Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure Movie - Educators

Educators

The collection of lessons below supports the educational use of Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure through standards-based (PDF) learning. Developed and reviewed with input from scientists, teachers, and museum educators, they are designed to engage students in an array of scientific and geographic concepts (PDF) through inquiry-based activities.

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Lessons (by grade level):

Grades 3-5 | Grades 6-8 | Grades 9-12 | Full Guide (PDF) | Extras

Grades 3-5
Photo by Pamela Everhart	Fossils Rock! Tales from the Field Why and how do paleontologists study fossils? Find out what it is like to work as a paleontologist. Download PDF Lesson Activities: Meet a Paleontologist Join a Dig "Fossils Rock!" Radio Program Listen to paleontologist Mike Everhart (pictured at left) describe the day he found a Cretoxyrhina. You need the Flash Player version 8 or higher and a JavaScript enabled browser to listen and view the audio player on this site
	Create a Creature: Animal Adaptations What body parts and behaviors help animals adapt to their environment? What can scientific names tell us about animal adaptations? Learn how adaptations—changes to body parts and behaviors—help animals survive. Download PDF Lesson Activities: What�s in a Name? How Do Animals Adapt? Design-a-Saurus
	At Home Under the Cretaceous Seas Did prehistoric animals have the same habitat needs as modern animals? Discover how habitats meet the basic needs of animals in several ways. Download PDF Lesson Activities: Habitat Needs What Swam in the Cretaceous Seas? Cretaceous Seas Bingo
Grades 6-8 Back to top
	Science on Screen: Evidence and Inference How do filmmakers use evidence and inference to make a science-based film about prehistoric marine reptiles? Learn how scientific research informs the development of a science-based film. Download PDF Lesson Activities: Unpack the Evidence Behind the Scene: Science Notes Storyboard a Scene
	CSI: Cretaceous Seas Investigation How do scientists analyze fossil evidence to reconstruct life in prehistoric times? Learn how paleontologists study fossils to gain insights into animals and their interactions. Download PDF Lesson Activities: Cretaceous Clues "Impossible Fossil" Site Map Create a Site Map
	On Exhibit: World Under Water What would you include in an exhibit about the Cretaceous seas? Explore the geography and marine life of the Cretaceous period. Download PDF Lesson Activities: Mapping the Cretaceous Cretaceous Creature Research Create the Exhibit: World Under Water
Grades 9-12 Back to top
	Science Forum: Extinction Then and Now What factors contribute to the extinction of a species? Have these factors changed over time? Compare and contrast causes for extinction, past and present. Download PDF Lesson Activities: Eco-Illustrations Extinction Then and Now Science Forum

Sea Monsters Extras

Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure Poster

A giant Tylosaurus attacks a Cretoxyrhina as a Dolychorynchops swims away. Millions of years later, paleontologists working far from ocean waters discover the fossil of the Tylosaurus.

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Glossary

This two-page glossary defines scientific and geographical terms used in the lessons.

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This material is based in part upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. ESI-0514981. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.