Introduction
Unit: The Dinosaurs
Curriculum Area: Science
Grade: Superior cycle
In this lesson we are going to become explorers! We are going to investigate what happened with the dinosaurs and what kind of dinosaurs lived 65.000.000 years before!
In this site we will work the dinosaur's unit in project form. Where students in each session may develop different skills:
-Work autonomously.
-Work in pairs or in groups.
-Know how to use new technologies like: research on the internet ...
-Develop the creative side of each student with: crafts, roll-plays, writing ...
-Learn to respect and value the opinions and the works of the mates.
(Among other skills...)
Task
At the end of this unit we will know everything about the world of dinosaurs! All this learning will be reflected in a written project that will be completed with the worksheets and activities performed all along the sessions and in a role- play in which you will have to use all your knowledge and creativity! If the day of delivery of the written project you hand in everything correctly, the teacher will sign and stamp your explorer certificate!
The objectives we seek to achieve making this unit are:
-Learn about the existence, life and extinction of dinosaurs.
-Learn in a different and dynamic way.
-Develop creativity.
-Use new techonologies.
Sessions plan:
First session:
-Introduction
-Questions
-Song
-Complete the song
Second session:
-Video
-Complete the summary
Third session:
- Ages of dinousaurs
- Game
Fourth session:
- Complete worksheets of dinosaurs
Fifth session:
-Video creating a dinosaur
-Create your own dinosaur
Sixth session:
- Role-play
-Assessment
Seventh session:
- Writing conclusions
-Paint the cover
- Order the project
Pay attention!
To write the project you will have to use some guidelines . The font that you should use to write is the following:
Titles: 20 Calibri (Bold)
Normal writing: 12 Calibri
Process
-First session:
Welcome explorers! Today,before starting, we are going to see our previous learning about Dinosaurs! For examining our knowledge we have to answer to the following questions.
- What are the dinousaurs?
- Why, nowadays, we can't find dinousaurs in the earth?
- Do you think that they were people living while dinousaurs? Why?
Now, that we have recognize our knowledge, we are going to meet a little bit our friends dinousaurs through a song! Examine this web and listen to the Dinosaur Song. (Click on the trompet icon to listen the song) 
One hungry dinosaur has eaten some of the lyrics of the Dinosaur Song, listen to it, and complete it!
(Click on the dino icon to see the document with the lyrics )
-Second session:
Welcome explorers! Today we are going to travel to the moment were dinosaurs disappeared! Here you will find a video explaining the extinction of dinosaurs.
(Click on the image to see the video)
Now, you have to complete this summary writing about the extinction!
(Click on the book icon to write the introduction)
-Third session:
Investigators! Did you know that not all the dinosaurs lived at the same time? Let's read about it!
 The earliest dinosaurs and mammals date back to the late Triassic period, about 225 million years ago. Most of the first Triassic dinosaurs were small and quick meat-eaters that walked on their hind legs. By the end of the Triassic period (about 20 million years ago), larger prosauropods (20-foot-long plant-eating dinosaurs) were beginning to appear. |
 The Jurassic period began about 200 million years ago and lasted about 55 million years. Many new types of dinosaurs, mammals, and reptiles emerged during the Jurassic, including the plated dinosaurs and the sauropods — heavy, long-necked dinosaurs that walked on four legs. There were also large theropods, or meat-eating dinosaurs, roaming the Earth. The first birds (and bird-like dinosaurs) also appeared during the Jurassic period. |
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Let's play and see if we understand what we have learned! :)
(Click on the dinosaur icon)
- Fourth session:
Dear adventurers, today we will know a little more closely some of the most weird and famous dinosaurs! To do that, you have to complete the information of the worksheets bellow, and draw a dinosaur of each species.
In the case you need some help to do that you can look at: (Click on the image)
You have to write in these worksheets. (click on the image)
-Fifth session:
Intrepid explorers ! Now you are experts on the subject of dinosaurs, we are going to shape all our knowledge in a creative way. Let's creative our own dinosaur following all the steps of this video.
(Click on the image)
-Sixth session:
Dear explorers, it's time to represent how was your dinosaur extinction. You will work in groups (4 students) and you will do a role-play.We will record the video in class. Remember, be creative!
The students that listen the role-play have to evaluate them. Here you have the grid that you have to fill.
