Mass Extinction of Large Dinosaurs and More

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Introduction

National Middle School Science Standards

Earth Science, Life Science

Key Terms

paleontology, dinosaur, fossil record, mass extinction, asteroid, Cretaceous period, K-T boundary

Key Concepts

Extinctions at the end of the Cretaceous
Causes of mass extinction events
Interpreting ecosystem changes through fossils
Reconstructing ancient environments
Technology used by paleontologists

Resource Types

Videos and Webcasts

Mass Extinction - Solving the Dinosaur Mystery with Smithsonian Museum Director Kirk Johnson on Smithsonian Science How
Time: It’s Like, So Deep Smithsonian Science Education Center
Arrival of the Nation's T. rex NMNH

Printable Lessons

Weighing the Evidence for a Mass Extinction -- On Land Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Biointeractive

Posters and Worksheets

What is a Fossil? Smithsonian Education (PDF)
Earth Evolution -- The Intersection of Geology and Biology HHMI Biointeractive
The Making of Mass Extinctions HMMI Biointeractive

Online Activities

Deep History of Life on Earth HHMI Biointeractive
Paleo Art – Edge of Extinction: Make Your Own Dinosaur Ecosystem Mural National Museum of Natural History

Science Literacy Resources

Middle School Level

Excuse Me, Is This A Fossil? National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) Unearthed Blog
Extinction Over Time NMNH
Tiny Grains of Pollen Tell a Big Story (6/15/2015) NMNH Unearthed Blog

High School Level

The Deep Time Project Digging the Fossil Record: Paleobiology at the Smithsonian
A Tale of Two Rocks Smithsonian Magazine
Asteroid Strike Confirmed as Dinosaur Killer Smithsonian Magazine

Advanced Reading Level

What is the K/Pg Boundary? (12/11/2013) NMNH Unearthed Blog
Revisiting Chicxulub: A Broad Look at the Evidence for a Dinosaur-Killing Impact National Science Foundation (NSF)
Deeply Buried Sediments Tell Story of Sudden Mass Extinction NSF

Subject Guides

Paleontology Subject Guide Smithsonian Libraries

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

The Mass Extinction of Large Dinosaurs teaching resources support students in meeting the following middle school NGSS Performance Expectations:

Earth Science

MS-ESS1 Earth's Place in the Universe

MS-ESS1-4 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth's 4.6-billion-year-old history.

MS-ESS2 Earth's Systems

MS-ESS2-2 Construct an explanation based on evidence for how geoscience processes have changed Earth's surface at varying time and spatial scales.

Life Science

MS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

MS-LS4-1 Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.
MS-LS4-2 Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships.

Resource Type

Subject Guides

Grade Level

6-8

Learning Standards

Next Generation Science Standards

Topics

Earth Science, Life Science, Paleontology

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