Penguin Readers Factsheets Level 2 – Elementary ParkLevel Jurassic III Teacher’s Notes Jurassic Park III Based on a motion picture screenplay, written by Peter Buchman, based on the characters created by Michael Crichton based on Dr. Jack Horner, a paleontologist who worked as a Summary consultant on the first Jurassic Park movie. In fact, the filming of the dig site in Jurassic Park III is actually the site of Jack Horner’s It is eight years after Dr. Alan Grant was first introduced to the live excavation, where several large Tyrannosaurs and some dinosaurs at Jurassic Park, where he was almost killed. Now he Hadrosaurs were uncovered. They filmed on location in Hawaii, works only with the bones of dead dinosaurs. He studies their Los Angeles and Orlando, Florida. Special effects were expensive bones and writes books, but he needs money to continue his work. and amazing. They included the enormous Spinosaurus, which is When Paul Kirby and his wife, Amanda, offer Dr. Grant and his the largest animatronic ever built. It weighed 12 tons and assistant Billy, a lot of money to fly them over Isla Sorna, an island hydraulics were used to operate it. The special effects crew had to near Costa Rica, and tell them about dinosaurs, Dr Grant accepts. use 950 liters of oatmeal to simulate Spinosaurus dung. The He doesn’t like the idea, but Billy says that if they take the money audiences loved it! then they can carry on their research. He and Billy, along with three other men (Nash, Cooper and Udesky) take them there by airplane. As they reach the island, Alan learns their true intentions. Background and themes They want to land on the island in order to look for their son, Eric, who disappeared with Amanda’s new boyfriend in a parasailing Jurassic Park III continues the thrilling adventures of Dr. Alan accident two months earlier. Grant, an expert on dinosaurs. In the first of these movies (1993), Alan tells them that their son can’t possibly still be alive as the he visits InGen’s bioengineering dinosaur “theme park” on Isla island is very dangerous. Nublar and nearly gets killed when the security system is disabled and the dinosaurs escape from their cages. They are attacked and chased by enormous, angry dinosaurs. It is not long before the dinosaurs kill Nash, Cooper and Udesky. This was followed by The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Alan, Paul, Billy, and Amanda are pursued and in their attempt to when it is revealed that there is another island (Site B) where get away, are separated. That’s when the Kirby’s son, Eric, finds dinosaurs were bred before they were transported to Isla Nublar. Alan. He is reunited with his parents and together they try to find a There the dinosaurs have lived, bred and flourished. In Jurassic way out. They are chased by flying dinosaurs. Billy, who foolishly Park III (2001) Dr. Grant suspects that the Raptors have evolved takes some dinosaur eggs, is caught by one. There’s nothing they into a species that can communicate and are now smarter than can do to save him. In the canyon, it seems they have lost Paul as primates. well. When Amanda fears that her husband has been killed, she This is another story where man creates a monster and then realizes that she still cares for him very much. He manages to swim finds he cannot control his creation. The horror is unleashed and to safety and they are reunited. Eric is happy to see his parents the world becomes a very dangerous place. The idea that talking together again. dinosaurs might one day return to earth is both exciting and The terror and excitement continues. With the help of Paul’s haunting. We only know of these enormous creatures from phone, Alan manages to phone a friend who gets on to the US studying their bones. government. They send airplanes, ships and a boat to the island. But do we really want to have first-hand experience of their Just after Amanda returns the eggs to the mother dinosaur, they strength, power and emotions? In real life, the dinosaurs were on are rescued. As they board the boat, they see that Billy has also the earth long before humans appeared, which is part of the been rescued and is still alive. They are all very happy to leave Isla interest we have in therm. Sorna and return to their quiet, happy lives. Science may one day be able to reproduce creatures that have died out. This would be of great interest to scientists and to people generally, and could help us understand more about animals and About the movie life itself. Some people consider cloning to be a wonderful thing, while others Steven Spielberg directed all three of these very successful think it an extremely dangerous enterprise. These movies leave the Jurassic Park movies, developed from Michael Crichton’s audience in