(Click on the image)
-Seventh session:
Congratulations we have already arrive at the last session!!
You have to finish the project by writing the conclusions that you have extracted from this unit. Once you finished the conclusion, you ought to paint the cover and you must order the project as follows:
(click on the image to see the whole porject)
You have done a great job, so you deserve a explorer's certification. Remember keep it well, as each certificate is a prize like watching a movie, go outside ...
(Click on the certification to obtain your own certification!!!!!)
Evaluation
This unit will be assessed as follows :
-Project: (50%)
->The project includes:
- Introduction.
- Previous questions.
- Dinosaurs Song.
- Cover.
- Worksheet 1.
- Worksheet 2.
- Worksheet 3.
- Worksheet 4.
- Worksheet 5.
- Conclusion (Did it in class)
-Role-play (50%)
-> The role-play includes:
- Dinosaur playdough.
- Video.
- Oral presentation.
- Groupwork.
Look at the rubrik bellow to consult the different aspects that we are going to evaluate and how we are going to do it.
| CATEGORY | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Presentation | Well-rehearsed with smooth delivery that holds audience attention. | Rehearsed with fairly smooth delivery that holds audience attention most of the time. | Delivery not smooth, but able to maintain interest of the audience most of the time. | Delivery not smooth and audience attention often lost. |
| Attractiveness | Makes excellent use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance the presentation. | Makes good use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance to presentation. | Makes use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. but occasionally these detract from the presentation content. | Use of font, color, graphics, effects etc. but these often distract from the presentaion content. |
| Originality | Product shows a large amount of original thought. Ideas are creative and inventive. | Product shows some original thought. Work shows new ideas and insights. | Uses other people\'s ideas (giving them credit), but there is little evidence of original thinking. | Uses other people\'s ideas, but does not give them credit. |
| Content | Covers topic in-depth with details and examples. Subject knowledge is excellent. | Includes essential knowledge about the topic. Subject knowledge appears to be good. | Includes essential information about the topic but there are 1-2 factual errors. | Content is minimal OR there are several factual errors. |
| Organization | Content is well organized using headings or bulleted lists to group related material. | Uses headings or bulleted lists to organize, but the overall organization of topics appears flawed. | Content is logically organized for the most part. | There was no clear or logical organizational structure, just lots of facts. |
| Oral Presentation | Interesting, well-rehearsed with smooth delivery that holds audience attention. | Relatively interesting, rehearsed with a fairly smooth delivery that usually holds audience attention. | Delivery not smooth, but able to hold audience attention most of the time. | Delivery not smooth and audience attention lost. |
| Requirements | All requirements are met and exceeded. | All requirements are met. | One requirement was not completely met. | More than one requirement was not completely met. |
| Mechanics | No misspellings or grammatical errors. | Three or fewer misspellings and/or mechanical errors. | Four misspellings and/or grammatical errors. | More than 4 errors in spelling or grammar. |
| Sources | Source information collected for all graphics, facts and quotes. All documented in desired format. | Source information collected for all graphics, facts and quotes. Most documented in desired format. | Source information collected for graphics, facts and quotes, but not documented in desired format. | Very little or no source information was collected. |
| Workload | The workload is divided and shared equally by all team members. | The workload is divided and shared fairly by all team members, though workloads may vary from person to person. | The workload was divided, but one person in the group is viewed as not doing his/her fair share of the work. | The workload was not divided OR several people in the group are viewed as not doing their fair share of the work. |
Conclusion
Conclusion
The dinosaurs, both the existence of dinosaurs and their extinction have been crucial for many research fields.
They have also helped the man to study some more precisely what life was like in those days, many millions before the man habited the earth. Another very important point is its extinction; and thanks to her, we have understood that human civilization is not eternal.
Therefore, in this web you can find an overview of the dinosaurs that existed millions of years ago and what was the cause of his disappearance, teaching it in a fun and entertaining way. Thus students will learn the theory of dinosaur extinction and may better understand the theory of evolution, since it is the next topic to be discussed.
Credits
References:
http://www.importancia.org/dinosaurios.php
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbKuGo-hTSM (song)
http://www.scholastic.com/kids/dinotimes/flash.htm (game)
http://www.dinosaurjungle.com/dinosaur_species.php (types of dinosaurs)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzcMyj7lan2sNUs1cjJSdTNBV0E/view (video)