nieworld.com

Teachers

Students

Families

Projects

Email NIE

Fossils & Footprints: Digging for Dinosaurs

By KRISTEN STERNBERG
NIE EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT

How much do people really know about dinosaurs? You´ve probably seen many pictures of dinosaurs, or at least of what scientists believe dinosaurs looked like, but of course nobody´s ever really seen one. After all, they´ve been extinct for millions of years, long before people appeared on the evolutionary scene. However, recent discoveries by archaeologists (people who study ancient times), along with advances in technology, are getting us closer to solving the mystery.

A variety of people are involved in keeping the public informed of new discoveries and evidence. Newspapers publish articles, as you´ve seen in the examples in these paragraphs. Books and other reference works are made current, and museums update their displays. Other pieces of our culture, like movies and popular books, will reflect new knowledge.

Many ideas have been proposed as reasons for the dinosaurs´ extinction, and they have caused continual debates. Was it a sudden disaster, such as an enormous meteor hitting the Earth? Such a collision might have covered much of the Earth with clouds of dust, causing all plants and animals to die. Was the sun blocked, or was there a change in the Earth´s climate, that it couldn't support life? These are some of the more common theories. All have both strong and weak arguments.

What are dinosaurs´ nearest living relatives? This, too, is a controversial topic. Are lizards tiny versions of dinosaurs, or were dinosaurs more like birds? Although most drawings show them thick-skinned and hairless, a report told of fossil evidence showing some dinosaur species had feathers! As more dinosaurs´ and other kinds of fossils are found, we add to our database of knowledge.

In Egypt, scientists uncovered bones from a huge, new dinosaur species they calculate could have been 100 feet long-longer than many houses! They named it “Paralititan stromeri.” According to the reporter, ‘Paralititan’ means ‘tidal giant.’ ‘Stromeri’ refers to an important geologist named Ernst Stromer.

What was it like, in dinosaur times? What did they look like? How did they become extinct? Do you think we will ever know the answers to these questions? Before you make up your mind, check out the newspaper activities and Web links below. Your local library and school will also have lots of great stuff to read about dinosaurs, if you want to learn more.

Try these fun activities using The News-Journal!

1. Using your newspaper's Comics section, identify whether each panel takes place in modern or prehistoric times. How are people and animals from the two eras portrayed? Compare their characteristics and draw several conclusions about modern perception of prehistoric times. (Sunshine State Standards: SS.A.1.2.1, SS.A.2.2.3, SS.B.1.2.4, SS.B.1.2.5)
   
   

Prehistoric Detective Sergey Semenov works with a small tool to reach into small cavities and crevaces in the skeletal structure of a 16-foot-tall Tyrannosaurus bataar, an Asian relative of the North American T-rex, at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach. (Photo: News-Journal/Kelly Jordan)

2. Examine your newspaper's Obituary section to get an idea of how obituaries (death notices) are written. Be sure to look at the Memorials, too. Then, write an obituary or memorial for the demise of the dinosaur. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.5, LA.B.1.2.2, LA.B.2.2.3, LA.B.2.2.6, LA.D.2.2.1, SC.G.1.2.2, SC.G.2.2.3)
   
   
3. Use the newspaper to design your dinosaur's environment! First, draw a picture of your ideal dinosaur. Next, choose and clip newspaper photos or other illustrations to show where your dinosaur might live and the foods it might eat. Glue or paste the clippings around your drawing. On your paper, write a one-sentence explanation for each of the choices you made. (Sunshine State Standards: SC.B.2.2.1, SC.G.1.2.1, SC.G.1.2.2, SC.G.1.2.5)
   
   
4. Search your newspaper's listings of local museums to find which ones have interesting collections of fossils and dinosaur artifacts. Try to visit one of the museums. (Sunshine State Standards: LA.A.2.2.4, LA.A.2.2.5, SS.A.1.2.1, SS.A.1.2.2)
   
   
5. Archaeologists examine artifacts (objects) from the past. Imagine you are an archaeologist 1,000 years in the future, and that you have just unearthed a newspaper. Study your newspaper and write down at least five conclusions you might draw about civilization in the United States in the 21st century. (Sunshine State Standards: SC.H.3.2.2, SC.H.3.2.4, SS.A.1.2.1, SS.A.1.2.2, SS.A.1.2.3)

A copy of Florida's Sunshine State Standards can be found at intech2000.miamisci.org.

Check out these links to learn more:

Start with a virtual Dinosaur Safari at this site from the Unnatural Museum, or find some great pictures to download, along with other activities and learning, at Zoom Dinosaurs. Be sure, also, to check out Kinetosaurs at The Children's Museum's Web site. These moving dinosaur sculptures will amaze you, so it's a good thing the site includes instructions for making your own!

With tons of interactive pages, the BBC's (British Broadcasting Company) dinosaur site is a lot of fun. You can look at videos and photos, play games and read articles written by experts. You'll also like The Field Museum's online exhibit, "Sue." Who is "Sue?" Follow the link to find out. Before you leave that site, you may want to print out the flip book or word search puzzle on dinosaurs.

Matching dinosaurs' heads to the proper skeletons, playing sliding puzzle games and even spotting dinosaur "impostors" are just a few of the puzzles and games waiting for you at this site.

At Kid's Domain - Dinosaurs, you can find out a lot of things about Dinos here. Check out their Glossary then try your hand at Dino Riddles. You can even print out and cut out your favorite dinosaur!

DINOBASE is a dinosaur Web Site at University of Bristol. Here they includ dinosaur names that have been properly published. If you want to know about dinosaur names, this is the place for you.

The Newspaper Association of America's web site contains links to many newspapers in the U.S. and around the world. Visit the site and check some of them out, to see if they have recently published any articles about dinosaurs. To access the newspapers at the site, select a state. Click on the "Internationals" button to view choices from other countries.

Copyright © 2009 NIE WORLD (www.nieworld.com). All content copyrighted and may not be republished without permission. The News-Journal has no control over and is not responsible for content on other Web sites. Privacy Policy.