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Sea Monsters: a Prehistoric Adventure

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Sea Monsters: a Prehistoric Adventure E DUCATOR’ S G U I D E DEAR EDUCATOR, The instructional resources in National Geographic’s Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure Educator’s Guide were developed to bring the prehistoric world of the Cretaceous and the adventure of paleontology to life for you and your students. Inside this Educator’s Guide you’ll find: > Three activities in each lesson with step-by-step instructions for classroom use. > A lesson overview, guiding question, and vocabulary to introduce key concepts and terms. > A planner for at-a-glance learning objectives, instructional strategies, and materials. > A glossary (page 33) defining key terms. > Student handouts (pages 35-47) to support active and engaged learning. These resources and more are available at nationalgeographic.com/seamonsters/educators. We welcome your feedback. Enjoy this prehistoric adventure! National Geographic Education and Children’s Programs nationalgeographic.com/education NATIONAL EDUCATION STANDARDS The lessons included in this Educator’s Guide address the following voluntary National Education Standards: ENGLISH GEOGRAPHY SCIENCE LANGUAGE ART ARTS GRADES 3-5 Fossils Rock! Tales From the Field 17 G 3, 5 Theater 1, 4 Create a Creature: Animal Adaptations 17 C, G Visual Arts 3 At Home Under the Cretaceous Seas 8, 17 C, D GRADES 6-8 Science on Screen: Evidence and Inference 17 A, D, G CSI: Cretaceous Seas Investigation 7, 17 A, D On Exhibit: World Under Water 1, 17 C 3, 5 Visual Arts 3 Funded in part by the National Science Foundation GRADES 9-12 Science Forum: Extinction Then and Now 14, 17, 18 C 3, 5 Accompany a team of paleontologists as they work to solve an 82-million-year-old mystery… Life Science Giant turtles, long-necked plesiosaurs, he film Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure transports students 82 million enormous squid. While some of the organisms years back in time to the Cretaceous period when an extraordinary diversity that lived during the Cretaceous period of marine life populated vast ocean waters. Over the millennia, changes in resemble modern organisms, others look Earth’s climate and geography have left ancient seabeds dry, revealing fossil extraordinary. Students research prehistoric Tevidence of this extraordinary—yet little known—time. In Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric animals to learn about their basic habitat needs and adaptations that helped them survive in Adventure, the scientific process comes alive as discoveries from around the world are their environment. woven together to reconstruct the complex puzzle of this prehistoric world. At Home Under the The lessons in this guide are designed to support the educational use of Sea Monsters: Cretaceous Seas, page 13 A Prehistoric Adventure through standards-based learning. Developed and reviewed with input from scientists, teachers, and museum educators, they are designed to Environmental Change engage students in an array of scientific and geographic concepts through inquiry- and Extinction based activities. Habitat destruction. Meteoroids and Science as Inquiry asteroids. Invasive species. Climate Fossils are direct evidence to life on Earth millions of years change. Scientists study these factors ago. They provide scientists with clues to the appearance, and others to understand extinction. Earth’s History behaviors, and interactions of prehistoric animals. Site maps Students research extinction—past and are created to document fossil finds. Students examine a site and Geography present—and present their findings in a map and then create one of their own. scientific forum. How has Earth changed CSI: Cretaceous Seas over time? During the late Investigation, page 21 Cretaceous, a warmer climate raised global sea levels. Marine waters Science Forum: Extinction On Exhibit: World Under inundated continents, forming shallow, inland seas Then and Now, page 29 Water, page 25 in low-lying areas. One of these, the Western Interior Sea, cut what is now North America in two. To compare then and now, students plot coordinates of Cretaceous period land and water boundaries on a map of present- day United States. Create a Creature: Animal Adaptations, page 9 Careers in Science Paleontologists look for, Science on Screen: Evidence and Inference, page 17 discover, excavate, and study fossils to learn about life Evidence and Inference on Earth during prehistoric Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure utilizes computer-generated times. Students learn animations to reconstruct the Cretaceous world. The film is based on what it is like to work as fossil and other scientific evidence, but some details can only be inferred. a paleontologist through Students learn to differentiate between direct evidence and inference, firsthand accounts. and to identify the use of both in a storyboard from the film. Fossils Rock! Tales From the Field, page 5 GRADES 3- CONTENTS Geography Standard 17 Science Standard G Language Arts Standards 3, 5 Theater Arts Standards 1, 4 FOSSILS ROCK! TALES FROM THE FIELD GRADES 3-5 LESSONS Fossils Rock! Tales from the Field ......................................................................... 