Some notes on the Fermi question. A "Fermi question" is an estimation of quantity which is either difficult or impossible to measure directly. Answers are expressed in powers of ten. The steps and areas of reference used are as important as the actual answer.

Assess the init by (1) video report (2) reasonable explanation of Fermi solution (3) an essay on the topic "Could improper water management cause humans to become extinct?"

As a class, students make a water conservation brochure.

Sharing What We Learned

Invite a lower grade classroom to Dinosaur Day. Set up stations. Each station is taught by a member of your class. Visiting students rotate around the room remaining at each station for 5- 10minutes.

DECORATE the ROOM As part of report, students construct proportionate sized dinosaurs. They are used to create scenes around the room.

VIDEO REPORT Play tape as students rotate.

WALK LIKE A DINOSAUR

• Students use straws and marshmallows to demonstrate how two legged and four legged dinosaurs balanced.
• Straws represent bones and marshmallows are joints and feet.

LEAPIN LIZZARDS? NO ITS FLYING DINOSAURS! Explain principles of flight.

• DRAG Make a parachute from paper towels with strings tied to corners and joined by paper clip.
• LIFT Hold a piece of 8 1/2 by 11 paper under lips, blow over surface. (Bernoulli's principle)
• THRUST Thread a 15 foot string through a straw, blow up a long balloon, attach to straw with masking tape laid over the top. Blow up balloon, hold end of balloon. Release.

PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER

• Blow up and cut out a picture of a dinosaur
• Remove some of the pieces
• Students assemble and predict what the dinosaur was

IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS

• Make fossil replicas
• Clay base
• Surround by tag board
• Make an impression of a shell or another small object
• Pour in plaster of Paris/water mixture
• Remove when set.

WHY DID THEY DIE OUT? Explain three theories

Volcanic Eruption

• Place 300mL of water in a container
• Stir in 1 T of baking soda
• Add 100 mL if vinegar
• Drop in raisins that have been cut into fourths
• Raisins rise to surface.
• HUH? Represents carbon dioxide and other gases that polluted the environment. Raisins rise to surface carried by carbon dioxide, drop back to bottom when CO2 is released.

Impact Crater

• Use large pan, fill with flour, and sprinkle with Nestles chocolate powder
• Drop small then large marble
• Next, hurl small marble
• Measure diameter of craters created by each marble
• HUH? Small object hitting surface causes large hole and dust clouds which may have blocked out the sun.

Disease

• On microscope slide place bottled water drop
• On another slide, pond water
• Observe under microscope
• HUH? Contaminated drinking water is dangerous because of the many diseases that it often transmits. These diseases can be caused caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites in water.

TAKE IT WITH YOU

• Ask visiting students if they would like a souvenir of something that once was used by the dinosaurs
• GIVE THEM A BOTTLE OR CUP OF WATER
• Explain that the water we drink today is the very same water the dinosaurs used. We don't get anymore.
• Hand out copies of the water brochure written by the class.
• Ask the students to help protect and preserve the water we drink.
• Tell them they can start today if they just do two things: dispose of trash properly and reduce one area of water use.