Dr. Dina Might, Paleontologist
Dr. Dina Might, Paleontologist Distance Learning Summary and Goals Students will gain an understanding of animal extinction through the study of dinosaurs’ characteristics and comparing those with characteristics of reptiles, birds, and mammals. Grade Levels Grades K-2 Engage This activity is designed to start your students in recognizing themselves as researchers and thinking critically about problem-solving. The goal is to teach concepts through discovery and to encourage using scientific thought processes. As with all lessons provided, please feel free to adapt them according to your students’ abilities. Some of your students may be early readers, in which case you may find it more successful to lead activities and discussions as a whole group rather than using individual research plan sheets. Certain scientific vocabulary may or may not be appropriate for your students’ level of understanding. Take these ideas, make them your own and your students will have a greater chance at success. How were dinosaurs similar to or different from animals that are alive today? 1. Begin this lesson by telling students that they will be investigating similarities between dinosaurs and animals that are alive today. 2. If your students are familiar with brainstorming and recording their ideas, break them into small groups. If your students need more guidance, work with them as a large group. Engage your students in a discussion of what they predict the answer to the question to be. More importantly, why do they think this? 3. What did the dinosaurs look like? Are there animals around today that have the same body shape? What about body covering? Were there dinosaurs that resemble more than one animal alive today? Explore 4. Continue with the above discussion and encourage the group to come up with ways they could investigate the question and test their predictions scientifically (all suggestions are welcomed). What tools might they need to carry out their suggested explorations? Are there materials that would help them find the answer? Should they be making observations? What kinds of records will they need to keep? What will they do
with the information once they have it? And how will they know that they’ve successfully answered the question? Allow a wide variety of ideas and encourage conversation amongst the students to refine the details of their ideas. 5. Dinosaur Know It All a. Review basic characteristics of mammals, birds, and reptiles. b. This activity can be done as a whole class or in small groups. c. From the photos section of the Virtual Learning Environment, gather yourself or have students gather 5 pictures of different species for each classification group –mammals, birds and reptiles. Have each species picture grouped together by classification. d. Have pictures of several different dinosaurs. e. Have students put the dinosaurs under any classification they think it goes in based on the pictures of the species in each group. They should use any classification system they would like (what it looks like, locomotion etc.) but make sure they note how they classified their dinosaurs. 6. Ideas should be recorded on the Research Plan sheets. Small groups can record their own answers or you can record ideas as a group. Explain 7. Explain to the group that they will be participating in our Distance Learning program “Dr. Dina Might, Paleontologist” that might help to give them some insight into the situation. 8. This program introduces topics such as extinction, possible causes of the extinctions, and characteristics of animals alive today. Expand 9. Ask students to reflect on what they have learned in the distance learning program and review their ideas of how to get the information they would need to answer the original research question. Are there different ways of classifying animals? What characteristics of dinosaurs are shared with animals alive today? 10. Have each student research a different dinosaur. Compare each dinosaur and how they are like birds, mammals, or reptiles. See the worksheet provided for this activity. 11. Allow students to discuss and plan how they could make the activity more successful. Do they need to gather any additional information before they can answer the research question? Did they think of additional ways to gather information based on the activities they have just completed? 12. Feel free to repeat any of the activities in any number of ways. Assess 13. Monitor your students as they continue to research and develop their method for communicating their results. Make sure to help them continue their discussion on Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Dr. Dina Might, Paleontologist Suggested search terms: Dinosaurs, Reptile, Mammal, Bird, Flying, Swimming, Walking
dinosaur classifications. Have your students share their results with the rest of the class. Allow time for student critique and comments. 14. Was the outcome the same as what they had predicted? Are there dinosaurs that share characteristics with animals alive today? 15. If the students are working in small groups, observe their work and review what they are writing on the Research Plan. If working as a whole group, fill in the Research Plan together. Standards Ohio Academic Content Standards Grades K-2 Life Science Topic: Physical and Behavioral Traits of Living Things Living things are different from nonliving things. Living things have physical traits and behaviors, which influence their survival Life Science Topic: Basic Needs of Living Things Living things have basic needs, which are met by obtaining materials from the physical environment Living things survive only in environments that meet their needs Life Science Topic: Interactions within Habitats Living things cause changes on Earth Some kinds of individuals that once lived on Earth have completely disappeared, although they were something like others that are alive today
National Science Education Standards Grades K-4 Science as Inquiry Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry Understandings about scientific inquiry Life Science Characteristics of organisms Life cycles of organisms Organisms and environment Earth and Space Science Properties of earth materials Objects in the sky Changes in earth and sky Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Personal health Characteristics and changes in populations Types of resources Changes in environments Science and technology in local challenges
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Dr. Dina Might, Paleontologist Suggested search terms: Dinosaurs, Reptile, Mammal, Bird, Flying, Swimming, Walking
Dr. Dina Might, Paleontologist Supplemental Materials
My Research Plan 1. What is my research question? Is it a good question?