little doubt as to whether or not it is a good idea. bestseller. The character of Dr. Alan Grant, played by Sam Neill, is © Pearson Education Limited 2002 Penguin Readers Factsheets 2 Put students in small groups and ask them to give each of 2 – Elementary ParkLevel Jurassic III Teacher’s Notes these five chapters a different, better, title. They could be sentences, questions or phrases. Then each group can write their titles on the board. The whole class then chooses the best title for each chapter. Communicative activities 3 Ask students to work in groups of three and to invent the conversation between Paul, Amanda and Alan just after the The following teacher-led activities cover the same sections of text Pteranodon takes Eric and carries him away. They can role as the exercises in the back of the Reader. and supplement those play their conversations for the rest of the class. exercises. Further supplementary exercises, covering shorter 4 Ask students to work in pairs and to discuss what they think sections of the book, can be found on the photocopiable Student’s is going to happen next. After they do this, allow them to Activities pages of this Factsheet. These are primarily for use with share their ideas with another pair. class Readers, and, with the exception of pair/groupwork questions, can also be used by students working alone in a self- Chapters 11–15 access center. 1Write these names of dinosaurs on the board and ask students to discuss in small groups what they know about ACTIVITIES BEFORE READING THE BOOK them. What can (can’t) they do? 1 Find out if your students have seen Jurassic Park III or the Pteranondons Raptors Spinosaurus previous two movies. Do they like movies about dinosaurs? Tyrannosaurus Rex Why (not)? Do they think it is a good idea to make sequels of movies and can the third movie ever be as good as the first, 2 Ask students to work in small groups and to discuss what do they think? they think happens in the end to: 2 Photocopy three or four sets of pages 3, 8, 12, 15, 16, 34. (a) Billy Cut the captions off. Put the students into three or four (b) the Raptors groups. Give each group a set of pictures and a set of (c) the Pterodons captions. Ask them to match the captions with the pictures. (d) Amanda and Paul You could make this a competition by giving a prize to the (e) Alan’s work group that finishes first with all correct. 3 Ask students to discuss in pairs how they think this 3 Ask the students to read the Introduction and answer these experience on Isla Sorna changed Paul and Amanda, Alan questions. and Billy, Eric and Paul. You could have the students invent a conversation between two of the characters after they have (a) Why do people go to Jurassic Park? returned home. (b) How many islands is Jurassic Park on? (c) Why does Dr. Alan Grant help Mr. and Mrs. Kirby? 4 Put students in pairs. Tell them to think about Billy, Paul’s telephone, the phone call to Ellie, the flare gun, the Raptor’s ACTIVITIES AFTER READING A SECTION eggs, the airplanes and boats. Ask them to discuss what they like and don’t like in the story. What did they think was funny, Chapters 1–5 stupid, sad, happy? Would they like to see the movie (again)? 1 Put students into groups of four. Ask them to prepare a role- Do they think there is going to be a Jurassic IV movie? Would play of the conversation between Dr. Grant and Billy and the they like to see one? meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Kirby on pages 4–5. Ask them to continue the conversation beyond where it ends on page 5. What did Dr. Grant say to the Kirbys? When they are ready, Glossary they can perform their role-plays for the class and choose the group with the best ending. It will be useful for your students to know the following new words. They 2 Ask students to work in pairs and to discuss how these are practiced in the “Before Your Read’ sections of exercises in the back of people in the story feel about each other. Then have a class the book. (Definitions are based on those in the Longman Active Study discussion. Dictionary.) (a) Alan and the Kirbys Chapters 1–5 Chapters 6–10 (b) Amanda and Ben Hildebrand bone (n) the hard parts of a body backpack (n) a bag for carrying things (c) Paul and Ben dinosaur (n) a very large animal that on your back (d) Eric and Paul lived in very ancient times and no cage (n) an enclosure made of bars for longer exists keeping animals in 3 Put students in groups of four and ask them to prepare a fog (n) very thick mist that makes it canyon (n) a deep narrow valley with a role-play of the conversation between Alan, Paul, Amanda difficult to see river flowing through it and Billy when Alan asks them why they brought him to Isla huge (adj) very big fence (n) something upright like a wall, Sorna.