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Museum Educator-led Programs
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Savage Ancient Seas

Grades 3-5

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Program Description and Frameworks
Program Outline
Key Terms and Concepts
Classroom Activities
Print and Web Resources

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What creature of the ancient seas weighed an estimated 48 tons and had teeth up to seven inches tall? Students will unravel this and other secrets of the ancient seas in this program, which touches on adaptations, classification, and rock and fossil formation.

Location: Last Gallery of Savage Ancient Seas
Length: One hour
Grades: 3 - 5

MA Frameworks Science and Technology/Engineering
Science and Technology/ Engineering Strand 1; Standards 1, 3

Science and Technology/ Engineering Strand 2; Standards 1, 6, 7

New York Standards
Math, Science and Technology Standard 1 Scientific Inquiry 1

Standard 4 Science the Living Environment 1, 3, 6

Standard 4 Physical Setting 2

Introduction
The Savage Ancient Seas exhibit features fossils of animals that lived in the oceans of the Cretaceous Period. The program opens with a brief introduction to the Cretaceous Period and the extinction of dinosaurs and other animals at its conclusion.

Classification Activity
Students are given pictures of various prehistoric animals, both terrestrial and aquatic, which they classify into groups based on their physical characteristics. The whole class will discuss the results of the classification, and observe what distinguishes the dinosaur groups from the non-dinosaur groups.

Adaptation Hunt
Students follow riddle clues to find particular fossils in Savage Ancient Seas. Through their own observations and by reading labels, students will determine what adaptations each animal has for survival in the Cretaceous sea. Students will select an image of a physical feature that represents their animal (long neck, flippers, sharp teeth, etc.) to place on a magnet board to create a composite animal. The whole class will discuss the adaptations.

Fossil Formations
In a hands-on activity, students compare different rocks and fossils, and discuss the formation of each.

Dinosaurs were a group of reptiles that lived millions of years ago and are now extinct.

There are many different theories explaining how dinosaurs might have
become extinct, with the most prominent ideas including: the impact of an asteroid, changes in the earth's climate and atmosphere, and extensive volcanic eruptions.

Mammals, amphibians, fish, and other reptiles were alive at the same time as the dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs:

• Did not fly (although many scientists think birds evolved from dinosaurs).
• Did not live under water.
  
• Had scaly skin and laid eggs.
  
• Walked with their legs under their bodies (knees and elbows did not stick out to the side).
  
  
Some dinosaurs were carnivores and some were herbivores.

Fossils:

• Are the remains or traces of something once alive, but no longer living.
  
• Can be the remains of a living thing (like a tooth), or an impression left behind by a living thing (like a foot print).
  
• Can be from many different animals and plants, not just dinosaurs.
  
• Are hard because they contain minerals, the "building blocks" of rocks.
  
  
Marine reptiles have lungs and breathe air, while fish have gills and breathe water.

Key Terms Used During the Program
print only this section

• Adaptation
  a physical feature or behavior that helps an animal to survive in its habitat.
  
  
• Carnivore
  an animal that eats other animals.
  
  
• Cast
  a copy of an original fossil made by covering the fossil in silicone or rubber to create a mold, which is then carefully separated from the fossil. Plaster or plastic resin is poured into the mold and removed when hard.
  
  
• Cretaceous Period
  the time period from 144 to 65 million years ago. The last of the three periods in the Mesozoic Era (the era of dinosaurs). Dinosaurs and some marine animals like ammonites became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous Period.
  
  
• Classification
  organizing living and nonliving things into groups based upon characteristics.
  
  
• Dinosaur
  a group of prehistoric reptiles that are extinct (no longer living). They did not live in water or fly, and they walked with legs and arms under their bodies. Unlike lizards and crocodiles, their knees and elbows did not stick out to the sides.
  
  
• Extinct
  a species that is no longer living.
  
