| National Science Education Standards, 5-8 |
| The content standards addressed in this lesson are: |
| CONTENT STANDARD A, Science as Inquiry |
| As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop: 1. Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry; 2. Understandings about scientific inquiry |
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Students in grades 5-8 should be provided opportunities to engage in full and in partial inquiries. In a full inquiry students begin with a question, design an investigation, gather evidence, formulate an answer to the original question, and communicate the investigative process and results. In partial inquiries, they develop abilities and understanding of selected aspects of the inquiry process. Students might, for instance, describe how they would design an investigation, develop explanations based on scientific information and evidence provided through a classroom activity, or recognize and analyze several alternative explanations for a natural phenomenon presented in a teacher-led demonstration. |
| This lesson is a guided inquiry where the students set out to answer a question about the eating habits of dinosaurs. They design an investigation with the materials provided, dinosaur teeth. They gather evidence by observing the teeth of different dinosaurs and consulting other archeological evidence available on these animals. Based on their evidence, they construct a hypothesis relating the structure of teeth to their function. They can then test the hypothesis by predicting the dental structure of contemporary animals they are familiar with. |
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CONTENT STANDARD C, Structure and function in living systems |
| Living systems at all levels of organization demonstrate the complementary nature of structure and function. Important levels of organization for structure and function include cells, organs, tissues, organ systems, whole organisms, and ecosystems. Each type of cell, tissue, and organ has a distinct structure and set of functions that serve the organism as a whole. Organisms have systems for digestion, respiration, reproduction, circulation, excretion, movement, control, and coordination, and for protection from disease. These systems interact with one another. |
| Teeth are part of the system for digestion. They perform an important function, which is coordinated with, for example, the skeletal and muscle systems, to best serve the needs of the particular dinosaur. |
| CONTENT STANDARD C, Diversity and adaptations of organisms |
| Biological evolution accounts for the diversity of species developed through gradual processes over many generations. Species acquire many of their unique characteristics through biological adaptation, which involves the selection of naturally occurring variations in populations. Biological adaptations include changes in structures, behaviors, or physiology that enhance survival and reproductive success in a particular environment. |
| The different teeth of different dinosaurs are an example of structural diversity that hints at the physiological and behavioral variation in the animals of the Jurassic period. |
| NSES link |
| Return to Dinosaur Teeth page |