Education
Lessons and Activities: Texas Pterosaur Hat
Objectives
- Students will follow a series of instructions in sequence, and interpret and use diagrams to construct a hat.
- Students will recognize geometric patterns, shapes, and terms such as "triangle", "rectangle", "half", "diagonally".
- Students will measure length and width and manipulate a ruler.
- Students will manipulate paper and create a personal artwork, using a choice of colors.
- Students will identify the Texas Pterosaur as expressed in their personal artwork.
Materials
- Butcher paper or good quality construction paper (for the hat)
- Colored construction paper (for the eyes)
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Markers
- Glue or gluestick
- Stapler and staples
- String or elastic (optional)
Introduction
Your students will create a paper hat modeling the head of the Texas Pterosaur, Quetzalcoatlus northropi, the largest flying reptile ever discovered on Earth. Quetzalcoatlus had a wingspan of about 40 feet - that's about the size of a small airplane! Doug Lawson, a graduate student working with the Texas Memorial Museum's Dr. Wann Langston, Jr., found the pterosaur's bones while excavating in Big Bend in West Texas in 1971. Did you know that pterosaurs (pronounced "TARE-uh-soars") were flying reptiles, and not related to birds or bats? They had hollow bones, which made them lightweight enough to fly and soar. The Texas Pterosaur is one of the most famous finds in the history of paleontology.
Instructions
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1. Cut a sheet of butcher paper into a rectangle measuring 24 inches long and 18 inches wide. |
2. Fold sheet of paper in half length-wise. |
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3. Fold down each folded corner, leaving 1 1/2 inches at the bottom. |
4. Cut off one folded side. |
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5. Fold cut edge down, leaving 1 1/2 inches at bottom. |
6. Fold bottom flap up on one side. |
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7. Turn hat over and fold bottom flap up on other side. |
8. Cut tip off diagonally. |
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9. Open hat up, push end in, and fold inside. |
10. Staple back of hat. |
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11. Try hat on, pinch it together at your forehead, and staple at pinch. Add chin strap if desired. |
12. Add eyes and soar away! |
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