  
• Fossil
  remains or traces of something that was once alive and is preserved by minerals (the building blocks of rocks). Fossils are usually found in sedimentary rock, and occasionally in metamorphic rock.
  
  
• Herbivore
  a plant-eating animal.
  
  
• Reptile
  a group of air-breathing animals that rely on sources outside of their bodies, such as the sun, for heating and cooling their bodies. Most reptiles lay eggs and have skin covered with scales or bony plates.
  
  
• Paleontologist
  a scientist who studies prehistoric life through the examination of fossilized remains.
  
  
• Rock
  natural combinations of one or more minerals.
  
  
• Marine
  living in an ocean.
  
  
• Mineral
  natural, nonliving, solids made of elements like silicon, oxygen, carbon, and iron; the building blocks of rocks.
  
  
• Sedimentary Rock
  When rocks are weathered and eroded, they break down into smaller pieces called sediment. As the sediment settles, often at the bottom of the sea or river beds, the particles of sediment become pressed together, forming a new rock.
  
  
• Metamorphic Rock
  Rocks that have changed form due to heat or pressure.
  
  
• Igneous Rock
  Rocks that form when molten magma from within the Earth cools and hardens.
  
  
• Magma
  Molten rock beneath the surface of the Earth.
  
  

BBC: Prehistoric Life (Online Activities)
This section of the BBC website includes fantastic 2D and 3D visuals, games, and up-to-date news articles from the same people who created the "Walking With …." series featuring dinosaurs, mammals, sea creatures, and other forms of prehistoric life.

The site's interactive games include:

• a challenge to solve a mystery about Baryonyx;
• "Who Dung It?": a challenge to match prehistoric animals with their fossilized droppings.
• "Sea Monsters Adventure" which combines videogame elements with exercises in observation
• an "Evolution Game" that takes you on a journey of adaptation
• "Skeleton Jigsaws" with puzzling paleontological finds to assemble
• the "Big Al Game" showing what life is like for an Allosaurus.

Dinosaur Graphing
Students will graph the sizes of specific dinosaurs and then compare their own body size to that of various dinosaurs. The measurements included in this activity are based on The Ultimate Dinosaur Book by David Lambert. Complete directions included at the end of this document.

Dinosaur Word Find
Search for hidden dinosaur names in a word jumble. Find this puzzle at Enchanted Learning at: www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/index.html

Mini Excavation
Materials Needed:
Plastic bins or shoe boxes
Sand
Small spades or spoons
Paintbrushes or toothbrushes
String and tape
Small objects to bury in the sand
(Buttons, bones, replica arrowheads, seeds, shells, charcoal, small pots, beads, etc. work well)
Ruler

Use plastic bins or shoeboxes to create a mini dig site for each team of students. In each box, layer sand with small artifacts, bones, or other items. Students can section off the box with string to create quadrants in which to search for clues to what might have lived in that area.

Students can measure and document the location and depth of the objects they find. Brushes can be used to clean objects. Students can then present their findings to the class and discuss: What clues do these objects provide about the creatures and cultures of the past?

For clarity, make sure students understand that a paleontologist studies fossils (remains or traces of living things), while an archaeologist studies human history and culture through artifacts and other signs of human activity like hunting, cooking, and building.

News Flash!
Ask students to invent a new Cretaceous sea creature, using at least 3 adaptations from animals featured in Savage Ancient Seas. They should draw a picture of the creature, labeling its 3 adaptations. Then ask them to imagine that the fossilized remains of their invented creature have just been found! Have them write a newspaper article about the discovery of their creature, telling how it was found, and describing what the creature would have looked like and how it would have used its 3 adaptations to survive.

Create a Cretaceous Creature
The scientific names of animal species come from Latin and Greek. Building familiarity with Latin and Greek word parts can strengthen students' language skills. Use the Greek and Latin Word List to make a list of 10 new creature names, using at least two descriptors in each name. Then choose one of the names and draw a picture of your imaginary creature. Write a paragraph describing your invented creature, its physical characteristics, behavior, and habitat.

