Dinosaurs in High School?

I'm a bit behind in posting as I had a minor setback. Note to self, "It's never too early to make emergency substitute lesson plans." But on a positive note, after a car wreck and concussion, it was nice to have all the support of the teaching community and the students. The student concern and welcome back was enough to help me remember why I love to teach! Everyone was okay so we must carry on. And carry on I did...with dinosaurs!

I adapted this project last year from something I found in the October 2011 issue of The NSTA journal "The Science Teacher", written by Renee Clary and James Wandersee. The idea of an "Adopt-a-Dino" struck a cord and I took it and made it work for my classroom. What I liked so much about this project was the high interest topic. What student no matter their age, doesn't get excited about dinosaurs!? But what I also liked was the way it incorporarted a wide range of earth science concepts and hit a lot of the standards. What I found last year was that because of their interest the students did some high level research. When the project was over I felt like we hadn't wasted two weeks writing a paper because the students had done so much learning along the way. I like this project so much I'm doing it again this year. But of course I can't leave anything alone so this is what I have set up for this years "Adopt-A-Dino" project: The official unit is "The History of the Earth". This year I started with using videos from the History Channel series "How the Earth was Made". We did aging of rocks and the geologic time scale. Just enough to give some background and lead into the project. I divide the class into groups of 4. If I have to some groups of 3 but 4 seems to be the ideal number. As a team the groups choose a Dino. I'm very open about this. Both years I've had a group interested in the Megaladon. Fine with me...it adds diversity. This project is a 8-10 page research paper but the catch is that I divide the paper into 4 sections. Each student does his or her section and then they peer edit and add transitions to make their individual work flow into one paper. I love the outcome. It is so rewarding for the students to be able to write a full research paper but not get overwhelmed. In the end they get all the information because they put it together into a presentation and when they edit they go through each section. Without going on and on here are what I think are the key points that make the research work. Step 1: Divide the paper into 4 roles. Role 1 is the intro and conclusion. This means the background information. This is the creative role because this student has to start and end the paper. Role 2 is responsible for anatomy, classification and explaining where the group's dinosaur fits into the food chain. Role 3 is responsible for describing the era that the group's dinosaur lived and the geologic time period. Specifically this role looks at the other plants and animals in the ecosystem during the time of the groups dinosaurs life. Role 4 investigates the continents and plate tectonics during the era of the dinosaurs life. They look at the climate and conditions during the geologic era. And finally they investigate the theories of why dinosaurs went extinct. You can combine a role if you have a group of three or modify. The key is to have distinct tasks and information. This year I am going to give my students a graphic organizer web with a list of info that they need to find. The more structure and guidance the better the research! Step 2: Have a librarian come in and go through how to use databases specific for the project. The students may get bored but I'm a big believer in this presentation. The more the students hear it the more at least something will sink in. Make the students use the databases. Their default is to go to google. Fight this battle! Teaching research is a long process and requires patience but the learning outcomes are totally worth it. My first year doing a research project I thought it was the end of the world. I was trying to work individually with 20 some students at once. But keep adding structure and be intentional in your directions. It gets easier I promise! Step 3: Make the student write an annotated bibliography. (Note: not the best activity for when you still feel concussed! Do it on a day when you have a clear head) Don't try to force them to learn the citation format. Let them them use the tools available. Have them copy and paste the citation link for your required style or plug the info info into a citation generator. If you make the students have 2-3 sources that they cite properly and write a one paragraph summary/explain why the source is useful, it provides accountability. I actually asked my students how many of them find a source cite it and then go to google and use information from Wikipedia. Half my class raised their hands!! What a waste...that's not research. So make the change in your class, provide accountability that they read their sources.

Step 4: Be very intentional with your peer edit. No final accepted without going through the writing process. Make the students read their papers outloud. Group peer edit for content and transitions. Provide a list of comment starters for students to choose from. Step 5: The presentation is crucial. Make it realistic and professional. Last year I had my students make trifold boards. They presented to their principal in the form of a science seminar on dinosaurs. This was great but this year I have decided to try something called a Pecha Kucha. This is a PowerPoint presentation with just images that transition as the students talk. The type of presentation is probably not that important. The key detail is that you do a seminar style presentation where several groups present at the same time. For me I've had the most success when I don't make the students present to the whole class. It seems to provides more engagement.

I hope this was not too long and drawn out. This is a project I had success with and I'm passionate about. Put your own spin on it to make it work. Teaching research is daunting and a lot of work. But what a great real life skill to teach your students. Why not do it the right way? Good luck and happy researching!