These free online resources can support your teaching of dinosaurs, paleontology, and geologic time, before or after viewing the film with your students.

Dinosaurs Alive Educator's Guide
This Guide connects the movie to the classroom with key scientific concepts, four hands-on activities, and standards correlations.

Download a PDF of dinosaur skeletons to support the “Flesh Out a Fossil” activity in the guide.

Dinosaurs Alive Poster
Download, print, and hang this poster on your wall! And discover what the Earth was like during the time of the dinosaurs.

Layers of Time: Fossil Game!
The fossil layers are all out of order! Which came first, sharks or dinosaurs? Dragonflies or flowers? Join paleontologist Sterling Nesbitt as we try to set the record straight.

Dinosaurs Alive! Movie Index
Find out more about the people, places, and animals, and topics featured in Dinosaurs Alive.

Dinosaurs Alive! Booklists:
For Kids | For Adults

Resources by Topic

Dinosaur Basics

		Beyond T. rex Evidence and Analysis for grades 3 through 8 Only a small fraction of the 400-plus known species of extinct dinosaurs have appeared on TV and movie screens. Meet some of the more unusual members of T. rex and Velociraptor's family tree.
		Webpage [plugins: Flash] More about this Resource

		Fossilized Fashion: How Dinosaurs Looked Activity for grades 3 through 8 We know that some dinosaurs had fancy frills while others had sharp horns or pointy spikes. But why? Investigate the purpose of these and other dinosaur "fashions."
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 332kb] [pages: 1] More about this Resource

		Smaller Than You Think Activity for grades 3 through 5 Not all dinosaurs were huge creatures that shook the Earth when they walked. Put two dinosaurs in perspective with this drawing activity.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 244kb] [pages: 4] More about this Resource

		Functions of Feathers Activity for grades 3 through 8 Feathers serve many purposes, only one of which is flight. Examine their contours along with down feathers, semiplumes, and bristles.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 168kb] [pages: 3] More about this Resource

		What Is a Dinosaur? Curriculum Materials for grades Kindergarten through 4 It's not what they ate or when they lived that distinguishes dinosaurs from other reptiles. It's the hole in their hip socket. Find out how this feature affected the way dinosaurs walk.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 248kb] [pages: 2] More about this Resource

		What Makes a Dinosaur a Dinosaur? Curriculum Materials for grades 5 through 8 Can you walk like a dinosaur? Hint: The movement is not like lizards, crocodiles, and other reptiles; instead, it's more like birds. Investigate what else birds and dinosaurs have in common.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 13kb] [pages: 1] More about this Resource

		Theropods Compared Article for grades 6 through 12 Chances are you've eaten a dinosaur ... and thought it tasted just like chicken. Investigate theropods—a branch of dinosaur family tree that includes all birds—with this interactive look at their skeletons.
		Webpage More about this Resource

		Make Your Own Liaoning Diorama Activity for grades Kindergarten through 8 Re-create the 130-million-year-old forest in what is now China to understand why this fossil site is of such vast scientific importance.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 1500kb] [pages: 10] More about this Resource

		Drawing Dinos Activity for grades 3 through 8 Ever wonder how scientists can look at a bunch of bones and draw what a dinosaur looked like? Learn their five-step trick. Then, bring a Stegosaurus skeleton to life.
		Webpage More about this Resource

		Make Your Own Dino Stationery Activity for grades Kindergarten through 8 Type your notes next to T. rex, send letters via Diatryma, or let Gondwanatitan deliver your message. Just add your name and address to these colorful stationery files.
		Webpage More about this Resource

		Dinosaur Illustrations Evidence and Analysis for grades Kindergarten through 5 Ankylosaurus, Barosaurus, Coelophysis—add to your dinosaur vocabulary with these 12 illustrations. Soon you'll be able to spot a Pachycephalosaurus from across the room.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 1800kb] [pages: 12] More about this Resource

Dinosaur Behavior

		Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries Exhibition Materials for all ages Dinosaur fossils are being discovered faster than ever before. See how everything from satellite technology to scanning electron microscopes are helping to solve persistent and puzzling dinosaur mysteries.
		Webpage More about this Resource

		Be a Trackway Detective Activity for grades 3 through 8 What can you tell from looking at a fossil record of dinosaur footprints? Everything from which dinosaur was there first to what they might have feasted on.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 316kb] [pages: 4] More about this Resource

		Relative Speed of Dinosaurs Activity for grades 6 through 8 Put your scientific skills to the test to see if you can figure out tell by their footprints if dinosaurs were walking, trotting, or running.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 132kb] [pages: 4] More about this Resource

		Thump, Thump, Thump ... How Dinosaurs Moved Activity for grades 3 through 8 Want to see firsthand how a dinosaur moved? Observe a bird as it walks along the sidewalk or in your backyard. Then challenge a friend to a "push-up" race—dinosaur versus crocodile.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 252kb] [pages: 1] More about this Resource

