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Schools

WHAT THE FOSSIL DISCOVERY CENTER OFFERS TO SCHOOLS

We have an excellent program geared towards multiple grades from Kindergarten to College level. Most visitors are grade school level, specifically 2nd grade.  We provide teachers with a Pre-visit and Post-visit Teacher Packet which acquaints them with our program and a brief history and description of the fossil site so they can prepare their students beforehand, as well as a review afterwards.  We have an informative staff and docents who take the students through the entire museum.

The Fossil Discovery Center in in the midst of the San Joaquin Valley and children who visit will learn about the prehistory of their own local area. They will be learning about history, science, and how things change over time in a fun and rewarding way. The FDC is the only educational site of its kind in the entire San Joaquin Valley and offers a unique and educational look at the past.

For those who cannot visit the Fossil Discovery Center we offer a traveling Trunk Show where we bring the prehistoric past to the classroom.  Replicas as well as genuine fossils and other illustrative tools as well as an entertaining presentation make this the next best thing to coming to the FDC itself.

Teachers can download pre and post visit packets on our science page. Scroll until you see Downloads

Please contact Dawn to schedule your visit – (559) 665-7107


For more details please click on the FIELD TRIPS tab above.

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California State Framework Science

Effective science programs are based on standards and use standards-based instructional materials. Comprehensive, standards-based programs are those in which curriculum, instruction, and assessment are aligned with the grade level-specific content standards (kindergarten through grade eight) and the content strands (grades nine through twelve). Students have opportunities to learn foundational skills and knowledge in the elementary and middle grades and to understand concepts, principles, and theories at the high school level. Students use instructional materials that have been adopted by the State Board of Education in kindergarten through grade eight. For grades nine through twelve, students use instructional materials that are determined by local boards of education to be consistent with the science standards and this framework. 

The SBE adopted the Next Generation Science Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve (CA NGSS) as required by California Education Code 60605.85. The NGSS Appendices A-M were also adopted to assist teachers in the implementation of the new science standards and to aid in the development of the new science curriculum framework.

The SBE-adopted California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS) can be viewed below by grade level Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI): Life Sciences, Earth and Space Sciences, and Physical Sciences or by grade level Topic (e.g., Chemical Reactions, Structure and Function, or Space Systems).

A California Standards Test in science is now administered at grade five, reflecting the cumulative science standards for grades four and five. Therefore, science instruction must be based on complete programs that cover all the standards at every grade level. The criteria for evaluating K–8 science instructional materials (see Chapter 9) state: “All content Standards as specified at each grade level are supported by topics or concepts, lessons, activities, investigations, examples, and/or illustrations, etc., as appropriate.” www.cde.ca.gov/ci/sc/cf/ 

1. All high school science courses that meet state or local graduation requirements or the entrance requirements of the University of California or The California State University are based on the Science Content Standards. All students take, at a minimum, two years of laboratory science providing fundamental knowledge in at least two of the following content strands: biology/life sciences, chemistry, and physics. Laboratory courses in earth sciences are acceptable if prerequisite courses are required (or provide basic knowledge) in biology, chemistry, or physics. 

2. Every high school laboratory science course is based on the content standards and ensures that students master both the content-specific standards and Investigation and Experimentation standards. 

3. Every science program ensures that students are prepared to be successful on the California Standards Tests. 

Effective science programs develop students’ command of the academic language of science used in the content standards 

Effective science programs continually engage all students in learning and prepare and motivate students for further instruction in science. 

Effective science programs use technology to teach students, assess their knowledge, develop information resource 

Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Standard set: Investigation and experimentation- Elementary Questions that are testable in science are founded on factual information and are based on observations. Students will: 
a. Classify objects (e.g., rocks, plants, leaves) in accordance with appropriate criteria. 
b. Develop a testable question. 
c. Plan and conduct a simple investigation based on a student-developed question and write instructions others can follow to carry out the procedure. 
d. Identify the dependent and controlled variables in an investigation. 
e. Identify a single independent variable in a scientific investigation and explain how this variable can be used to collect information to answer a question about the results of the experiment. www.cde.ca.gov/ci/sc/cf/

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What Children Learn

What can children learn from objects in museums?

