Watch newly-discovered Triceratops bones being cleaned and studied in real time. The whole class can join in, without leaving the classroom! Via a live video feed, pupils come face-to-face with exciting scientific discoveries. They will see how our dino experts do their jobs and pupils will get a chance to ask any questions they have. How did Naturalis get these fossils? What can you tell by looking at a bone? Why is this work important? Meanwhile, new pieces of bone are being revealed – none of which have ever been seen by human eyes. The online guest lesson will start in the Dinosaur Era gallery at Naturalis. First, an introduction to several of our dinosaurs: T. rex, Edmontosaurus and Triceratops. Each skeleton will be briefly examined and discussed via the digital connection. What are the pupils themselves curious about? The class can see the researcher on the smartboard and the researcher sees the class on their monitor. It is as if they’re all in the same room together, making optimum interaction possible. Please note: advance preparation for this guest lecture in the classroom will result in a richer and more lively discussion.
Everything you need to knowin a row
- Type: online videocall with Naturalis from within the classroom
- Level: all levels possible – the level and topic of the discussion can be adjusted to fit the group
- Length of online lesson: 40 minutes
- Group size: 1 class, accompanied by at least 1 supervisor from the school
- Supplies needed: smartboard or other video display with an internet connection
- Preparation in the classroom: pupils will come up with questions to ask the expert (preparatory lesson material is available)
- Main objective: pupils gain a picture of the age of the dinosaurs and how it is being studied (paleontology).
- Possible starting times: 10:00 a.m., 11:15 a.m. & 1:00 p.m.
Course of the online lecture
For this online lesson, the class will have a live connection (via Google Meet) with an education assistant and a fossil preparator from the Dino lab. The lesson consists of two parts. In the first part, the pupils will see the Dinosaur Era gallery. In the second part, they will be shown the Dino lab in the Live Science gallery. A quick check will be scheduled in the week prior to the lesson. The schedule given below is an indication only.
Quick check (15 minutes): a week prior to the online lesson
An education assistant will contact the teacher of the class in the week before the lesson via Google Meet. This gives them an opportunity to check the connection and the method and answer any questions they may have.
Online lesson 0-15 minutes: Dinosaur Era
Pupils will first be shown a number of real skeletons of extinct reptiles including Trix the T. rex, Plateosaurus, Camarasaurus, Coloborhynchus (a flying reptile) and Triceratops. The education assistant will present the skeletons, the pupils will ask questions and a dialogue will ensue.
Online lesson 15-40 minutes: Dino lab
The fossil preparator will speak to the class for a moment. They will introduce themselves and give a brief tour of the lab. Then the education assistant will rejoin the discussion. The pupils will be given an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the Dino lab. What do people do in the Dino lab? What makes their work so interesting? Pupils can ask all their questions about dinosaurs and the job of being a paleontologist. They will seek out answers together.
Booking infoprepare your visit
Information about practical matters such as parking, lockers and house rules.