Fossil Basics

		Fossil Halls Exhibition Materials for all ages Take a virtual stroll through the Museum's Fossil Halls any time, day or night. You can get a close-up look at some of our most famous dinosaurs and meet the early relatives of mammals.
		Webpage More about this Resource

		Face-to-Fossil Article for grades 3 through 8 Join the inquisitive Deena Soris as she interviews the fossil of a Protoceratops. This dashing dino, dug up in Mongolia in the 1920s, offers insight into his former life—and the secrets he's still keeping.
		Webpage [plugins: Flash, (optional)] More about this Resource

		What Is a Fossil? Curriculum Materials for grades Kindergarten through 4 The most common fossils are bones and teeth, but not all fossils are body parts. Explore the wide-ranging evidence of ancient life that scientists use to understand Earth's prehistoric past.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 272kb] [pages: 2] More about this Resource

		Fossil Find Curriculum Materials for grades 5 through 8 Once paleontologists find a fossil, the truly exacting work begins. Dig up your own "fossil" to see firsthand what it takes to excavate and reconstruct a skeleton.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 152kb] [pages: 3] More about this Resource

		Body and Trace Fossils Evidence and Analysis for grades Kindergarten through 5 What kind of fossil is a tooth—body or trace? How about a nest of eggs? Or a skin impression? Examine the differences between body and trace fossils with these eight high-quality photographs.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 692kb] [pages: 2] More about this Resource

		What Teeth Tell Us Curriculum Materials for grades Kindergarten through 4 Are those sharp, pointy dinosaur teeth all the better to eat you with? Or are they designed for tough vegetation? Examine dinosaur teeth as a paleontologist would.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 336kb] [pages: 2] More about this Resource

		Dinosaur Teeth Curriculum Materials for grades 5 through 8 When it comes to dinosaurs, teeth are the windows to these prehistoric reptiles' stomachs—and the different foods that filled them. Examine dinosaur choppers, strippers, grinders, and rippers.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 252kb] [pages: 2] More about this Resource

Fossil Hunting

		Going Gobi Article for grades 3 through 8 Who would travel halfway around the world to spend the summer in a desert where brutal sandstorms and surprise flash floods are on the itinerary? Meet Mike and Mark, who've made the trek annually since 1990.
		Webpage More about this Resource

		Fighting Dinos Article for grades 3 through 8 About 80 million years ago in the Gobi Desert, two dinosaurs were locked in deadly combat when they were suddenly buried alive. See what's been called one of the greatest fossil specimens ever found.
		Webpage More about this Resource

		Fighting Dinosaurs: New Discoveries from Mongolia Exhibition Materials for grades 3 through 12 Travel to Mongolia's famed Gobi Desert for a look at some amazing fossils you've never seen before. For starters, there's a fierce Velociraptor that was apparently buried alive while attacking a Protoceratops.
		Webpage [plugins: QuickTime] More about this Resource

		Buried Bones Activity for grades 3 through 8 The next time you have chicken, don't throw out the bones—bury them in plaster of Paris. Then, scrape by scrape, see firsthand the challenges archaeologists face when excavating fossils.
		Webpage More about this Resource

		Finding Fossils Activity for grades 3 through 8 You don't have to be a professional paleontologist to collect the remains of ancient life. Anyone can find fossils. This handy how-to guide tells you where to look and what to do.
		Webpage More about this Resource

Geologic Time

		Plates on the Move Article for grades 3 through 8 A volcanic eruption that could be felt across an ocean, an earthquake that sparked landslides, massive tsunamis, and a volcanic eruption ... Examine the world-changing results of plates on the move.
		Webpage More about this Resource

		Plate Tectonics Puzzle Activity for grades 6 and up Piece together what Earth may have looked like approximately 220 million years ago when there was a single supercontinent, Pangaea.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 508kb] [pages: 6] More about this Resource

		Create a Timeline of the Earth Activity for grades 6 and up Did you know Stegosaurus became extinct 66 million years before T. rex walked the Earth? Explore the planet's diverse eras and periods.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 2200kb] [pages: 1] More about this Resource

		Dinosaur Timeline Curriculum Materials for grades Kindergarten through 4 When you've been alive for less than a decade, how in the world do you grasp geologic time? Start with a 100-inch-long roll of adding machine tape and measure out Earth's past.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 48kb] [pages: 1] More about this Resource

		Understanding Geological Time Curriculum Materials for grades 5 through 8 How long have humans been on Earth compared to the length of time dinosaurs roamed the planet? Gain a new understanding of time by mapping out Earth's history.
		PDF [plugins: Adobe Acrobat; filesize: 48kb] [pages: 1] More about this Resource

		What's the Big Idea About Earth Science? Article for grades 3 through 8 From slow creeping continents to ground-splitting quakes, the Earth is constantly changing. Take a peek at our planet's layers, learn what secrets rocks reveal, and gain a long view of history.
		Webpage More about this Resource

		How Does the Ocean Floor Get Its Shape? Article for grades 9 through 12 What powers the floating layers of rock that form the "solid" ground underneath our feet and under the ocean? Examine the process of convection and the sculpting of Earth's surface.
		Webpage More about this Resource