​from http://www.si.edu/visit/groups.htm Smithsonian Museum

By carefully looking at the objects they’re seeing in the exhibits, children’s minds become engaged, and the objects become learning tools. Careful observation acts as a springboard for new thoughts and ideas, stimulating the use of critical thinking skills. Some of these skills include:
  • Comparing and contrasting — recognizing similarities and differences in objects
  • Identifying and classifying — recognizing and grouping things that belong together
  • Describing — giving verbal or written descriptions of the objects viewed
  • Predicting — guessing what might happen
  • Summarizing — presenting information that has been gathered in a shortened or condensed form
  • Your Child’s Learning Style​
Learning from objects is easiest when families know their children’s learning styles. Research shows that most children learn best through one of three ways: hearing (auditory), seeing (visual), or touching/reenacting (tactile/kinesthetic), and some by a combination of all of these. Generally, children who are:
  • Auditory learners like to be read to, understand more by hearing explanations of things, and are better at following verbal, rather than written, instructions
  • Visual learners often like to read on their own, love books with lots of pictures, like information that is presented on a graph or chart, and like to draw diagrams and pictures
  • Tactile-kinesthetic learners like to touch objects and feel textures, enjoy arts and crafts, and like to be in skits or plays, often pretending to be the person they’re studying
Questions, Questions, and More Questions
Museum curators consider a variety of learning styles when designing exhibits. Docents or tour guides explain and interpret the exhibits for visitors, all exhibits have written descriptions that tell a story about the objects, and many museums have exhibits that are interactive. Tour guides are also available for individuals with visual and hearing impairments.   Is it real? How does it work? What is it made of? Children are naturally curious and ask lots of questions. Families can have a good conversation with their children by listening carefully to their questions about the objects and asking them to complete statements such as:
  •  A good name for this is.
  • What does this remind you of?
  • What do you think will happen if.
  • What if?
  • What words would you use to describe this object?
  • How are these two objects the same? Different?
  • How does it make you feel?
 
Field Trip Guideline for Homeschool Parents
Posted by Ann Zeise on February 22, 2010 

​Only sign up for a field trip if you are committed to going! Arrangements are made according to planned attendance. If an emergency does arise, please notify the coordinator as soon as possible.
  1. If you are not going on a particular field trip, complete the Field Trip Permission Slip and give it to the adult with whom you are entrusting your child.
  2. There will be a few field trips where preschool children or under a certain age may not be allowed to attend. There also may be instances where strollers are not permitted. Please respect these requests. If small children get disruptive, please take them outside.
  3. Field trip attire should be in good taste, e.g. children should not wear ripped jeans, short shorts or dresses, tank tops etc, as these are formal outings. Certain field trips may require students to dress up, such as concerts.
  4. Prepare for the field trip. Do some research on the web so you know what you are getting into. Help your child understand a bit about the background of the activity. If your child isn’t ready for the fragility of the place or the rigorous activity, remember that the place will still be there another year when your child is more mature and able to enjoy it.
  5. Set expectations for appropriate manners ahead of time. Just make sure your child has memorized one or two expectations. Too many, and all get forgotten. For example: Raise your hand if you have a question and wait to be called on. After your question is answered, say, “Thank you.” Then sit quietly while others get their questions answered.
  6. Please be at the designated meeting place as close to on time as possible.
  7. Please wait until the entire group has arrived before going into the place of business. This will be less disturbing for the sponsors.
  8. As a parent, you must always know where your children are and what they are doing. Throughout the field trip your children need to be either with you or the person you have designated. Both kids and parents should be respectful, kind and courteous to the tour guides and to each other.
  9. Pick up after yourself. Place everything where it needs to be. Place all trash in a trash receptacle.
  10. Count heads and items. Are you leaving with everyone and everything you came in with?
  11. Send thank-you cards to those who allowed you to tour their facility or who presented the activity.
Remember: First impressions last long! For some field trips, your group will represent the public’s first exposure to homeschooling / charter schools. Let’s make it a good one!! ​

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Field Trips

Field trip informationPlease call the Fossil Discovery Center main desk at 
(559)665.7107 during business hours.
​
Our field trips are wonderful experiences for students! The calendar fills up fast with reservations so please call us at (559) 665-7107 to schedule a field trip. 

