The History Of Dinosaurs Essays - Dinosaur, Saurischia, Triceratops

The History Of Dinosaurs Essays - Dinosaur, Saurischia, Triceratops The History of Dinosaurs The dinosaurs were reptiles that appeared about 230 million years ago. It's believed that they had scaly skin and some ate plants and others ate meat. Scientists don't know whether or not the dinosaurs were cold blooded, but they think the smaller ones were warm blooded, and the large ones were cold-blooded. In this report you'll learn about the earliest dinosaurs, the kinds of dinosaurs, and how the dinosaurs died. There are two main groups of the earliest dinosaurs: Thesaurischian, and the ornithischian First I'll tell you about the Saurischian. The Saurischian were the first main group of dinosaurs. The Saurischian had lizard like hip joints. In this group there is the Theropoda. These weird dinosaurs were meat eaters that walked on their hind legs. Also there was the Sauropoda. The Sauropoda were the plant eating dinosaurs that walked on all four legs. The second main kind of dinosaurs were the Ornithischian, which had bird like hip joints. There is only one group belonging to this group and that is the ornithopoda. The Ornithopoda were plant-eating dinosaurs that walked on two legs. There were also the armored and horned dinosaurs, which were also plant eaters. There were many, many different kinds of dinosaurs. Some of them are the Brachiosaurus, the Stegosaurus, the Triceratops, the Tyrannosaurus, and the Zizhongosaurus. All of the dinosaurs are in one of two major groups. Plant eaters or meat eaters. Some plant eaters are the Saltasaurus, the Kritosaurus, and the Datousaurus. Some Meat eaters are the Chilantaisaurus, the Poekilopleuron, and probably the most terrifying one of all, the Tyrannosaurus. During the Carboniferous Period (360 to 286 million years ago), dense tropical forests were concentrated along the equator. Decaying vegetation, compressed by overlying deposits of sand and mud, was gradually converted into coal. Coal deposits of Illinios, the Appalachians, Britain and Germany were originally formed in a continuous band which was dispersed when the continents drifted apart. The Mesozoic Era lasted from 245 until 65 million years ago. In the sea, marine communities began to assume a modern composition of molluscs and other invertebrates. On land, dinosaurs dominated faunas, and the first flowering plants appeared. At the beginning of the Mesozoic, all of the earth's continents were joined as the supercontinent Pangea. Some dinosaurs can swim and some can fly. The ones that swim have large, flat arms, or flippers, that help them through the water. The ones that fly usually have two legs and huge wings that can have a 30 foot wingspan! There are many theories about how the dinosaurs died. The most populaur one is that the weather became cooler, and the dinosaurs had no feathers or fur to protect them against the changing weather. Others are like a star exploded, but then how could some other speacies have lived. Another one is that an astioriod hit the earth and made the land dark for three, or so , years. So only the animals that could live on nuts or rotten plants could live. They also think that they have the rock. The dinosaurs came to rise in the earlier part of the Triassic period, and ecologically dominated our planet until the late cretaceous. Dinosaurs evolved from reptiles, and birds evolved from the dinosaurs (to clear up an erroneous myth circulating out there, the dinosaurs did not evolve into birds. The birds came from the dinosaurs). Dinosaurs have been divided into two main groups: Saurischians, or "lizard-hipped" dinosaurs, and Ornithchians, or "bird-hipped" dinosaurs Saurischians, in my opinion, are the better of the two groups. They include all dinosaurian predators and the sauropods, or animals such as Apatosaurus and other very large animals. The ornithchians essentially include everyone else; Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurus, and all of the other herbivores. The saurischians are divided further into the theropods (animals that walked on two feet), and the sauropods, as mentioned above. Further information about these animals can be found in my two dinosaur databases, below. By now, most people are beginning to believe that dinosaurs were warm-blooded. Others believe that the dinosaurs were cold-blooded, and then there is the "muddy middle", or those who believe that the dinosaurs were some of both. This is known as the endo-ecto question, which asks whether the dinosaurs were endotherms (warm-blooded) or ectotherms

How to Promote Student Growth

How to Promote Student Growth There is a growing need to measure students growth and success in the classroom, especially with all the talk in the media about teacher evaluations. Its standard to measure student growth at the beginning and the end of the school year with standardized testing. But, can these test scores give teachers and parents a good understanding of the students growth? What are some other ways educators can measure students learning throughout the year? Here we will examine a few ways that teachers can promote student understanding and performance. Ways to Promote Student Development According to Wong and Wong, there are some ways professional educators can promote student growth in their classroom: Set high expectations for student achievementMake sure that students perform at or above expectationsSolve problems so students will receive servicesUse up to date research and technologyPlan instructional strategiesApply higher-order learning skillsApply information-processing strategiesApply complex learning tasksUse cooperative learning in the classroomUse invitational learning in the classroomArticulate information clearlyApply classroom management These suggestions that the Wongs gave will indeed help students to achieve and demonstrate their abilities. Promoting this kind of learning can help students prepare for the standardized testing that measures their growth throughout the year. By using the suggestions from the Wongs, teachers will be preparing their students to be successful on these tests while promoting and developing important skills. A Variety of Ways to Measure Student Performance Measuring student growth solely on standardized tests have always been the easiest way for teachers to determine that the students are grasping the information taught. According to an article in the Washington Post, the problem with standardized tests is that they mainly focus on math and reading and do not take into account other subjects and skills students should be developing. These tests can be one part of measuring academic achievement, not the whole part. Students can be evaluated on multiple measures such as: Growth throughout several yearsPortfolio of students work in all subjectsExamsCritical thinking skillsProblem-solving skillsGroup ProjectsWritten and oral presentationsClass projects and experiments Including these measures along with standardized testing would not only encourage teachers to teach a wide range of subjects well but would also accomplish Presidents Obamas goal to make all children college ready. Even the poorest of students would have the opportunity to demonstrate these critical skills. Achieving Student Success To achieve students academic success, it is paramount that teachers and parents work together to help develop and build skills throughout the school year. A combination of motivation, organization, time management, and concentration will help students stay on track and be able to achieve successful test scores. Use the following tips to help students achieve success: Motivation To help motivate students to find out what they are passionate about and use their interests to connect with their school work. Organization For many students, something as simple as staying organized is the key to academic success. To help students stay organized, organize and label all materials and notebooks and keep a checklist of essential tasks. Time Management Learning to prioritize and manage time can be difficult for students. To help them manage their time keep track of assignments and tasks by creating a school calendar. Concentration Students get distracted very easily, to keep their minds on the task at hand enlist parents to designate a quiet zone for homework where there are NO interruptions. Sources: Wong K.H. Wong R.T (2004).How To Be An Effective Teacher The First Days Of School. Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc. TheWashingtonpost.com