Lesson Plans
Lessons for Elementary School
Digging Up Dinosaur Bones
Direct
Link
Indirect Link:
http://www.proteacher.com/110055.shtml after going to this site, scroll down to the link Digging Up Dinosaur Bones
Grades: 3-6
Students pretend to be a paleontologist, a museum director, a science teacher, and a reporter studying newly discovered dinosaur bones. Groups research one particular dinosaur and then present for the class.
Dinosaur Babies, Fossils, and Make Your Own Dinosaur
Direct
Link
Indirect link:
http://www.proteacher.com/110055.shtml after going to this site, scroll down to the link
Dinosaur Babies, Fossils, and Make Your Own Dinosaur
Grades: 1-6
Outdoor or indoor activity.
The students will make their own dinosaur that they can name after themselves.
The students will use their imagination in identifying dinosaurs.
The students will classify "dinosaur" eggs.
The students will look at real fossils and explain which animal they are from.
The students will make their own fossils, edible ones.
Dinosaur Math
http://www.kinderart.com/littles/dinosaur.shtml
Grade: Kindergarten
Students use dog bones to participate in different number activities - not very dinosaur-related, but the students refer to the bones as dinosaur bones.
Discovering Dinosaurs
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/tlc-dinosaurs/
Grades: 3,4
Students act as paleontologists and make their own theories on dinosaurs based on evidence.
Two Kinds of Dinosaurs
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/fosrec/Wixom2.html
Grades: K-2
Students distinguish between two different dinosaurs based on the different structures of the pelvis: bird-hipped, reptile-hipped.
Lessons for Middle School
Dinosaur Detectives
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/dinosaurdetectives/
Grades: 6-8
Students study different paleontologists. They also study how advancements in technologies and new discoveries lead to new theories and changing old theories.
Dinosaurs in Argentina
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/dinosargentina/
Grades: 6-8
Students study why Argentina is a good place to find dinosaur fossils and study different dinosaur discoveries in Argentina.
Living Fossils
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/livingfossils/
Grades: 6-8
Some animals have lived since the Age of Dinosaurs. Students study these animals such as Horseshoe crabs and develop hypothesis about why these animals did not become extinct like the dinosaurs. Students also learn about theories explaining the extinction of dinosaurs.
Mesozoic Murals
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/mesozoic/
Grades: 6-8
Students study and research dinosaurs from each geologic period of the Mesozoic era. They also learn how the different dinosaurs adapted to each period within the Mesozoic era.
When Dinosaurs Ruled
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/dinosaursruled/
Grades: 6-8
Students will study the Mesozoic era; the time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. They learn more about this era by researching the other plants and animals that were alive during this time.
T-Rex
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/trex/
Grades: 6-8
Students learn the definitions of scavenger and predator. Then they hypothesize why T-Rex could have been a scavenger or a predator.
What’s New with Dinosaurs?
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/whatsnewdinos/
Grades: 6-8
Students study the different theories arguing if dinosaurs were warm-blooded or cold-blooded and if they were birds or reptiles. Students then research dinosaurs and hypothesize whether or not they think dinosaurs were endothermic or ectothermic.
Lessons for High School
Boning Up on Fossil Features
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/19990126tuesday_print.html
Grades: 8-12
Students use a New York Times article to start a discussion about the physical features of an animal and how these features relate to survival.
Evolution
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/greatbooks-originofspecies/
Grades: 9-12
Students study Darwin and the theory of evolution. They also study other scientists that contributed to this theory or related. Not specifically related to dinosaurs.
The Evolution of Dinosaurs over Geologic Time
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/17/g912/serenoevol.html
Grades: 9-12
Students will synchronize knowledge from different subjects and topics they have studied and examine those topics from various perspectives by combining their knowledge of evolution, geologic time, and dinosaurs into a discussion of how these three topics overlap with regard to dinosaur evolution in the Cretaceous period.
The Fossil Record
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/ancientoceans/
Grades: 9-12
Students study the Burgess Shale and how it has contributed many fossils around the world (not specifically related to dinosaurs, but touches extensively on fossils, especially those from the ocean).
Additional Resources for Teachers
Proteacher.com
http://www.proteacher.com/110055.shtml
Multiple resources for teachers on dinosaurs.
Site where teachers post to chat about different lessons and activities they use related to dinosaurs.