Trading Cards
Students can design a set of prehistoric sea creature trading cards. On one side of each card, draw the animal (or paste a downloaded image-- see web resources below for weblinks). On the other side, list facts about the animal, with the animal’s scientific name. Use the cards to play a memory matching game, as flash cards, or have students design an original game.

Diary of An Explorer
Create a diary of an underwater explorer who travels back in time to the world of the Cretaceous sea animals. Enter daily logs, with exciting descriptive events that educate the reader about the animals.

Underwater Diorama
Materials Needed:
Shoebox
String
Scissors and glue
Index cards
Modeling clay (optional)
Construction paper

Select two or more animals and design an underwater diorama to showcase their habitat. Use a shoebox lined with blue paper and hang construction paper or papier mâché animals with string, or use an aquarium actually filled with water and make the creatures out of lightweight modeling clay. Attach descriptive fact cards about habitat and physical features to the back or top of the container.

Mysterious Endings
Many scientists believe that an asteroid impact was the main cause for the mass extinction that marked the end of the Cretaceous Period (the K-T extinction), including the extinction of dinosaurs and many marine organisms. This impact resulted in dust and debris, lower temperatures, global fires, tidal waves, and severe storms. Yet, there are many theories about other factors that could explain the K-T extinction.

Use the website below to research current theories about the extinction of dinosaurs and sea creatures. Make a cartoon depicting your theory about what happened to the dinosaurs and sea creatures at the end of the Cretaceous Period.

101 Crazy Theories About Dinosaur Extinction
http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/Communication/Couch/possible.html.

Use the Berkshire Athenaeum’s on-line catalogue to search for these print resources in Central/Western Massachusetts.

Print Materials for Students

Courtenay-Thompson, Fiona and Mary Lindsday (Ed.) The Visual Dictionary of Dinosaurs (Eyewitness Visual Dictionaries). New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc., 1993. A good basic introduction to the dinosaur groups and species, including plenty of images.

Kerley, Barbara and Brian Selznick. The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins. Scholastic, Inc., 2001. This sophisticatedly illustrated book tells the story of a 19th-century Englishman, Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, who was the first person to make a life-sized model of a dinosaur. Catch a glimpse of the process of making an artistic rendering based on fossilized remains, and find out how easy it can be to make a mistake!

"Sea Monsters" [VHS Videorecording]. Bethesda, MD: Discovery Communications, c.1994. A one-hour video featuring prehistoric creatures of sea and land like Icthyosaurs, Elasmosaur, and Dimetrodon.

Symes, Dr. R.F. Rocks & Minerals (Eyewitness Visual Dictionaries). New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc., 2000. With brief and accessible text and a plethora of instructive photos, this book covers the basics on rocks, minerals, fossils, rock types and their formation, crystals, and the use of various rocks by humans.

Taylor, Paul D. Fossil (DK Eyewitness Visual Dictionaries). New York: Knopf, Inc., 1990. Photos and basic information about fossils of living things from bacteria and algae to birds and mammals.

The Visual Dictionary of the Earth (Eyewitness Visual Dictionaries). New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc., 1993. Diagrams and illustrations provide good explanations of basic earth science topics such as plate tectonics and faults, mountain and volcano formation, erosion, and rock and mineral formations.

"Walking With Monsters: Life Before Dinosaurs" [DVD videorecording]. BBC Video; produced and directed by Tim Haines; Distributed by Warner Home Video, 2006. A 90-minute DVD about life on Earth before the appearance of dinosaurs, narrated by Kenneth Branagh. Part of the BBC "Walking With…" series.

Print Materials For Educators

Benton, Mike. Walking with Dinosaurs. New York: DK Publishing, 2000. Clear explanations of how paleontologists know what they know, and how the television show Walking with Dinosaurs was created.

Blobaum, Cindy. Geology ROCKS! VT: Williamson Publishing, 1999. 50 Hands-on earth science activities to do with elementary students.