5 hat is it like to work as a paleontologist? In Activity 1, students listen to or read an interview Activity 1 Meet a Paleontologist Wwith paleontologist Paul Sereno, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, to learn Activity 2 Join a Dig Closing “Fossils Rock!” Radio Program about his passion for science and his discovery of SuperCroc in sub-Saharan Africa. In Activity 2, students join a dig with paleontologist Mike Everhart to learn what happens when a scientist in the Create a Creature: Animal Adaptations ................................................................... 9 field suddenly discovers fossil remains. In the Closing Activity, students create a story or conduct Activity 1 What’s in a Name? Activity 2 How Do Animals Adapt? an interview and present or record their work for an imaginary radio program. Closing Design-a-Saurus At Home Under the Cretaceous Seas ...................................................................... 13 Vocabulary (see Glossary p. 33) Try This First! Activity 1 Habitat Needs deep time Show students the picture of paleontologists Activity 2 What Swam in the Cretaceous Seas? excavate Closing Cretaceous Seas Bingo working on a fossil dig (see back inside cover). fossil Ask students to describe what is happening Guiding Question: fossil dig in the picture. Remind students to use Why and how do GPS (Global Positioning System) observational skills to look for tools, GRADES 6-8 LESSONS paleontologists jacket geographic clues, and the work being done. Science on Screen: Evidence and Inference ............................................................ 17 study fossils? paleontologist Activity 1 Unpack the Evidence paleontology Activity 2 Behind the Scene: Science Notes Closing Storyboard a Scene prospect remains CSI: Cretaceous Seas Investigation ........................................................................ 21 Smoky Hill Chalk Activity 1 Cretaceous Clues Activity 2 “Impossible Fossil” Site Map SuperCroc Closing Create a Site Map On Exhibit: World Under Water .............................................................................. 25 Activity 1 Mapping the Cretaceous Activity 2 Cretaceous Creature Research Activity Objectives Instructional Strategy Materials Closing Create the Exhibit: World Under Water ACTIVITY 1 Students will: - Multimedia Instruction - “Meet a Paleontologist” (p. 35) - Learn about the work of Meet a paleontologists GRADES 9-12 LESSON Paleontologist Science Forum: Extinction Then and Now .............................................................. 29 20 min. Activity 1 Eco-Illustrations Students will: - Multimedia Instruction - “Join a Dig” (p. 36) Activity 2 Extinction Then and Now ACTIVITY 2 - Learn about the tools - “Join a Dig” (optional audio file; Closing Science Forum Join a Dig paleontologists use on a online only) field dig; and - Internet access (optional) 45 min. - Learn about actions paleontologists take after Glossary ................................................................................................................ 33 discovering a fossil. Student Handouts ................................................................................................. 35 © 2007 National Geographic Society © 2007 CLOSING actiVITY Students will: - Role-playing - “‘Fossils Rock!’ Radio Program” - Write a story or conduct an (p. 37) “Fossils Rock!” interview using vocabulary - Audio-recording device such as a Radio Program and information from previ- digital recorder, computer with a ous activities; and microphone, tape, or audio recorder (optional) 60 min. - Present and/or record their nationalgeographic.com/seamonsters/educators Funded in part by the work. National Science Foundation © 2007 National Geographic Society © 2007 Educator’s Guide FOSSILS Rock! • GRADES 3- FOSSILS Rock! • GRADES 3- Activity 1 Meet a Paleontologist Activity 2 Join a Dig 4. Review and discuss. Check student comprehen- What actions did Everhart take to find and collect the Students listen to or read an interview with 20 min. Students join a dig with paleontologist 45 min. sion. Write new vocabulary words on the board and fossil remains? paleontologist Paul Sereno, a National Mike Everhart to learn what happens when discuss with students. Have students answer the Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, to learn a scientist in the field suddenly discovers Possible answers: about his passion for science and his discovery following questions on a separate piece
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