The Science Teacher Field Institute is a two-year professional development program for science educators that promotes effective teaching and leadership in science.

This set of activities is designed for use by K-12 students for the GIANTS: African Dinosaurs exhibit. Also included is a comprehensive teachers handbook. The materials are available in PDF form from the GIANTS exhibit web site.

How are you going to get more than a dozen people across the Sahara and back? What if one of the vehicles breaks down? What will the team eat in the field? How much will they eat? What if someone gets hurt?
These are the kinds of questions you need to answer if you are planning an expedition. In this activity decide how to pack the Land Rovers and calculate what you are allowed to bring along.

Additional Resources:
Teachers' Information Page

Niger is a country of many cultures and during the expedition the team will come in contact with different peoples: Arabs, Djerma, Hausa, Fulani and especially the Touareg. In this activity you will learn about nomadic Touaregs’ traditional culture and decode a message in Tifnar – the written language of the Touareg people

Additional Resources:
Teachers' Information Page

Luck is part of finding fossils, but hard work and research are even more important. How does the team know where to start looking? In this activity use geographic maps, geologic maps and research reports to decide where to look for dinosaur fossils.

Additional Resources:
Teachers' Information Page