarding the slides.
5. Develop the text/script.
6. Identify material/equipment required to complete task (video camera, microphone for narrations, set
design, etc).
7. Allocate responsibilities to group members.
8. Map out a timeline for completion of tasks.
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