We are open 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Wednesday through Friday. Saturday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. Closed Sundays through Tuesday during regular school year schedules.

Schools typically arrive by 9:00 or 10:00 am.  Allow 2 hours for a basic field trip. This includes arrival, organizing, and touring the Fossil Discovery Center.  (Currently field trips are virtual).  Call the center for dates and times.

Upon arrival, we separate the class into smaller groups and a tour guide takes each group through the museum. The tours are usually in 4 sections and each section takes 20 to 30 minutes depending on the time available for the school.

​For example, a school with 60 students arrives at the FDC. We put the students into 4 groups of 15 students each. A staff member or volunteer then takes their group through the 4 parts of the museum.

The four sections are:
  1. An 8 minute introductory video and tour of half of the museum.
  2. A tour of the “Pleistocene Pond” outside which represents the area during the Pleistocene with native vegetation, as well as an accurate re-construction of a Yokuts Indian house.
  3. An inside tour of the 2nd half of the museum.
  4. The “Mock Dog” where students get to excavate their own replicas of some of the skulls and jaws of extinct animals.​
This ends the tour. Teachers are welcome to bring their lunches and eat them here. We have tables outside and or inside depending upon the weather.

We also have a small Gift Shop. If teachers plan on letting the students visit the gift shop we ask that only 10 students at a time.  A good time to visit the gift shop is when the students finish their lunch and can enter in small groups at a time.

If you have any questions, please call us at (559) 665-7107 and reserve your field trip soon. ​

Why Take Field Trips?

For Teachers: Why Take Field Trips? Field trips expand children’s learning through active hands-on experience with the rich resources of the local community. Field trips increase student knowledge and understanding of a subject and add realism to the topic of study. Good planning precedes meaningful field trips. Careful attention should be given to trip selection, pre-visit preparation, the trip itself, appropriate follow up, and evaluation. When considering a field trip, teachers are advised to first consult with their administrator regarding existing school board policies and follow those recommended procedures.Trip Selection
  1. Identify the rationale, objectives and plan of evaluation for the field trip.
  2. Select the site to be visited. Contact the educational coordinator for the site and arrange the date and time. Obtain the pre-trip information package if one is available. Record addresses, directions, contact persons, phone numbers, email addresses, etc.
  3. Conduct a pre-visit to familiarize yourself with the major features of the field trip. Purchase postcards and posters. Take digital photographs to share with students prior to the visit. Explore the exhibition(s) you plan to visit to get ideas for pre field trip activities.
Logistics Planning
  1. Apply for administrative approval from departmental chairperson, curriculum administrator, or building principal
  2. File requisition for bus transportation reservation
  3. Make arrangements for meal or sack lunch if needed
  4. Develop schedule for the day
  5. Arrange for special equipment -supplies, film, video camera, digital camera
  6. Prepare name tags for students and chaperones
  7. Collect money for admission fees
  8. Compose parent permission letter including
    • Date and location of field trip and transportation arrangements
    • Educational purpose of field trip
    • Provision for special needs students
    • Cost
    • Clothing for the trip
    • Lunch arrangements
    • Money needed
    • Trip schedule
    • Whether a child will need prescribed medication administered
    • Parent signature
  9. Send a letter to parents or include in the class newsletter a request for help as chaperones, communicate assigned duties/responsibilities, review field trip objectives, and list activities and schedule.
  10. Provide alternative arrangements for pupils who will not be going on the trip.
  11. Inform the cafeteria staff if students will be away during the lunch hour.
  12. Submit a list of students who will be attending the field trip to other teachers if their schedules will be affected.
  13. Collect the money for the trip and deposit it in your school’s account. If required, send the advanced fee to the field trip site.
  14. Create a list of all student names and home phone numbers for use in an emergency.
Preparing Students Before the Trip
  1. Discuss the purpose of the field trip and how it relates to the current unit of study.
  2. Introduce visual observation skills. Let students describe in detail ordinary objects, like a paper clip, paintbrush, clothespin, or comb to their classmates.
  3. Introduce vocabulary words that will be used by docents during the tour.
  4. Show photographs or posters of the field trip site or related to exhibits that will be viewed.
  5. Assign students “specialists” roles in one aspect of the topic that they will be studying during the field trip. Students could be grouped in different subject areas related to the field trip topic to research (e.g., history, art, religion, science, environment, etc).
  6. Explore the Website of the location you will be visiting.
  7. As a class brainstorm a set of standards of conduct for the trip and discuss suggested spending money, lunch plans, appropriate clothing to wear for the trip including gear for rainy weather.
  8. Discuss with students how to ask good questions and brainstorm a list of open-ended observation questions to gather information during the visit. Record questions on chart paper or in student field trip journals.
Final Planning – Check all permission slips the day before the field trip.

