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Curriculum
links
Science in
the New Zealand Curriculum: Making Sense of Planet
Earth and Beyond
Students can
| Level 2 |
2
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understand that
Earth is very old and that animals and plants in
past times were very different |
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| Level
4 |
| 2 |
collect and use
evidence from landforms, rocks, fossils, and library
research to describe the geological history of the
local area |
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| Level
5 |
| 1/2 |
investigate and
describe processes which change the Earth’s
surface over time at local and global levels |
Science in the New Zealand
Curriculum: Making Sense of the Living World
Students can |
|
| Level
1 |
| 1 |
share
their experiences relating to the living world, and group
the living world according to some of its attributes |
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| Level
2 |
| 1 |
use differences
and similarities in external characteristics to distinguish
broad groups of living things |
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| Level
3 |
| 1 |
distinguish between
living things within broad groups on the basis of differences
established by investigating external characteristics |
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| Level
4 |
| 1 |
investigate and
classify closely related living things on the basis of
easily observable features |
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Background
information
A
dinosaur was a form of reptile that first appeared more than
225 million years ago during the Mesozoic Era. While all dinosaurs
were reptiles, most reptiles are not dinosaurs.
This
segment shows students the two features that allow us to classify
what is and what isn’t a dinosaur. Often people are
under the misapprehension that if a creature lived at the
time of the dinosaurs then it was a dinosaur. Prehistoric
marine reptiles (eg, plesiosaur) and flying reptiles (eg,
pterodactyl) are popularly thought of as dinosaurs, but they
were not.
In
this segment two identifying biological features of a dinosaur
(diapsid skull and legs below the body) are explained.
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A
key feature of a dinosaur was that it had legs beneath
its body. Many reptiles, such as lizards and frogs, have
legs that protrude from the sides of their bodies, while
others, such as snakes, have no legs at all. Having legs
under their body was a huge advantage for dinosaurs –
they could move far more efficiently than many other creatures. |
Another
key feature of a dinosaur was its diapsid skull. A diapsid
skull has two openings – behind and above the eye sockets
– on each side. By comparison, mammals, including humans,
have synapsid skulls – with a single opening on each
side. If an animal has its legs beneath its body and a diapsid
skull, then it can be called a dinosaur.
Remember
that although the dinosaurs were dominant at this time, other
reptiles, mammals, fishes, and insects coexisted with them.
Profiles
(Click
on the image to find out more.)
Suggested activities and discussions
for this segment
-
Have your students read the labels and study the skeletons.
Then get your students to choose which of the four skeletons
is a dinosaur. At each skeleton discuss with them the two
rules for deciding if it is a dinosaur – legs straight
underneath and a diapsid skull. For example, the tuatara
(skeleton) has a diapsid skull but its legs stick out of
the sides of its body.
- Ask
your students how they think human beings walk. Do they
walk with their legs underneath or out to the side? Compare
this with how the dinosaurs walked.
- Get
your students to study the skulls on display and feel their
own skull. Have them work out whether they have the same
extra holes as a dinosaur and tuatara (diapsid) –
which would be a hole behind the eyes near the top of the
skull.
Suggested classroom activities
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Collect various pictures of dinosaurs, prehistoric marine
and flying reptiles, modern reptiles and some prehistoric
mammals (eg, mammoth, sabre-toothed tiger, etc). Get the
children to classify them into groups before visiting Dinosaurs
from China and then again after the class visit. Each
time ask the students to explain their reasonings behind
how they chose to group the animals – see if this
has changed after the visit.
- Get
your students to investigate differences in walking. Have
them walk normally with legs beneath the body, and then
again on all fours with their arms and legs out to the sides
like a lizard (a press-up pose). Discuss the pros and cons
of each, such as ease and speed of walking and running,
energy used, etc.
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Brainstorm and list as many different sorts of dinosaurs
as the class can. As everyone learns more about dinosaurs
and just how many different kinds there were, their ‘profiles’
can be added to the list.
| SUGGESTED
READING AND WEBSITES |
 Could
a Tyrannosaurus Play Table Tennis?
Plant, Andrew. 2002 The Penguin Group, Australia.
A fun ABC-of-dinosaurs picture book, with some
information about the dinosaur on the bottom
of the page. The author’s introduction
useful too.
- Dinosaur
New Zealand
Cox, Geoffrey and Wiffen, Joan. 2002 HarperCollins
Publishers, New Zealand.
Good basic information on reptiles and dinosaurs
of New Zealand.
- Dinosaurs
– The Ultimate Guide to Prehistoric Life
Brochu, Christopher A. et
al. 2000 HarperCollins Publishers, London.
A great all-round guide to dinosaurs. It has
information about fossils, fossil hunters, what
is a dinosaur, etc.
- Hot
topics: Dinosaurs
Cooper, John. 2003 Zigzag Children’s Books,
London.
Another good question-and-answer book. It includes
an easy-to-understand diagram on how scientists
group dinosaurs and the difference between reptile
and dinosaur leg structure. There is also a
page of suggested websites to visit.
- The
Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs
Norman, Dr David. 1985 Salamander Books Ltd,
London.
A good detailed book on all aspects of the dinosaurs
(and other creatures).
-
I Wonder Why: Triceratops
Had Horns and Other Questions About Dinosaurs
Theodorou, Rod.1994 Kingfisher Publications
Plc, London.
A children’s picture book that answers
the questions that people often ask about dinosaurs.
- The
Kingfisher Illustrated Dinosaur Encyclopedia
Burnie, David. 2001 Kingfisher Publications
Plc, London.
This encyclopedia covers more than just dinosaurs
and is an excellent reference book for all the
segments featured in this exhibition.
- The
Really Deadly and Dangerous Dinosaur
Taylor, Barbara. 1997 Dorling Kindersley Ltd,
London.
This is a book to read with your students. It
has good photographs of fossils and models,
with great descriptions to accompany them
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/default.stm
This is the BBC news website. In the top right
corner is an internal search engine for their
database. If you type in dinosaurs you get lists
of the latest news on dinosaur finds and research
from around the world.
Books
displaying this icon are available for purchasing
at Te Papa store.
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