The Field Museum of Natural History LOT Guide1

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Teachers:

This page includes a sample of activities from Educational Activities for the Life Over Time Exhibit, a packet created for teachers and students. The packet includes previsit and postvisit activities that add to the positive learning experience of a trip to the Field Museum. Many of these activities can also be used in conjunction with the on-line version of Life Over Time.

This activity packet was developed by Peter H. Laraba and Thomas J. Wickland, with support from the National Science Foundation. To order the complete packet, contact the Harris Loan Center at (312) 322-8853.

Feel free to print out any of the activities listed below, and try them out with your students!

Words from the past
How big was that animal?
Prehistoric motion

Read more about LIFE OVER TIME--here's a list of useful books

For the young reader
Aliki. Digging Up Dinosaurs. New York: Harper & Row, 1981.
Aliki. Fossils Tell of Long Ago. New York: Crowell, 1972.
Arnold, Caroline. Trapped-In-Tar: Fossils from the Ice Age. New York: Clarion Books-Houghton Mifflin Co., 1987.
Berenstain, Michael. The Biggest Dinosaur. New York: Western Publishing Co., 1989.
Carrick, C. Patrick's Dinosaur. New York: Clarion Books, 1983.
Horner, R. John & James Gorman. Maia: A Dinosaur Grows Up. Bozeman: Museum Of The Rockies, 1985.
Horner, John R. & Don Lessem. Digging Up Tyrannosaurus Rex. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1992.
Lauber, P. The News About Dinosaurs. Bradbury Press, 1989.
Lauber, P. Dinosaurs Walked Here. New York: Macmillan. 1992.
Most, Bernard. If the Dinosaurs Came Back. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1978.
O'Neill, Mary. Where Are All the Dinosaurs? Mahwah, New Jersey: Troll Associates, 1989. Ranger Rick's Dinosaur Book. Washington D.C.: National Wildlife Foundation, 1984.
Sattler, Helen Roney. Baby Dinosaurs. New York: Lothrop, Lee, and Shepard Books, 1984.
Giants from the Past. National Geographic Society, 1983.

For the general reader
Benton, Michael. On the Trail of the Dinosaurs. London: Grisewood & Dempsey, 1989.
Chicago's Dinosaurs at The Field Museum. Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History, 1994.
Horner, John R. & James Gorman. Digging Dinosaurs. New York: Workman Publishing, 1988.
Horner, John R. & Don Lessem. The Complete T. rex. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993.
Kricher, John C. Dinosaurs: Peterson First Guide. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
Lambert, David. A Field Guide to Prehistoric Life. Facts on File, 1985.
Lambert, David. A Field Guide to Early Man. Facts on File, 1987.
Lambert, David. The Dinosaur Data Book. Avon Books, 1990.
Norman, David. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. New York: Crescent Books, 1985.
Norman, David & Angela Milner. Eyewitness Books: Dinosaur. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1989.
Sattler, Helen Roney. Dinosaurs of North America. New York: Lothrop, Lee, and Shepard Books, 1985.
Wilford, John Noble. The Riddle of the Dinosaur. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985.

For the teacher
Ranger Rick's NatureScope: Digging Into Dinosaurs. Washington, D.C.: National Wildlife Federation, 1984.
Resource Guide to Discovering Dinosaurs. Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Science, 1985.
Schatz, Dennis. Dinosaurs: A Journey Through Time: A Children's Activity Book with Adult Teaching Guide. Seattle: Pacific Science Center, 1987.
VanCleave, Janice. Janice VanCleave's Dinosaurs for Every Kid: Easy Activities that Make Learning Science Fun. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 1994.
West, Linda. Dinosaurs and Dinosaur National Monument: A Resource Packet for Students and Teachers. Jensen, Utah: Dinosaur Nature Association, 1985.

HARRIS LOAN CENTER MATERIALS RELATED TO LIFE OVER TIME

The Harris Loan Center loans educational materials to Chicago area educators. Items that are loaned include portable exhibits about plants or animals, videotapes and slide sets. Experience boxes contain touchable objects, activities and written information about the subject of the box. The following is a list of the loan materials related to the Life Over Time exhibit. The printed materials are for sale. For information about loan procedures, cost of printed materials and other loan materials, call the Harris Loan Center at (312) 322-8853 for a copy of the current catalog.

Experience Boxes for Hands-On Activities

Dinosaurs and Their Times -- Jurassic
Models of Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, Brachiosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Allosaurus, along with a Jurassic landscape and casts of an Allosaurus tooth and claw help bring these animals to life.

Dinosaurs and Their Times -- Cretaceous
Models of Cretaceous period dinosaurs -- Tyrannosaurus, Maiasaurus, Parasaurolophus and Triceratops -- let you set up a classroom diorama. A cast of a Tyrannosaurus' tooth shows how big this dinosaur was.

Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Creatures
Dinosaurs are just one group of prehistoric animals. Use fossils, fossil replicas, charts and timelines to find out about prehistoric plants and animals.

Fossils
Fossils give us clues to life in the past. Touch the physical evidence of plant and animal life from eons ago. See what fossils are, how they are formed, and what isn't a fossil. This fossil collection spans several geologic periods and biological groups.

Geology of Illinois
Parts of Illinois were once covered with a glacial ice sheet. Discover how glaciers and other earth processes shaped the land we see today. Included are rock and soil specimens, and maps and photos of landforms.

Ice Age Mammals of Chicago
What evidence do we have that giant mammals once lived in the area that is now Chicago? Examine three reproductions of teeth from the Museum's collections: mammoth, mastodon and giant beaver. Activity cards help students of varying ages to learn about these animals by closely examining the reproductions.

300 Million Years Ago in Illinois
Examine the fossil remains of plants and animals that lived in Illinois during the Coal Age. Find out what life was like 300 million years ago and learn more about the state fossil, the Tully Monster.

Fossils from Paleozoic Seas New forms of life exploded in the warm seas of the Paleozoic Era and their remains were preserved as fossils. Examine fossil remains of trilobites, crinoids and other Paleozoic lifeforms to learn about the diversity of life, extinction and fossil formation.

Fossils from Fossil Lake
Parts of the Green River Formation contain evidence of a subtropical environment that once existed in southwestern Wyoming. Preserved in the rocks are fish, reptiles, insects, plants and mammals. Examine the uniqueness of this deposit though casts and real fossils, and photographs and video.

PRINTED MATERIAL

Dinosaurs and Dino-Nots Activity
Reproducible cards help teach basics about which prehistoric animals were dinosaurs and which were not (Dino-Nots).

Life Over Time Alphabet Cards
A packet of easy-to-copy alphabet cards help you and your group explore the Life Over Time exhibit at The Field Museum. Cards help the students focus on objects and concepts in the exhibit.

Life Over Time Activity Packet
Learn about the prehistoric inhabitants of the Life Over Time exhibit. Pre- and post-visit activities as well as in-museum activities help students prepare for and enjoy the 4.5 billion year trip through time at The Field Museum.

Ice Age Mammals Poster

Dinosaur Poster

VIDEOTAPES

Fossil Lake
Plants and animals were preserved as fossils 50 million years ago in the subtropical environment of Wyoming. See how they were unearthed and prepared for study at The Field Museum.

The New Explorers: Fragments of Time
A group of scientists from the University of Chicago travels to Argentina searching for the oldest dinosaurs. Follow their adventure with Bill Kurtis and discover the trials and tribulations involved with the process of science. Includes a teacher's guide and suggested activities for use in the classroom.