Creating Effective Field Trips

Since Field trips are normally not a required part of your curriculum. So the first question you must ask yourself is whether they are worth it. To this effect, let’s look at some of the pros and cons of field trips.Pros of Field Trips
  • They are a way to reinforce and expand on concepts taught in class.
  • They offer students another method to learn concepts and are especially good for the many tactile/kinesthetic students in your classroom.
  • They allow for a shared reference that can be referred to later as you are teaching new concepts. (e.g. remember when we saw…)
  • They allow you and your students a different format in which to get to know each other and bond.
Cons of Field Trips
  • You have to plan ahead above and beyond your normal lessons.
  • You will need to complete and collect paperwork from your students.
  • You need to keep your students organized and well-disciplined.
  • Your field trip might turn out to be a dud.
What to Do? You can see that there are many pros and cons to field trips. They do take time and can lead to further challenges but at the same time if used effectively they can lead to a deeper understanding not readily available within the classroom environment. Realize that in terms of a field trip, the more time and effort you put in before the day of the trip the better your chances of success.Possible Field Trip Ideas Your first choice once you decide to participate in a field trip is to decide on your destination. There are many to choose from including museums, archaeological sites, zoos, nature trails, and theme parks. The main consideration is the objective of your field trip. You should have a purpose in mind and do your research. A trip on your own to the field trip site is a huge boon to the selection process so that you truly pick something the kids will enjoy and learn from. However, a personal visit is not an absolute necessity. Make sure, however, that at the very least you have checked out the location’s website and found out the costs and policies involved.Planning Your Field Trip Following is a list of items that you need to consider while planning your field trip. Realize this is probably the most important part of an effective and relatively enjoyable field trip.
  • Determine your destination and write your objectives for the visit.
  • Consult your administration and gain approval. Every school is different concerning approvals and
  • there might be blackout dates and other items that you need to consider.
  • Determine transportation rules and decide on the mode of transportation.
  • Learn the rules for collecting money and get any necessary permission forms for students.
  • Find out the rules concerning lunches and decide on what you are going to do about eating lunch. You might find that if you have students on free or reduced lunches that the school will provide them with bag lunches for the trip. However, these must be ordered in advance. Also make sure you’ve determined where students will be eating their lunches on the trip. Many locations do not provide a location where food is allowed. You also probably will not be allowed to eat on the bus. One solution is to find a nearby park where the students can eat their lunches.
  • Determine the number of chaperones you will need; your district probably has guidelines for chaperones that you will need to follow.
  • Pass out permission slips and an information sheet for students including due dates for money and signed forms and the cost and details of your trip. You can also ask for chaperones at this time.
  • Collect money and keep a careful accounting. Make sure to follow all school rules concerning the collection of money.
  • Remind students as the due date nears and call parents if you are not getting enough chaperones.
  • Create student groups. Remember that many destinations will have rules concerning student-chaperone ratios so check these out early. Also spend some time determining your groups. Do not allow students to just choose their own groups because this is a recipe for disaster. Further, try to remember student personalities. Make sure to take it easy on the chaperones. For example, don’t put the most trying students together in one group if it can be at all avoided.
  • Create a lesson for students to complete in conjunction with the field trip. This might be a scavenger hunt, a worksheet with questions to answer while at the destination, an essay that they must complete upon return, or some other activity. Check with your field trip location because they might have ready-made lesson plans that you can use.
  • Create a contingency plan in case things go wrong. For example, what if the students are finished one hour before the buses are set to return? This might be the time to create a fun mini-lesson FOR OLDER CHILDREN you can pass out for extra credit.
  • On field trip day, you will want to get to school early. Make sure you have all required forms and attendance sheets ready to go. If you need to get lunches from the cafeteria, make sure you have these also. Be prepared to orient your chaperones concerning your expectations, their groups, and the class assignment. Let your students know your expectations and then go and have fun.
  • Debrief concerning the field trip the next day after your return. Talk about the group impressions and what students learned. You can use this to further their learning and also to decide if you will go on that particular field trip again in future years.​
In the end, field trips do require extra time and planning. However, in many ways they provide you and your students with a fun way to enhance and extend lessons in class. 