How were dinosaurs similar to or different from animals that are alive today?
2. How can I get my information?
3. What will I do with this information?
4. How will I know I did my job well?
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Dr. Dina Might, Paleontologist Suggested search terms: Dinosaurs, Reptile, Mammal, Bird, Flying, Swimming, Walking
Dr. Dina Might, Paleontologist Supplemental Materials
NAME OF DINOSAUR:___________________________________ How the dinosaur is the SAME
BIRD
MAMMAL
REPTILE
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Dr. Dina Might, Paleontologist Suggested search terms: Dinosaurs, Reptile, Mammal, Bird, Flying, Swimming, Walking
with the information once they have it? And how will they know that they’ve successfully answered the question? Allow a wide variety of ideas and encourage conversation amongst the students to refine the details of their ideas. 5. Dinosaur Know It All a. Review basic characteristics of mammals, birds, and reptiles. b. This activity can be done as a whole class or in small groups. c. From the photos section of the Virtual Learning Environment, gather yourself or have students gather 5 pictures of different species for each classification group –mammals, birds and reptiles. Have each species picture grouped together by classification. d. Have pictures of several different dinosaurs. e. Have students put the dinosaurs under any classification they think it goes in based on the pictures of the species in each group. They should use any classification system they would like (what it looks like, locomotion etc.) but make sure they note how they classified their dinosaurs. 6. Ideas should be recorded on the Research Plan sheets. Small groups can record their own answers or you can record ideas as a group. Explain 7. Explain to the group that they will be participating in our Distance Learning program “Dr. Dina Might, Paleontologist” that might help to give them some insight into the situation. 8. This program introduces topics such as extinction, possible causes of the extinctions, and characteristics of animals alive today. Expand 9. Ask students to reflect on what they have learned in the distance learning program and review their ideas of how to get the information they would need to answer the original research question. Are there different ways of classifying animals? What characteristics of dinosaurs are shared with animals alive today? 10. Have each student research a different dinosaur. Compare each dinosaur and how they are like birds, mammals, or reptiles. See the worksheet provided for this activity. 11. Allow students to discuss and plan how they could make the activity more successful. Do they need to gather any additional information before they can answer the research question? Did they think of additional ways to gather information based on the activities they have just completed? 12. Feel free to repeat any of the activities in any number of ways. Assess 13. Monitor your students as they continue to research and develop their method for communicating their results. Make sure to help them continue their discussion on Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Dr. Dina Might, Paleontologist Suggested search terms: Dinosaurs, Reptile, Mammal, Bird, Flying, Swimming, Walking
dinosaur classifications. Have your students share their results with the rest of the class. Allow time for student critique and comments. 14. Was the outcome the same as what they had predicted? Are there dinosaurs that share characteristics with animals alive today? 15. If the students are working in small groups, observe their work and review what they are writing on the Research Plan. If working as a whole group, fill in the Research Plan together. Standards Ohio Academic Content Standards Grades K-2 Life Science Topic: Physical and Behavioral Traits of Living Things Living things are different from nonliving things. Living things have physical traits and behaviors, which influence their survival Life Science Topic: Basic Needs of Living Things Living things have basic needs, which are met by obtaining materials from the physical environment Living things survive only in environments that meet their needs Life Science Topic: Interactions within Habitats Living things cause changes on Earth Some kinds of individuals that once lived on Earth have completely disappeared, although they were something like others that are alive today
National Science Education Standards Grades K-4 Science as Inquiry Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry Understandings about scientific inquiry Life Science Characteristics of organisms Life cycles of organisms Organisms and environment Earth and Space Science Properties of earth materials Objects in the sky Changes in earth and sky Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Personal health Characteristics and changes in populations Types of resources Changes in environments Science and technology in local challenges
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Dr. Dina Might, Paleontologist Suggested search terms: Dinosaurs, Reptile, Mammal, Bird, Flying, Swimming, Walking
Dr. Dina Might, Paleontologist Supplemental Materials
My Research Plan 1. What is my research question? Is it a good question?
How were dinosaurs similar to or different from animals that are alive today?
2. How can I get my information?
3. What will I do with this information?
4. How will I know I did my job well?
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Dr. Dina Might, Paleontologist Suggested search terms: Dinosaurs, Reptile, Mammal, Bird, Flying, Swimming, Walking
Dr. Dina Might, Paleontologist Supplemental Materials
NAME OF DINOSAUR:___________________________________ How the dinosaur is the SAME
BIRD
MAMMAL
REPTILE
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Dr. Dina Might, Paleontologist Suggested search terms: Dinosaurs, Reptile, Mammal, Bird, Flying, Swimming, Walking
