Do I have the materials I need for this lesson?

butcher paper- construction paper- glue- scissors- paint- 10 copies of an herbivorous dinosaurs on cardstock (pictures and information on dinosaurs can be found at: www.kidsdigdinos.com/index.htm - 10 blank sheets of copy paper- stapler- 4 toilet paper rolls- tape- string or ribbon- Soundscapes of the Dinosaurs CD-

Is my classroom set up to most effectively teach this lesson?

Are my materials for the lesson easily accessible?- Is the whiteboard ready with the words herbivore and dinosaur written on it?- Have I designated a wall in the classroom for the dinosaur mural?- Is my classroom free of distractions?  

Do I have a Backup Plan ready to go?

Green Manipulatives accessible- number tracing pages- shape tracing pages- number and/or shape bingo- sensory experience: dino tube dinosaurs in a bin with grass and/or other plant pieces to explore

Before starting class make sure that “Soundscapes of the Dinosaurs” is playing softly in the background... Now, let’s get your little learner excited about dinosaurs!

Start with a video playing about dinosaurs on your tablet or laptop. Allow your little learner to watch the video for a few moments. With your white board close to you, start asking your child about what they are seeing. Say something like, “Wow, those dinosaurs live in an environment with a lot of trees, what other types of plants do you see? Are there any mountains? Or is the ground flat? What colors are you seeing?”  Write their responses down on the white board so that you can refer back to them later. When the video has ended say, “Those dinosaurs are so interesting! I cannot wait to learn more about them, but before we can do that we have to create a dinosaur habitat in our classroom!” Show your child the wall that you have dedicated to creating this “Jurassic Park.” Go back to your list on the white-board. Review the items listed on the board and then ask your child if they think there is anything else that they think needs to be added. Make sure that through this discussion your child comes to the conclusion that within Jurassic Park there needs to be mountains, a river, a lake, a meadow, trees and a volcano.

Keep in mind that this project may take longer than a typical lesson. After reading this section you will need to decide how much of it you would like to prepare in advance and how much you want to do with your child. Don’t be afraid to insert your own creativity. As long as you have a habitat and a mobile herd you can teach these lessons. This habitat will be used for every Green lesson this month so it will be worth the extra time. Follow these steps with your child to create your Jurassic Park and herd:

Step 1:  Make a volcano. mountains, river, lake, meadow and  trees.

Start by covering a large section of a wall with butcher paper. Cut out the landscape features from appropriately colored construction paper. Tape or glue to the butcher paper to create a landscape for your habitat. You will need groups of trees and mountains to address certain learning goals. This could all be accomplished through other mediums such as painting, drawing, felt boards or even a 3D diorama if you are feeling ambitious! If you have older children you may want to enlist their help as well. These lessons incorporate fun for all ages to enjoy! As you are working be sure that your child understands that you are re-creating a dinosaur habitat. Use the word “habitat” as much as possible to familiarize them with the word.

Step 2:  Make a herd.

At this point you will need your 10 copies of the same herbivorous dinosaur. If your child is capable, have them help you cut out all 10 dinosaurs. If your child still struggles with the fine motor skills that are required for cutting you can have the dinosaurs cut out before the start of the lesson. After all 10 dinosaurs have been cut out, allow your little learner to write the numbers 1-10 on small pieces of paper. Assign each dinosaur a number and attach the number to them with glue or tape. Throughout the construction of your herd, be sure to refer to the dinosaurs as an “herbivorous herd” with a brief explanation of what that means. The more your child hears the word, “herbivore” and “herd,” the more familiar he/she will become with the concept.

Step 3:  Create binoculars and a field guide for observing and recording observations.

Field guides will be used in several themes throughout the year. They can be made by simply stapling blank paper together with a cover made from a brown paper grocery bag to give it an old and leathery look. After you have stapled between 10 and 15 sheets of plain paper together, allow your child to crumple up a brown paper bag that has been cut to be used as the cover of the field guide. The more crumpling they do, the more authentic the field guide will look. Once your child is satisfied with their field guide cover, attach it to the blank pages by stapling them all together.

Binoculars can be easily made by taping two toilet paper rolls together and adding some string to hang them around the neck. Be sure to make two pairs so you and your little explorer can observe the herd together.

Now your herbivorous herd is ready to move throughout your Jurassic Park! Choose a starting point for the herd and attach it with reusable adhesive putty to a spot in your dinosaur habitat (i.e. near the trees, near the river, etc.). Once all 10 members of the herd are secure, say “Now it’s time to start exploring Jurassic Park! We will need our field guide and our binoculars to get started.” Again start playing the “Soundscapes of the Dinosaurs” CD. In a quiet voice so as not to disturb the wildlife ask the following questions and help your young explorer document the information in their field guide: Ask:

1. How many herbivores are in the herd?
2. How many trees are in the forest?
3. How many mountains are there?
4. How many lakes are there?
5. Do you see any other animals yet?

Continue exploring Jurassic Park for about 5 or 10 minutes or look for clues as to when your little one is ready to move on.

Again move close to the herd and ask “Where in the habitat do you think the herd might move to next? What do you think they will do when they get there?” (i.e. water to drink, meadow to eat, etc.) Then take a moment to go over the colors, shapes and number of features in the habitat (i.e. the shape of the lake, the number of trees). This time instead of counting first ask questions like “Are there more trees than herbivores? Are there less lakes than mountains?” Then use counting to verify the answers allowing your child to practice writing a few of the numbers on the white board for practice.

Motivate your child to explore the house by saying, “I think I heard something in the other room. Better take your binoculars and see if there are any dinosaurs!”. Take this opportunity to move the herd to a different part of the habitat and remove 2 dinosaurs from the herd and hide them from view. When your little explorer returns, say “I think the herd is on the move! Let’s observe and see what they are up to.” Have your child get out their field guide to record observations and do a headcount of the herd. Work with your child and refer back to their original observation noting that they had counted 10 herbivorous dinosaurs and now there are 8. Say, “Are there more or less herbivores in the herd now?” Then ask, “How many less?” Have 10 of something (like blocks) to help your child work out the answer. When they come to the answer of 2 less say, “Wow, you just did subtraction! Nicely done! 10 minus 8 is 2! There are 2 less dinosaurs now than before!"

End your lesson with a quick review of the work that has been accomplished during this lesson (i.e. the habitat, herbivorous dinosaurs, the binoculars, field guide, subtraction, etc) and move onto “Measuring the Outcome.”

Make a “predictions record” in your Fusion Journal by asking your child:

1. What happened to the missing members of the herd?
2. What did the herd eat while roaming through Jurassic Park?
3. Where do you think they will be tomorrow and why?

Record their responses and have your child draw a picture of the dinosaurs they think they will meet in future lessons.

* Don’t forget to move the herd again before tomorrow’s lesson!