By Melissa Kelly, About.com Guide

Conducting the Field Trip

Conducting the Field Trip - Day of the trip:
  • Pass out name tags
  • Divide class into small groups and assign chaperones to groups
  • Assign each student a partner
  • Place a class list and student emergency forms in a folder
  • Secure a cell phone if possible
  • Take along an emergency kit
  • Take inventory of food, specific equipment, and other supplies pertinent to the particular field trip
 Activities during the Field Trip Plan activities that allow students to work alone, in pairs or small groups. Activities might include:
  • Adventure game “Journey to the World of…”
  • Mystery with clues provided
  • Sketch pages with partial drawings of objects found in the exhibits for students to complete the drawings based on their observations
  • Peepholes in construction paper – cut different sized round holes in construction paper and have students view a part of the exhibition through the peepholes. Ask them to describe what they see, what they notice now that they missed before, and how their perspective changes with each new view
  • Field notebooks for recording answers to prepared questions based on clues
  • Hand drawn postcards to write near the end of the tour that will summarize the field trip visit

Provide time for students to observe, ask questions, and record key words, ideas and phrases as journal entries in their FOSSIL FIELD BOOK after viewing each exhibit Ask follow-up questions as students make observations and listen to presentations.
  • How are these two objects different from one another?
  • What clues does this artifact provide about…
  • In what ways do these two objects relate to one another?
  • If you could change one thing in this exhibit, what would it be?
  • Pretend you are an archaeologist in the future who is observing this object. What would you be able to conclude about the culture of the past?
  • Expand the title or name of this object into a detailed caption (sentence or paragraph) in your FOSSIL FIELD BOOK.
  • Describe the setting in which you might have found this object.
  • Which object will be of greatest value in a hundred years? Why?
  • List the objects in the exhibit order of the story they tell or usefulness.
  • Which object took the most time and effort to produce?
  • Pretend you are a character in this exhibit. Tell us as much as you can about your life.
  • What does this object tell us about the person’s attitude toward…?

Schedule a particular segment of the Fossil field trip for a scavenger hunt where students look for particular objects and record them in their FOSSIL FIELD BOOK or on an observation sheet. 

Provide time for students to work in their FOSSIL FIELD BOOK writing questions, describing favorite displays or making sketches of artifacts, structures, scenery, etc. If they cannot complete their sketches, encourage them to label them for future completion as to color, detail, etc. 

Provide time for students to use (tape recorder, camcorder, digital camera) for recording important resources viewed/heard. 

