Paleontology

Crissy August 6th, 2005

(1) Objectives:

• To discover what paleontology is.
• To discover what a paleontology does.
• To discover how a paleontologist digs up fossils.
• To discover what tools a paleontologist uses to dig up fossils.

Procedure:

• Show video on how a paleontologist digs up fossils.
• Discuss who a paleontologist is and how he/she digs up fossils.
• Have students individually extract chocolate chips (the fossils) out of a cookie (the rock) using only a toothpick and a paintbrush.

Materials/Resources:

• Video A Magical Field Trip to the Dinosaur Museum.

(2) Objectives:

• To discover how dinosaur bones fit together.
• To discover how a paleontologist knows how to put dinosaur bones together.

Procedure:

• Show video that discusses putting dinosaur skeletons together.
• Students draw the shape of any dinosaur on two pieces of paper (a regular white sheet and a heavy white sheet).
• On regular white sheet, students make the skin of dinosaur using textures underneath (sandpaper, wall, etc.).
• On heavy white sheet, students make a dinosaur skeleton using chicken bones.
• Staple the skin on top of the bones so it can flip up to view the bones.

Materials/Resources:

• Video How Big Were the Dinosaurs.

Entry Filed under: Lessons, Dinosaur Lessons