Dinosaur
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Activities

Using Dinosaurs to Review Earth Science Units

Purpose:

Dinosaurs have such appeal that using them as a vehicle for learning allows students to review many topics in earth science. What You Need: slide set, projector and screen, laser pointer
dinosaur models
clay samples
molds of footprints: amphibian and ceolophysis
Teaching Outline
  1. Purpose of Class
    • state purpose
    • educational objectives:
      1. Dinosaurs are reptiles that laid eggs, walked upright and had scales.  They are different from amphibians and mammals.
      2. Nova Scotia has the evolutionary links to dinosaurs through early reptiles at Joggins and reptile like animals at Brule.
      3. Plant evolution allowed for the development of an atmosphere and life based on oxygen.
      4. Dinosaurs lived in all environments eventually, but the warm living arrangement in the "Fundy Rift Valley" was a good environment for dinosaurs.
      5. The Earth's Outer Skin is constantly moving and changing.  Plate tectonics is how we geologists describe this movement.  Rifting is only part of this cycle.
    • what we will do today
  2. Small Group Discussion
    • "What is a dinosaur?"
    • "What do we know about dinosaurs and where they lived?"
    • discussion of each group's work
  3. Large Group Discussion
    • How are dinosaurs different than amphibians or mammals?"
    • What kind of behavious characteristics did dinosaurs display?"
    • develop the idea of early individual behaviour at Joggins and early herd behavious at Brule
  4. Slides
    • stop at each major section and ask for questions
    • major points on the slides: (a) geological time; (b) interpreting rocks and fossils; (c) past environments from NS
  5. Wrap-up

Prepared by:
Howard Donohoe
Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources

   

    Last Modified: 2004-12-10