1. Size of Dinosaurs
How big were the dinosaurs? Give each pair of students a dinosaur name and ask them to find out how long their dinosaur was. Give each pair of students a ball of string and have the students measure out the actual length of string. Take students outside or into the gym and have them stretch out their strings parallel to each other and compare the lengths of the dinosaurs. Challenge them to arrange themselves shortest to longest.

2. Sprawl/Crawl/Walk
One of the distinguishing characteristics of dinosaurs is the way their legs and arms are positioned directly under their body much like the way human legs are under their bodies. Lizards and other reptiles (which are not dinosaurs) have their legs out to the sides of their bodies. Have your students compare moving in these two different ways. Try moving across the room as a

(1) sprawler—arms way out to the sides

(2) crawler—arms under body

(3) walker—on feet

Which motion is easier? Faster? Best suited for moving over land surfaces? How does this relate to dinosaurs and the way their legs are attached?

3. Environmental Adaptations
Provide each pair of students with a different set of environmental conditions such as: physical setting (mountains, valley, etc.); climate (wet, dry, windy); flora; fauna. Ask students to design a dinosaur adapted to these environmental conditions. Use the Dinosaur Root Word Meanings list to have them create a name for their dinosaur. Students should be able to justify the features they have given their animal.

4. Time Lines
Have students construct a scale time line of their life, compared to a scale timeline of earth's geologic history.

Example
For a student aged 8 years, 1 month of the student's life equals approximately 50 million years of geological time:

5. Articulating skeletons
Divide students into teams of 4-5 people. Boil a whole chicken for each team, and carefully clean, keeping the bones of individual chickens separate. Give each team a set of bones to work with, and have them try to articulate the skeleton based on their knowledge of bones. They can tape their bones onto cardboard as they work. Have them compare their final product to a photo of a chicken skeleton. How well did they do? How was this like a paleontologist trying to assemble the bones of a dinosaur? How was it different?
Learn how to turn a chicken into a dinosaur

6. Newspaper Sedimentology
Do not empty your newspaper recycling bin during your study of dinosaurs. Towards the end of the unit go on a "dig", noting how dates get older as you go down, and seeing how topics have developed over time, looking at them 'backwards'. Relate this to the way rock layers have formed and how we can get an estimate to the age of specific fossils.

7. Neighborhood Change Over Time
Make observations of your schoolyard or neighborhood area, buildings, vegetation, road conditions, etc. Re-examine your observation area periodically. Note changes. Are the changes cyclic (like seasonal) or do they appear to be more permanent? How do these changes affect people, plants, animals that live in the area?

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Dinosaur Mapping

The Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park: The Lost World was produced by Dinosaur Exhibitions, LLC, under the direction of "Dino" Don Lessem, and in partnership with Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. The exhibition was designed by Museum Design Associates. Jurassic Park and Lost World are trademarks of Universal City Studios and Amblin Entertainment.

Teachers Guide materials developed by San Diego Natural History Museum and used by permission. Some activities adapted or developed by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

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