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Overview:
Students create a museum-style exhibit showcasing their understanding of the time, geography, and marine life of the Cretaceous period. In Activity 1, students plot the coordinates of the landforms and waterways of the Cretaceous period on a present-day map of the United States. In Activity 2, students research and produce a graphic organizer on a prehistoric marine reptile. In the Closing Activity, students incorporate their work into a museum-style exhibit.
This lesson is one in a series designed to accompany the National Geographic film, Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure. It was developed and reviewed with input from scientists, teachers, and museum educators.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, science, language arts, visual arts
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 1: “How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective”
Standard 17: “How to apply geography to interpret the past”
National Science Education Standards
- Science Content Standard C: “Life science—Structure and function in living systems, populations and ecosystems, diversity, and adaptations of organisms”
National Language Arts Standards
- Language Arts Standard 3
- Language Arts Standard 5
National Arts Content Standards
- Visual Arts Content Standard 3
Time:
Activity 1 (Mapping the Cretaceous): 40 minutes
Activity 2 (Cretaceous Creature Research): 45 minutes
Activity 3 (Create the Exhibit: World Under Water): 90 minutes
Film (Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure): 40 minutes
Materials Required:
Objectives:
Students will:
- learn about the Cretaceous period geography of the landmass that today is the United States;
- plot latitude and longitude coordinates on an outline map of the United States;
- learn about prehistoric marine animals of the Cretaceous period;
- do collaborative research;
- construct graphic organizers;
- synthesize understanding of the geography and marine life of the Cretaceous period;
- conduct additional research on Cretaceous marine animals; and
- create a section of museum-style exhibit.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Organizing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Guiding Question: What would you include in an exhibit about the Cretaceous seas?
Students should view Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure prior to the following activity.
Try This First!
After watching Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure, tell students they are going to create an exhibit called “World Under Water: A Prehistoric Adventure.” Brainstorm ideas for the exhibit. Ask students what questions the exhibit should answer. If necessary, prompt students to think about “what, where, when, and why.” Write answers on the board. This list can help students brainstorm topics the exhibit might cover.
Development:
Activity 1: Mapping the Cretaceous
Students plot coordinates on a present-day outline map of the United States to delineate the landforms and waterways of the Cretaceous period.
Directions:
1. Introduce. Tell students that they will set the stage for their exhibits by completing a map handout to illustrate what the landscape of the United States looked like millions of years ago during the Cretaceous period.
Note: Scientists have determined the area of the Western Interior Sea by analyzing the types of rocks and marine fossils found within the rock strata of North America. The study of the origin, composition, and development of rock strata is called stratigraphy.
2. Distribute map handout. Explain that students will use coordinates to plot and draw Cretaceous-era outlines of land and water areas on a map of the present-day United States. After they plot the outlines, they will color land and water and add labels.
3. Discuss. After students have completed the assignment, review their work and discuss how the appearance of the United States was different during the Cretaceous period than it is today. Which states were under water?
Background Information:
The Cretaceous period occurred approximately 145 to 65 million years ago. The first fossils of many insect groups, modern mammal and bird groups, and the first flowering plants are from this period. The supercontinent Pangaea was breaking up during this time period, which led to greater regional differences in floras and faunas. The Cretaceous period ended with the extinction of the dinosaurs and ammonites.
4. Collect student work so that it can be used in the Closing Activity.
Activity 2: Cretaceous Creature Research
Students do research to complete a graphic organizer of a selected marine reptile.
Directions:
1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Staging the activity. Write this list of prehistoric marine animals on the board, and ask each group to select a different animal to research: Dolichorhynchops, Xiphactinus, Protostega, Tylosaurus, Tusoteuthis, Cretoxyrhina, Hesperornis, Ammonite, Styxosaurus, and Platecarpus. Explain that each group will do Internet or library research on their selected animal and that they will create a graphic organizer with their findings.
Note: If helpful to students, distribute and review Creating a Graphic Organizer (PDF, Adobe Reader required), an optional resource available online.
3. Ask each group to take out a blank piece of paper. Tell students to put the name of their animal in the center of their graphic organizer. Discuss possible categories for the graphic organizer. Suggestions: physical characteristics, habitat, life cycle, diet, size, predator/prey relationships, when and where they lived, and when they went extinct.
Background note: Each graphic organizer will be different and there is no one correct way to construct a graphic organizer. Remind students to read, compare, connect, and summarize the information in their graphic organizers. Remind them to discuss all ideas, and listen to feedback.
Suggested online resources:
4. Collect the graphic organizers to save for the Closing Activity.
Closing:
Create the Exhibit: World Under Water
Students incorporate their work into a museum-style exhibit.
Directions:
1. Small group activity. Have students regroup. Return completed work from Activities 1 and 2 to each group. Explain that as a final step, each group will build on their work to create a section of a classroom science museum exhibit that explains the geography and marine life of the Cretaceous period.
2. Staging the activity. Each group should include the following components in their work:
- information from their map (Activity 1)
- information from their graphic organizer (Activity 2)
- additional images, text, and drawings of their prehistoric marine reptile
3. Exhibit. Arrange each group’s contribution into a class exhibit, “World Under Water: A Prehistoric Adventure.” Students should make sure to include interesting information about their animal, including possible predator/prey relationships with other animals in the exhibit.
4. Presentations. Ask each group to present an overview of their section to the class.
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.
Suggested Student Assessment:
Rate the students on a scale of one to five on the following categories: creativity, accuracy of information, visual appeal, inclusion of required components (information from map handout, graphic organizers, and research), and flow of information.
Extending the Lesson:
If students are familiar with the concept of ecosystems, they might focus their exhibit on the components of a Cretaceous marine ecosystem and include the scientific evidence to support their portrayal.
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