lesson 3 | the mesozoic era...evolved during the mesozoic era, but they remained small. 5. the mass...

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Student Labs and Activities Page Appropriate For:

Launch Lab 44 all students

Content Vocabulary ELL 45 all students

Lesson Outline ELL 46 all studentsMiniLab 48 all studentsContent Practice A 49 AL AL AL

Content Practice B 50 AL OL BL

School to Home 51 all studentsKey Concept Builders 52 AL AL AL

Enrichment 56 all studentsChallenge 57 AL AL BL

Assessment

Lesson Quiz A 58 AL AL AL

Lesson Quiz B 59 AL OL BL

Teacher Support

Answers (with Lesson Outlines) T6

AL Approaching Level OL On Level BL Beyond Level ELL English-Language Learner

Teacher evaluation will determine which activities to use or modify to meet any ELL student’s proficiency level.

Lesson 3 | The Mesozoic Era

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How diverse were dinosaurs?How many different dinosaurs were there?

Procedure

Launch Lab LESSON 3: 20 minutes

Think About This 1. What was the biggest dinosaur? The smallest? Can you see any trends in size on the

time line?

2. Did all the dinosaurs live at the same time?

3. Key Concept Dinosaurs were numerous and diverse. Do you think any dinosaurs could swim or fly?

1. Read and complete a lab safety form.

2. Your teacher will give you an index card listing a species name of a dinosaur, the dinosaur’s dimensions, and the time when it lived.

3. Draw a picture of what you imagine your dinosaur looked like. Before you

begin, decide with your classmates what common scale you should use.

4. Tape your dinosaur drawing to the Mesozoic time line your teacher provides.

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The Mesozoic EraDirections: In this word search puzzle, find and circle the four terms listed below. Then write each term on the line before its definition.

dinosaur evaporated plesiosaur pterosaur

P F B G I Y T W D M U L D

H T Y H T K U J I U S C S

F D E C P A I B N N D F O

R B Q R Y J N P O Z P H M

E V A P O Q R N S U M D P

N V K J W S Y D A L F N P

Q K E L Q F A R U N E U A

T A M I R X I U R W B S L

C F N E V A P O R A T E D

P C G X M B M D F W I W E

P L E S I O S A U R C V F

1. one of a group of reptiles that lived on land during the Mesozoic era

2. one of a group of Mesozoic reptiles that lived in the sea

3. one of a group of Mesozoic land vertebrates that could fly

4. changed from a liquid to a gas

Content Vocabulary LESSON 3


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The Mesozoic Era A. Geology of the Mesozoic Era

1. The Mesozoic era is divided into the Triassic period, the period, and the Cretaceous period.

2. The dominant geologic event of the Mesozoic era was the breakup

of .

a. Pangaea broke into two continents during the Late period.

b. One of the continents was , which included the future continents of South America, Africa, Antarctica, and Australia.

c. The other continent was , which included the future continents of North America, Europe, and Asia.

3. The climate during the Mesozoic era was than the climate of the Paleozoic era. There were no ice caps, sea level increased, and

narrow formed.

4. Throughout the Mesozoic era, North America drifted steadily

. As North America hit a plate to the west, the

Mountains formed.

B. Mesozoic Life

1. share a common ancestor with present-day reptiles such as the crocodile.

a. Dinosaurs and crocodiles differ in their structure.

b. Dinosaurs were dominant Mesozoic land vertebrates that walked with their legs

positioned directly their hips.

2. Scientists hypothesize that some dinosaurs were more closely related to

present-day than to present-day reptiles. Some had

wings, , claws, and teeth.

3. were the dominant reptiles on land. Other types of

reptiles lived in the sea and flew in the .

a. were Mesozoic marine reptiles that had small heads, long necks, and flippers.

Lesson Outline LESSON 3


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Lesson Outline continued

b. were Mesozoic flying reptiles that had large, batlike wings.

4. evolved during the Mesozoic era, but they remained small.

5. The mass extinction that ended the Mesozoic era was called the

event.

a. Scientists hypothesize that a large hit Earth, creating large amounts of dust that blocked sunlight.

b. Large volcanic could have added to the sunlight-blocking dust.

c. Without sunlight, died. Without plants,

died.


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Can you run like a reptile? Unlike the limbs of crocodiles and other modern reptiles, dinosaur limbs were positioned directly under their bodies. What did this mean?

Procedure

MiniLab LESSON 3: 20 minutes

1. Pick a partner. One of you—the dinosaur—will run on all fours with arms held straight directly below the shoulders. The other—the crocodile—

will run with arms bent and positioned out from the body.

2. Race each other, then reverse positions.

Analyze and Conclude 1. Compare Which could move faster—the dinosaur or the crocodile?

2. Infer Which posture do you think could support more weight?

3. Key Concept How might their posture have enabled dinosaurs to become so successful? How might it have helped them become so large?


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The Mesozoic Era

• Ocean water flows onto continents.

• Inland seas form.

• Flowering plants appear.

• Dinosaurs become the dominant reptile.

• Mammals evolve.

65.5 mya• A meteorite hits

Earth.

• Volcanoes erupt.

• A mass extinction occurs.

251 mya• Mesozoic era

begins.

• Pangaea begins to break apart.

• Two continents form—Late Triassic.

