More About This Resource...

• This activity, available as a one-page printable handout, was designed to complement Dinosaurs Alive! — an IMAX film that follows AMNH paleontologists around the globe as they uncover some of the greatest dinosaur finds in history. This activity includes:

  • An overview that explains sedimentary rock layers and how scientists use this knowledge when studying fossils
  • Instructions for how to examine the five included "sedimentary rock layers" and use clues within them to reconstruct their layering sequence
  • Questions that challenge students to use the fossil clues to explore the changing plant and animal groups throughout Earth's history
  • A fun fact about dinosaur fossils

• Completion Time

  Approximately 1 period

• Teacher Tip

  Supplement a study of paleontology with a classroom activity drawn from this Dinosaurs Alive! IMAX film activity.

  1. Distribute copies of the activity sheet.
  2. Working individually or in small groups, have students reconstruct the rock layers and answer the Explore More! questions.
  3. As a class, review the groups' solved puzzles and their answers to the questions. What were they able to determine about organisms that survived from one time period to the next? About with organisms went extinct?

• Topic

  Paleontology

• Subtopic

  Tools and Methods

• Subtopic

  National Science Education Standards
  Grades K-4:

  • Science as Inquiry CONTENT STANDARD A:• Life Science CONTENT STANDARD C:• Earth and Space Science CONTENT STANDARD D:• Science and Technology CONTENT STANDARD E:• Science in Personal and Social Perspectives CONTENT STANDARD F:• History and Nature of Science CONTENT STANDARD G:

  Grades 5-8:

  • Science as Inquiry CONTENT STANDARD A:• Life Science CONTENT STANDARD C:• Earth and Space Science CONTENT STANDARD D:• Science and Technology CONTENT STANDARD E:• Science in Personal and Social Perspectives CONTENT STANDARD F:• History and Nature of Science CONTENT STANDARD G:

  Grades 9-12:

  • Science as Inquiry CONTENT STANDARD A:• Life Science CONTENT STANDARD C:• Earth and Space Science CONTENT STANDARD D:• Science and Technology CONTENT STANDARD E:• Science in Personal and Social Perspectives CONTENT STANDARD F:• History and Nature of Science CONTENT STANDARD G:

• Learning Standard

  National Science Education Standards
  Grades K-4:

  • Science as Inquiry CONTENT STANDARD A:• Life Science CONTENT STANDARD C:• Earth and Space Science CONTENT STANDARD D:• Science and Technology CONTENT STANDARD E:• Science in Personal and Social Perspectives CONTENT STANDARD F:• History and Nature of Science CONTENT STANDARD G:

  Grades 5-8:

  • Science as Inquiry CONTENT STANDARD A:• Life Science CONTENT STANDARD C:• Earth and Space Science CONTENT STANDARD D:• Science and Technology CONTENT STANDARD E:• Science in Personal and Social Perspectives CONTENT STANDARD F:• History and Nature of Science CONTENT STANDARD G:

  Grades 9-12:

  • Science as Inquiry CONTENT STANDARD A:• Life Science CONTENT STANDARD C:• Earth and Space Science CONTENT STANDARD D:• Science and Technology CONTENT STANDARD E:• Science in Personal and Social Perspectives CONTENT STANDARD F:• History and Nature of Science CONTENT STANDARD G: