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Overview:
This lesson introduces students to the idea that animals prefer certain types of habitats over others and, in fact, cannot live in places that are too different from what they prefer. In this case students will focus on dinosaurs. They will learn about the types of habitats and climates scientists believe dinosaurs tended to prefer and will conclude by drawing background scenes to use in a toy dinosaur's "home."
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 4: "The physical and human characteristics of places"
Time:
Three hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
- A fiction or nonfiction book about dinosaurs, appropriate for your students' grade level
- A stuffed or plastic dinosaur
- Drawing materials
Objectives:
Students will
- discuss the things they already know about dinosaurs;
- listen to a story about dinosaurs and discuss the dinosaurs' habitats and diets;
- explore the Dinosaur's Neighborhood activity (with teacher assistance);
- contribute words to describe a toy dinosaur's preferred climate, habitat, and diet;
- discuss the type of climate they prefer and the reasons that they can live in almost any climate while dinosaurs could not; and
- draw backgrounds for the toy dinosaur to live in.
Geographic Skills:
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Ask students to contribute and discuss some of the things they already know about dinosaurs.
Development:
Inform students that dinosaurs lived millions of years ago, long before people ever lived. Tell them that even though it was a very long time ago, the Earth had plants, water, rocks, and many of the things we are familiar with today.
Read the class a story or brief nonfiction children's book about dinosaurs; a list of some books can be found at the "great stories" link from the Dinosaur's Neighborhood activity. After reading the story, ask students to discuss the dinosaurs' habitats and diets and to think about what was special about the places where the dinosaurs lived. What did the dinosaurs need to have in their environment in order to survive? Did different dinosaurs need different things?
Help students go through the the Dinosaur's Neighborhood activity to match a Tyrannosaurus rex with its presumed ideal habitat. Paraphrase the text, when appropriate, so students understand the concepts. (It would be ideal if you could do this activity as a class, using a projection device).
When students have found the ideal habitat, discuss the reasons why T. rex would like it better here than in the other two locations. What is it about the climate of this place that is more inviting to this dinosaur?
Closing:
Hold up a stuffed or plastic dinosaur, preferably one similar to a dinosaur students have seen in this lesson. Have students contribute words to describe the types of climate and habitat it might like. Discuss the reasons why the dinosaur might like some types of habitats more than others.
Ask students what type of climate they prefer. Do they like hot weather, cold weather, wind, blizzards? What makes humans different from dinosaurs? Why do they think people are able to live in all types of places, while dinosaurs needed to be in certain places?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Have students draw background settings for the stuffed or plastic dinosaur to live in. Their drawings should show the type of habitat they think the dinosaur would enjoy.
As an option, students can make their own toy dinosaurs out of green or brown construction paper and place them in front of the backdrops the students created.
Extending the Lesson:
Have students make quizzes for their parents or friends to take, asking parents or friends to guess the types of habitat dinosaurs might prefer. They should make their quizzes about a dinosaur they have learned about in this lesson.
To assemble the quiz, have students cut three small squares (approximately 3 by 3 inches [8 by 8 centimeters]) in the middle of a piece of paper, leaving one side of each square intact to form a flap. Have them tape that page over another one and, on each flap, draw a picture of a habitat. Two habitats should be unsuitable for dinosaurs, and one should be the dinosaur's preferred habitat. Under each flap, they should write "yes" or "no," depending on whether that is the correct habitat.
Have students draw a picture of the dinosaur on the front of the quiz page and give the quiz to people they know.
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