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Dinosaurs in the Classroom: How We Know What We Know

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2017

Craig A. Munsart  and
Karen Alonzi-Van Gundy
Craig A. Munsart
Affiliation:
Jefferson County Public Schools, Golden, Colorado 80401
Karen Alonzi-Van Gundy
Affiliation:
Jefferson County Public Schools, Golden, Colorado 80401
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Extract

The Present wave of dinosaur mania makes it easy to utilize a student's interest in the former masters of the Earth to introduce a wide variety of concepts. Students are already familiar with the names and habits of many of the animals, but familiarity can accomplish much more. Stephen Jay Gould (1991) asks, “Could we not immediately subvert more of the dinosaur craze from crass commercialism to educational value? … Dinosaur facts and figures can inspire visceral interest and lead to greater wonder about science. Dinosaur theories and reconstructions can illustrate the rudiments of scientific reasoning.” We fervently share Gould's tenet that dinosaurs can be used as a medium not only to teach students about the way science works but to introduce a broad range of thinking skills as well.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Paleontological Society Papers , Volume 2: Learning from the Fossil Record , October 1996 , pp. 189 - 208
Copyright
Copyright © 1996 by The Paleontological Society 

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References

References Cited

Gould, S. J. 1991. Bully For Brontosaurus. W. W. Norton, New York.Google Scholar
Munsart, C. A. 1993. Investigating Science With Dinosaurs. Teacher Ideas Press, Englewood, Colorado.Google Scholar
Munsart, C. A., and Alonzi-Van Gundy, K. 1995. Primary Dinosaur Investigations. Teacher Ideas Press, Englewood, Colorado.Google Scholar

Suggested Reading

Lockley, M. 1991 Tracking Dinosaurs. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Moore, R. C., Lalicker, C. G., and Fischer, A. G. 1952. Invertebrate Fossils. McGraw-Hill, New York, New York.Google Scholar
Norman, D. 1985. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. Crown, New York, New York.Google Scholar

References

Holmes, A. 1965 Principles of Physical Geology. Ronald Press, New York, New York.Google Scholar

References

Borror, Donald J., 1960, Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms. Palo Alto, California: Mayfield, 1960.Google Scholar
Munsart, Craig A., Investigating Science With Dinosaurs. Englewood, Colorado: Teacher Ideas Press, 1994.Google Scholar
Norman, David. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. New York: Crown, 1985.Google Scholar