Dixon, Dougal et al. The Macmillan Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures. NY: Macmillan, 1988. This book contains a huge number of fantastic color illustrations. It depicts and describes many species of dinosaurs and lesser-known species of prehistoric reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish, and mammals.

Lambert, David. The Ultimate Dinosaur Book. New York: Dorling Kindersley (In association with The Natural History Museum, London), 1993. A terrific overview of dinosaurs and their time, followed by "profiles" of specific dinosaurs and dinosaur groups.

Norell, Mark A., Eugene S. Gaffney, and Lowell Dingus. Discovering Dinosaurs In the American Museum of Natural History. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995. A very informative book with illustrations of fossils in the Museum's collection. It addresses the toughest questions and controversies about dinosaurs, such as: Were dinosaurs cold-blooded or warm-blooded? Or, did birds evolve from dinosaurs? It also describes the techniques used by paleontologists to study prehistoric life.

VanCleave, Janice. Dinosaurs for Every Kid. New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1994. Projects and activities for kids connected to easy-to-understand background information for teachers.

Web Materials for Students

BBC: Prehistoric Life
This section of the BBC website includes fantastic 2D and 3D visuals, games, and up-to-date news articles from the same people who created the "Walking With …." series featuring dinosaurs, mammals, sea creatures, and other forms of prehistoric life.

Dinobase
A large, searchable database of dinosaur names, images, and basic statistics such as size, weight, age, distribution, discovery, and classification.

Enchanted Learning
This is a fun, educational site for teachers and students alike, with user-friendly pages about dinosaurs and fossils along with craft projects and printable activity pages.

GeoMysteries: Fast FAQs About Rocks & Fossils
Part of the The Children's Museum of Indianapolis website, this page explains how different types of rocks are formed using simple text and animation.

Living Landscapes: Earth, Air, Water Activities for Kids
Watch how sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks are formed and answer questions about what you see. Other interactive activities for kids on the Berkshire Museum Living Landscapes site include local bird call and tree identification, a camouflaged animal hunt, the water cycle, cloud identification, earth art, and "meet a naturalist."

Nature of New England
Illustrations of dinosaurs discovered in North America.

Zoom Dinosaurs
This is an on-line hypertext book about dinosaurs. It is designed for students of all ages and levels of comprehension with information on dinosaurs, extinction, fossils and more.

Web Materials for Educators

Life in the Cretaceous Seas
The American Museum of Natural History’s Millstein Hall of Ocean Life pages feature images and information about the Earth’s ancient oceans.

NASA Classroom of the Future
This site offers online references, links, activities, crafts, and lesson plans.

Oceans of Kansas
A website about the fossilized remains from the oceans of interior North America during the Cretaceous Period. The site was designed by the Adjunct Curator of Paleontology of the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays, Kansas.

Fossil Resource
Two Guys Fossils is a supplier of real fossils, replicas, posters, and dinosaur models, with many items available at reasonable prices. Fossils come with information about the species and the location where the specimen was found.

National Geographic News
A search of the archived news stories will yield many interesting articles about new findings in paleontology in a brief, easy-to-understand format.

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History's Department of Paleobiology: Dinosaur Exhibits
This site provides information about specific species of dinosaurs and includes images of fossils that are in the Museum's collection. Other features include a Top 10 list debunking common misconceptions, an article on field work, information about prehistoric life forms other than dinosaurs, and a step-by-step look at how dinosaur skeletons are reconstructed for Museum display.

University of California Museum of Paleontology
If you are looking for specific information, using their search function is very helpful. This site has many different kinds of resources to offer, including online exhibits, a site called Dinobuzz covering exciting new research and controversial topics, and modules for educators on topics like Understanding Evolution, Explorations Through Time, and Learning from the Fossil Record.

 

The Institute of Museum and Library Services, an independent Federal grant- making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners by helping libraries and museums serve their communities supports the Berkshire Museum.

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