Dinosaur Giants

The Dinosaur Giants program trains high school students to serve as docents to the public at science exhibitions and enables them to fulfill 20 or more hours of their service learning requirement toward graduation.  These students are recruited city-wide from Chicago Public Schools. The team members participate in a eight-hour training program where they learn the scientific history and facts about the exhibit and how to interpret that information for the public. Then, they serve a minimum of 12 hours as exhibit facilitators—leading tours, answering questions, and running interactive programs. They also complete a one-hour written and oral evaluation of the program.

In previous years, Dinosaur Giants served at The Science of SuperCroc exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry and the GIANTS: African Dinosaurs exhibit at the Garfield Park Conservatory. We currently partner with The Field Museum for their Evolving Planet exhibit.

Dinosaur Giants team members Ashley, Jeanicha, and Nina welcome visitors to the Evolving Planet exhibition at The Field Museum.
Photo L. Jansen

The goals of the Dinosaur Giants program are to:

• Recruit and train high school students to serve as Dinosaur Giants each year
  
  
• Showcase students’ work to the public and improve their communication skills
  
  
• Provide students with meaningful, content-rich science service learning opportunities

	During the summer of 2008, 59 Dinosaur Giants team members provided more than 1,000 hours of hands-on programming in the Evolving Planet exhibition at The Field Museum.  Dinosaur Giants provided information and demonstrated activities to more than 42,000 visitors on the topics of dinosaurs, fossil preservation, and mass extinction.

How does the Dinosaur Giants program work?
Students, teachers, or community service coordinators contact Project Exploration and request a Dinosaur Giants team application to complete and return to Project Exploration.  Space is limited and training sessions are filled on a first come, first served basis.  Each training session can accommodate 25 students.  Students will be notified of their acceptance two weeks before their preferred training date. 
Students are responsible for getting themselves to and from the training and exhibit sites. 

Project Exploration provides a team member handbook, a team member t-shirt, museum ID badge, certificate of program completion, and snacks during the training.

Training—Eight Hours
Students are required to participate in a eight-hour training program, which takes place on-site at the location of the exhibit.  The training familiarizes participants with the exhibition components and the specific activities and programs that they will be presenting to visitors.  In addition, students learn skills necessary for working with the public and how to facilitate the visitor's learning experience. Students are trained on the story of the evolving world, how fossils are formed, key dinosaur features, and landmark events throughout geologic time.

Exhibit Facilitation—Twelve Hours
Following the training program, students act as exhibit facilitators.  They complete a minimum of twelve hours on the exhibit floor during which they answer questions about exhibit components and facilitate interactive and educational programs.  The twelve hours are completed in three shifts of four hours each.  At the end of each shift, team members write a one-page written reflection about the day’s experiences.

Exhibit and Program Evaluation
Upon completion of twelve hours of service as a Dinosaur Giants team member, all students participate in written evaluation of the exhibit and the Dinosaur Giants program. 

Certification
Once students have completed the training, facilitation hours, and their evaluation, they receive a certificate of recognition as a trained exhibit facilitator.  The students' school also receives a letter confirming completion of twenty hours of community service towards graduation requirements.

Participating Chicago Public High Schools in 2008-2009 include:

• ACE Technical Charter High School
• Amundsen High School
• Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences
• DuSable Leadership Academy
• Englewood Academy High School
• Fenger Academy High School
• Hyde Park Career Academy High School
• Illinois Math and Science Academy
• John Hope College Preparatory High School
• Jones College Prep
• Kelvyn Park High School
• Kenwood Academy High School
• Lake View High School
• Lane Tech High School
• Martin Luther King, Jr. College Preparatory High School
• Noble Street Charter School – Golder College Prep
• Noble Street Charter School – Pritzker College Prep
• Noble Street Charter School – Rauner College Prep
• Noble Street Charter School – Rowe-Clark Math & Science Academy
• Noble Street Charter School – UIC College Prep
• Perspectives Charter Schools – Calumet Campus
• Perspectives Charter Schools – Rodney D. Joslin Campus
• Rickover Naval Academy High School
• Senn High School
• University of Chicago Woodlawn Charter School
• Whitney M. Young Magnet High School
• Young Women’s Leadership Charter School

Dinosaur Giants team member Jameisha explains the difference between dinosaurs and reptiles that only look like dinosaurs. Photo R. Pudzisz

“One thing I am proud of is that I made one family happy that they came to the museum when they found out they were holding something even older than a dinosaur. I was very happy.”
-Michael, Noble Street Charter School—Pritzker College Prep

“Everyone was really interested in the “Fossils in the Floor” activity. One boy even came to me and said, ‘Hey! There are fossils in the floor!’ Then I was like, ‘Yeah! There are! Do you want to know about them?!’”
-Jacklyn, Lane Tech High School

“It’s interesting to teach people something new. I got to teach kids as well as adults and that was cool. I also got to learn from my peers as well as from my coordinators. Working on the floor is always a great experience because you always get to learn something.”
-Sade, Perspectives Charter School—Calumet Campus

“We talked to people from all over the world—from Texas, England, Florida, Afghanistan, Indiana, and Missouri. Everyone who stopped by learned about fossils and was very amazed.”
-Lynesse, Hyde Park Career Academy High School