T.rex, Triceratops, & MOR: Dinosaurs of the Hell Creek Formaton Target Grade Range: 2-6 Dr. John Scannella, John R. Horner Curator of Paleontology
Overview The Hell Creek Formaton in Montana and surrounding areas contains the fossils of some of the last non-avian dinosaurs to walk the Earth. Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Pachycephalosaurus, and more all roamed the area about 66 million years ago. Join MOR Curator of Paleontology Dr. John Scannella to travel back to the end of the Cretaceous Period and meet the dinosaurs of the Hell Creek Formaton!
Student Objectves Students will be able to: 1. Recall three dinosaurs from the Hell Creek Formaton. 2. Understand that fossils at MOR are excavated from Montana by our team of paleontologists. 3. Explain what the ecosystem was like in Montana, 66-68 million years ago.
Montana Science Standards Grade Subject Area Content Standard Each student will: 2nd Life Science Make observatons of plants and animals to compare and contrast the diversity of life in diferent habitats. 3rd Life Science Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago 4th Earth & Space Identfy evidence from paterns in rock formatons and fossils in rock Science layers to support an explanaton for changes in a landscape over tme 5th Earth & Space Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, Science biosphere, hydrosphere, or atmosphere interact 6th-8th Life Science Analyze and interpret data for paterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extncton, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumpton that natural laws operate today as in the past 6th-8th Earth & Construct a scientfc explanaton based on evidence from rock strata Space Science for how the geologic tme scale is used to organize Earth’s 4.6 billon- year-old history
Next Generaton Science Standards Discipline and Core Idea Students who demonstrate understanding can: 2-LS4-1. Biological Evoluton: Make observatons of plants and animals to compare and contrast Unity and Diversity the diversity of life in diferent habitats. 3-LS4-1. Biological Evoluton: Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the Unity and Diversity organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago. 4-ESS1-1. Earth’s Systems: Identfy evidence from paterns in rock formatons and fossils in rock Process that Shape the Earth layers to support an explanaton for changes in a landscape over tme. 5-ESS-1. Earth’s Systems Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact. MS-LS4-1. Natural Selecton Analyze and interpret data for paterns in the fossil record that and Adaptatons document the existence, diversity, extncton, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumpton that natural laws operate today as in the past. MS-ESS1-4. History of Earth Construct a scientfc explanaton based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic tme scale is used to organize Earth’s 4.6-billion- year-old history