*** Polling Activity: “Blue Ribbon – Your Choice” 

After careful observation of an exhibit, ask students to discuss an exhibit and vote on an artifact, artwork that they consider to be the most valuable part of the exhibit they viewed. Then ask students to record one sentence in their FOSSIL FIELD BOOK describing why they felt the object was of key importance.
​

Post - Field Trip Activities

Post-Field Trip Activities: Just as quality pre-planning is essential to the success of a field trip, planning for appropriate follow-up activities will facilitate student learning and multiply the value of hands-on experiences outside the classroom. The following activities provide a general guide when planning for post-field trip classroom experiences.
  • Provide time for students to share general observations and reactions to field trip experiences
  • Share specific assignments students completed while on the field trip.
  • Create a classroom bulletin board displaying materials developed or collected while on the field trip.
  • Develop a classroom museum that replicates and extends displays students observed on the field trip. For example, if the field trip involved an art museum, develop a classroom art museum containing student artwork.
  • Link field trip activities to multiple curricular areas. For example, students can develop vocabulary lists based on field trip observations; record field trip observations in a classroom journal; complete math problems related to actual field trip budget planning; etc.
  • Share and evaluate student assignments/activities from the FOSSIL FIELD BOOK.
  • Have the class compose and send thank-you letters to the field trip site host, chaperones, school administrators and other persons that supported the field trip. Include favorite objects or special information learned during the field trip.
  • Create a short news report about what happened on the field trip. Publicize the trip via an article in your local newspaper, school bulletin board, trip presentation for parent’s night, or class Web page.
  • ​
Evaluating the Trip: Complete a “Teacher Journal” regarding the field trip. This will provide a good reference for future field trips.
  • What was of unique educational value in this field trip?
  • Did the students meet the objectives/expectations?
  • Was there adequate time?
  • Was there adequate staff and adult supervision?
  • What might be done differently to make this an even better experience in the future?
  • What special points should be emphasized next time?
  • What special problems should be addressed in the future?
  • What would improve a visit to this site in the future?​
Share the evaluation with the students, volunteers, hosts from the field trip site, and school administrators. 

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Annotated Children's Books

Annotated Children’s Books http://www.sedl.org/scimath/pasopartners/dinosaurs/dinoref.html 

Allen, C. (1989). The dinosaur family reunion. Allen, TX: DLM Teaching Resources. This predictable storybook has the dinosaur family coming to a reunion, one by one, two by two, etc. It also highlights verbs that children can act out and say. 

Barton, B. (1989). Dinosaurs, dinosaurs. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell. This is almost a wordless book. It is well illustrated, showing the different kinds of dinosaurs. 

Barton, B. (1990). Bones, bones, dinosaur bones. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell. Large-sized print, an almost wordless book, this shows paleontologist looking for bones. 

Berenstain, S. & J. (1987). The day of the dinosaur. New York: Random House. Labeled a first time reader, this 30-page publication can be used to teach the concepts of “long ago”; different sizes and shapes of dinosaurs and fossils. It contains good illustrations and names of the dinosaurs while the text is written in rhyming manner. It begins with “Long ago, long, long ago, before many things we now know – before cities, towns, and roads, before people, before birds, frogs, and toads – long, long, long before – it was the day of the dinosaur.” 

Brandenberg, A. (1989). Digging up dinosaurs. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell. Labeled as a “Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science Book,” this book is good for read-aloud in kindergarten. It is one of the few primary books that includes the paleontologist, geologist and other experts working with fossils. It also emphasizes the caution these experts take when digging up dinosaurs’ fossils. This is a sample sentence: “At the museum, scientists unwrap the fossil.” 

Carrick, C. (1986). What happened to Patrick’s dinosaurs? New York: Clarion Books. Patrick invents his own explanation of why dinosaurs became extinct. 

Dixon, D., & Lings, S. (1988). Be a dinosaur detective. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications. In its question/answer format, this publication has many charts and diagrams. It contains easy-to-follow projects. It is colorful and large enough for children to see during a read-aloud session. 

