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Dino-Mite Lessons!

Lions and tigers -- and Stegosauruses -- oh my! Few teaching topics excite young students the way dinosaurs can. Make the most of their interest in meat eaters of the Mesozoic Era with these lessons and resources.

Lesson Plans

The lesson plan ideas below will spark interest and learning.

Leaping Lizards! Dinosaur Activities on the Web
Too much to do? Too little time? These quick-tivities create instant teachable moments that capitalize on your students' fascination with dinosaurs. Included:
--- Dinosaur Finger Puppets
--- Draw a Dinosaur Lesson
--- Dinosaur Crossword
--- Triceratops Flipbook --- Build a Box-o-saurus

Dinosaurs Sell: An Education World QuickQuest!
Movie studios, TV production companies, book publishers, ad agencies, and toy and game manufacturers are all scrambling to create the ultimate dinosaur blockbuster. As a noted dinosaurian, you have been tapped to create the next best-selling dinosaur product.

The Very First Dinos?
These activities, based on a Time for Kids article, help students use strong adjectives in their writing and challenge them to examine the reasons for writing.

I Dig Dinosaurs
In this hands-on activity, students work in groups to gain a greater understanding of how difficult fossil removal may be. They get "paid" for each intact fossil part they uncover. They also learn about how dinosaurs are named.

Guided Reading of Danny the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff
Like main ideas, inferences can be a difficult concept for many elementary school children. This lesson gets kids speculating about what might happen next in a story.

Meet James Gurney: Dinosaur Stamp Artist
The story behind the creation of the U.S. Postal Service's dinosaur stamps (1997) offers a nice tool for building listening and sequencing skills.

Dinosaur WebQuest
Students work in small groups to research information about dinosaurs and about the time when those huge animals roamed Earth. Students use the information to create a classroom dinosaur zoo.

Web Sites Of Interest

Read Education World reviews of these Web sites.

Enchanted Learning
This is a fun, educational site includes a special section full of dinosaur information. Check out its glossary of terms.

Willo: The Dinosaur With a Heart
This site from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences explores the fossilized heart of a 66-million-year-old Thescelosaurus.

Dinosauria Online
A sophisticated and information-rich site on dinosaurs for junior high and high school students.

Dino Dictionary
Dino Dictionary claims to be the "most complete dinosaur dictionary on the Web." Profiles of 300+ dinosaurs.

Dinosaur Interplanetary Gazette
News and information about dinosaurs; the site's authors are careful to separate fact from fiction.

Dinosaur Books Worth Cracking

Read Education World reviews of dinosaur-themed books.

The Best Book of Dinosaurs: It's Not Just Another Dinosaur Book
Terrible lizards, giant footprints, rumbling earth... Is this Godzilla? No, it's The Best Book of Dinosaurs -- and it deserves a place on your classroom bookshelf.

New Dino Books by Yolen, Teague, and Goode
Jane Yolen and Mark Teague have teamed up to create a real charmer for kids and award-winning illustrator Diane Goode offers a new twist on an old Hans Christian Anderson tale. Both of these great read-alouds offer valuable curriculum connections as well.

You're your Movie Money: Buy a Dino Book!
For less than the price of two tickets to Dinosaur, the movie, young readers can own any one of three fine books that highlight the work of scientists who study dinosaurs. Add popcorn and read!

Last updated 06/03/2010