Directions: Use the diagram to answer each question.

1. How long ago did the Mesozoic era begin?

2. What happened to Pangaea?

3. What happened as the ocean waters rose higher?

4. Which life-forms evolved during the Mesozoic era?

5. Which reptile was dominant during the Mesozoic era?

6. Which event marks the end of the Mesozoic era?

7. What do scientists hypothesize led to the mass extinction?

Content Practice A LESSON 3


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The Mesozoic Era Directions: Answer each question in the space provided.

Mesozoic Era

Triassic Period Jurassic Period Cretaceous Period

1. What were sea levels like during the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods compared with the present sea level?

2. What was the climate like during the Mesozoic era?

3. What was the environment like during this era?

4. Which major geologic event occurred during this era?

5. What happened as shallow seas returned?

6. Which type of plants evolved?

7. Which reptile was dominant during this era?

8. What do scientists know about mammals living during this era?

9. How did the Mesozoic era end?

Content Practice B LESSON 3


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The Mesozoic Era Directions: Use your textbook to answer each question.

1. The Paleozoic era includes the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history. The Early Mesozoic was populated by many new and different species.

Why were the organisms that lived during the Early Mesozoic so successful?

2. During the Mesozoic era, the Rocky Mountains formed in western North America. During the same era, water flooded and then receded throughout much of the continent.

How did these floods help in the accumulation of oil?

3. The Mesozoic era is known as the age of reptiles. Some of these reptiles include many species of dinosaurs.

How were dinosaurs different from present-day reptiles?

4. The Cretaceous extinction event killed many Mesozoic reptiles. The event first killed plants; then the animals died because there were no plants for them to eat.

What do scientists hypothesize caused the Cretaceous extinction event?

School to Home LESSON 3

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The Mesozoic Era Key Concept What major geologic events occurred during the Mesozoic era?

Key Concept Builder LESSON 3

Pangaea

Laurasia(northern Mesozoic continent)

Gondwanaland(southern Mesozoic continent)

• North America

• Europe

• Asia • Africa

• Antarctica

• Australia

• South America

Directions: Use the diagram to respond to the statement.

1. Describe the dominant geologic event of the Mesozoic era.

Directions: Answer each question on the lines provided.

2. How did the climate of the Mesozoic era compare with that of the Paleozoic era?

3. What was the effect of the return of shallow seas during the Mesozoic era?

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The Mesozoic Era Key Concept What major geologic events occurred during the Mesozoic era?

Directions: Complete this cause-and-effect chart by writing a main effect of each event in the space provided.

Event What Happened

1. Pangaea begins to break apart.

2. No water is held by glaciers or in ice caps.

3. Sea level rises.

4. Water flows onto continents as Pangaea splits apart.

5. Narrow channels grow as Pangaea continues to split apart.

6. Sea level continues to rise.

7. Sea levels rise and recede along North America’s eastern coastline.

8. The North American continent slowly and steadily moves westward.

9. A collision of plates occurs along the western coast of North America.



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The Mesozoic Era Key Concept What does fossil evidence reveal about the Mesozoic era?

Directions: Answer each question in the space provided.

Mesozoic Era Life According to Rock and Fossil Data

Plants1. Which types of plants began

to appear?

Reptiles 4. Which dominant reptile lived on land?

5. Which present-day reptile shares an ancestor with dinosaurs of the Mesozoic era?

6. What is significantly different between present-day reptiles and Mesozoic reptiles?

7. What was significant about how dinosaur legs were positioned?

8. What was significant about how dinosaurs walked?

9. Which present-day animal are dinosaurs most closely linked to?

10. In what other environment did reptiles live?

11. Besides being able to walk and swim, what else could some dinosaurs do?

Mammals2. During which part of the

Mesozoic era did mammals first evolve?

3. What size were most mammals?

12. What happened to life on Earth about 65.5 mya?



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The Mesozoic Era Key Concept What does fossil evidence reveal about the Mesozoic era?

Directions: On the line before each statement, write T if the statement is true or F if the statement is false.

1. The Mesozoic era began 65.5 mya.

2. Three periods form the Mesozoic era, including the Triassic, the Jurassic, and the Cretaceous.

3. The rising of sea levels made the evolution of new organisms difficult.

4. Organisms during the Mesozoic era adapted to cool environments.

5. Flowering plants appeared toward the end of the Cretaceous period.

6. The dominant reptiles on Earth were crocodiles.

7. Scientists have discovered more than 300 species of dinosaurs.

8. One difference between dinosaurs and present-day reptiles is the dinosaur’s unique hip structure.

9. Scientists who study dinosaurs think they are more closely related to mammals than to present-day reptiles.

10. The dinosaur Archaeopteryx had wings and fur.

11. Plesiosaurs were marine reptiles that had small heads and long necks.

12. One pterosaur, the Quetzalcoatlus, had neck length of nearly 12 m.

13. A mass extinction occurred about 65.5 mya.

14. Scientists hypothesize that the Cretaceous extinction event occurred following the impact of a large meteorite.

15. Large amounts of dust in the oceans cause plants to die.

16. Many animals died before their species adapted to changes in the environment.



lesson 3 | the mesozoic era...evolved during the mesozoic era, but they remained small. 5. the mass...

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