Digging Dinosaurs
Our class has transformed into paleontologist as we study about dinosaurs and their fossils. We started by making giant time lines spanning 600 million years. These showed the development of living things and the era in which they lived. We are looking at the characteristics of dinosaurs to see how they compare to current day reptiles. Each student will also choose one dinosaur to research in depth. In the computer lab they will transform that research into a dinosaur trading card.
This unit provides an opportunity for us to learn about not only dinosaurs, but a wide variety of related topics including erosion and geology. Our study will include several experiments and hands on activities. We will make PB&J sandwich (sections of the Earths crust) that transform into tectonic plates to discover why volcanoes, earthquakes and mountain ranges are a part of our world. Using water, wind and sand we will simulate erosion and uncover fossils. In a separate activity we will search for bones in the sand, then piece them back together just like paleontologists. Our class will also look at the characteristics of rocks and carry out experiments on them to discover under what conditions they were formed.
We are looking forward to a trip to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to explore all of the dinosaur exhibits.