Donnelly, L. (1987). Dinosaur day. New York: Scholastic. A boy and his dog go hunting for dinosaurs. Almost a wordless book. 

Emberley, M. (1980). Dinosaurs: A drawing book. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. This appears to be a good book for children and teachers, too. It shows how to draw the different dinosaurs; easy to follow steps. 

Heller, R. (1981). Chickens aren’t the only ones. New York: Grosset & Dunlap. Chicken aren’t the only ones laying eggs. Many others do, including dinosaurs. 

Kindersley. (1991). Dinosaurs. New York: Macmillan Books. Illustrated in beautiful colors, this publication names the dinosaurs. 

Moseley, K. (1984). Dinosaurs: A lost world. New York: Putnam Publishing Group. Presents current information in a “pop-up” format. 

Most, B. (1978). If the dinosaurs came back. San Diego: Harcourt, Brace, & Jovanovich. This fantasy depicts dinosaurs helping build skyscrapers and catching lost kites, if they were to come back. Available in a big book also. 

Most, B. (1984). Whatever happened to the dinosaurs? New York: Harcourt, Brace, & Jovanovich. This is a clever book about extinction possibilities. It is a humorous book, portraying the dinosaurs at large in cities, in jungles, undergrounds, and even in disguise. 

Most, B. (1987). Dinosaur cousins? San Diego: Harcourt, Brace, & Jovanovich. Using clever words and vivid illustrations, the author points out the similarities between animals of today and the dinosaurs of yesterday. 

Most, B. (1990). Four and twenty dinosaurs. New York: Harper Collins Children’s Books. Beautifully illustrated, this book combines dinosaurs and nursery rhymes. 

Most, B. (1991). A dinosaur named after me. New York: Harcourt, Brace, & Jovanich. This book encourages creative thinking. Ryan wants Tyrannosaurus Rex to be called Ryanosaurus Rex, etc. 

Norman, D., Milner, A., & Keates, C. (1989). Eyewitness books: Dinosaurs. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Realistic drawings and photographs make this volume a useful source of information regarding early discoveries, eggs and nests, birth and growth, claws, footprints, and other dinosaur facts. 

Robinson, E. (1987). The dinosaur ball. Allen, TX: DLM Teaching Resources. This is a predictable storybook, using numbers. 

Sattler, H. R., & Zallinger, J. (1984). Baby dinosaurs. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books. Based on rare baby dinosaur fossils, this discusses early life of dinosaurs. 

Shapiro, L. (1979). Dinosaurs. New York: Simon & Schuster. This is an entertaining “pop-up” book. 

Talbott, H. (1988). We’re back!: A dinosaur’s story. New York: Crown Publishers. A product testing firm from outer space brings seven dinosaurs to the 20th Century. The seven dinosaurs get into a lot of trouble. Will they stay on earth?
​

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Sample Activity

Here’s a sample of an activity available at Fossil Discovery Center or Children’s Science MuseumACTIVITY: Fossil Prints

Objective

The students simulate fossil prints using clay to explore the concept of a fossil and to make inferences from given information, i.e., humans believe that dinosaurs existed because we have found their fossil remains. 

Materials

Using a variety of materials including small bones, leaves, ferns work well, shells, buttons or coins A small piece of modeling clay 

Discussion

Fossils appear buried in the earth as either actual bones or teeth, or as impressions or prints, or as spaces or casts left in stone after the object has decayed away. 

Procedures

  1. Press half the clay flat and smooth. 
  2. Place item onto the clay. Make a few impressions in the clay with a button, coin or twig. 
  3. Roll out the other half of the clay and place it over the objects on the first half. Press the two pieces of clay together gently to keep the clay from breaking. Take care that the clay molds the bone or other objects. 
  4. After the clay has dried, somewhat, carefully separate the pieces of clay. The prints of the leaves and a cast of the bone can be seen.

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