Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs (From the “Flip the Flaps”)

By Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries   Kingfisher (2008) ISBN: 9780753464960

Dinosaurs is an introduction to what dinosaurs are, their history, their life, and their death. The book is easily organized according to sections such as:

·         How to say dinosaur names

·         When did the dinosaurs live?

·         Food

·         Fighting back

·         Big and small

·         Babies

·         What happened to the dinosaurs?

  ·         How do we know about dinosaurs?

On each page within each section, there are flaps that when flipped reveal the answers to three informative questions.

Quantitative: Lexile Level-NA; ATOS--NA

Qualitative:  This book would be a good choice for second and third graders. Because of Dinosaurs informative nature, students would be building lots of vocabulary—some of it using context clues, but some, like the dinosaurs’ names, must be simply memorized. Because the structure is very clear and easy to follow, this book can be read in one sitting or in chunks depending on the section. With each section having a dedicated “checking for understanding” portion, it’s easy for students to stay engaged and interact with the content. Since many students already have prior knowledge of dinosaurs, this book adds to the details in order to build upon their previously acquired knowledge.

Content Area: Science--Biology

Next Generation Science Standards:

2-ESS1-1.

Use information from several sources to provide evidence that Earth events can occur quickly or slowly. [Clarification Statement: Examples of events and timescales could include volcanic explosions and earthquakes, which happen quickly and erosion of rocks, which occurs slowly.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include quantitative measurements of timescales.]

2-LS4-1.

Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the diversity of living things in each of a variety of different habitats.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include specific animal and plant names in specific habitats.]

Curriculum Suggestions:

Dinosaurs would be best taught or used during a science lesson on fossils, dinosaurs, lizards, evolution, etc. Teachers could use the opportunity to connect the book with another text or a field trip experience.

Additional/Digital Content:

·         DinoKids.com--http://www.kidsdinos.com/

·         Smithsonian: Museum of Natural History--http://paleobiology.si.edu/dinosaurs/

·         Wonderopolis: Search for “dinosaurs”-- http://paleobiology.si.edu/dinosaurs/

Personal Thoughts: Students never lose their fascination with dinosaurs. The study of the “terrible lizards” highlights just how old the earth is and opens up discussion about creatures that still roam the earth that are related to dinosaurs.

*Meets the “Reading for Pleasure Picture Book” requirement