Dinosaur Skeletons

• PRINT
• EMAIL

Students know that a skeleton is bones that are put together in the right order. They can tell how and where scientist found dinosaur bones.

OBJECTIVE

Students Will:

1. Be able to describe a skeleton.
2. Be able to arrange pretend bones in a way that resembles a dinosaur skeleton.
3. Create a dinosaur skeleton using toothpicks, Popsicle sticks, tongue depressors, and a variety of wooden beads.

MATERIALS

1. Black 12" X 18" construction paper
2. Popsicle sticks,Toothpicks
3. Tongue depressor sticks
4. Wooden beads
5. Glue
6. Paper plates to hold the above materials

SET UP AND PREPARE
Arrange each working table with a variety of the above materials for students to share.

DIRECTIONS
Day 1
Step 1: Read More About Dinosaurs by David Cutts and Fossils Tell of Long Ago by Aliki Brandenberg. Discuss how, to create a skeleton, bones must be assembled in the same order they were when the dinosaur was alive.

Step 2: Brainstorm about which bones you would need to put together a T- Rex skeleton. Review characteristics: two feet, short arms, large claws, ribs, tail, etc.

Step 3: Break the sticks as needed and arrange them in the desired order on black paper.

Step 4: Glue pieces of stick to the paper when they are arranged in the desired way.

LESSON EXTENSION

1. Have students tell the class what they know about dinosaurs. Write down what they dictate and display it with their creations.
   
2. Research other animals' skeletons.
   
3. Have students feel the bones under their own skin. Look at diagrams of human and animal skeletons. (Encyclopedias and anatomy books are good resources.) Show pictures of skeletons and see if the kids can guess to whom the skeleton belongs.

ASSESS STUDENTS
Teacher Observation:

1. Were students able to make a skeleton using Popsicle sticks, tongue depressors, toothpicks, and wooden beads?
2. Can students describe a skeleton using the terms skull and bones?
3. Can students tell what job a paleontologist does and where dinosaur bones are found?

ASSIGNMENTS
Using library books have students find pictures of different types of skeletons and make photocopies of them. Make a collage of the pictures and label each skeleton.

EVALUATE THE LESSON

1. Can most students describe a skeleton? Do they understand there are lots of bones?
2. Do students understand that bones are under their skin?
3. How many students have prior knowledge of skeletons from going to museums, etc.?

If You Meet a Dinosaur Book
(Adapted from If You Meet a Dragon by Joy Cowley)

Allow students to engage in dramatic play and make their own books in this lesson on dinosaurs.

Art Studio
An activity plan for teachers of four and five-year-olds to use with their students.

Portrait of a Friend
Students get to know themselves and their classmates by filling in the blanks to create a mini-biography.

ARTICLE	Springtime Wind Chime Get in the swing of spring with this cheery craft.
ONLINE ACTIVITY	Home | Write It Write It is the premiere site for kids' and teens' writing instruction and online publishing. In genres like poetry, essays, short fiction,...