Did you know that every time you enjoy a meal of chicken, duck, or turkey, you are actually enjoying some delicious dinosaur? Annmarie Young’s fifth grade class at Village Elementary School in Hilton recently took an interactive role in learning how every bird alive today, from ostrich to oriole, pigeon to penguin, is a descendant of the theropod dinosaur, like the T. Rex and Velociraptor. The class was selected to be an interactive classroom in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science’s Scientist in Action Program “From T-Rex to Turkey” on November 20.
The program is designed to give students live access to scientists in the field and research labs. Young’s class is one of only a couple of hand-selected classes to be on camera and ask the scientists questions. Other students from around the country were able to watch the program via Skype and ask questions via the chat feature.
Student questions guided the exploration into evolution with Dr. Joe Sertich, paleontologist, and Dr. Garth Spellman, ornithologist. Audrey Phillips and Colton Ralyea asked their question on camera, “What is the most fascinating resemblance between dinosaurs and birds that you have found?” Evalyn Adams and Kara Brone appeared on camera with the question, “Have you found any genetic similarities between birds and dinosaurs?”
Students around the country viewed fossils, natural history collections and specimens as if they were actually in the museum. Locally, the opportunity was made possible through the Monroe 2 BOCES Distance Learning Program, which uses technology so students can talk with experts, visit distance places and learn digital citizenship.
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