Regis University

Lesson Plan Template

Name: Emily Elizabeth Auck
Title: The Age of
Dinosaurs
Content Area: Dinosaurs and Fossils
Grade: 4
Duration:70 minutes
Standards and
1. Students are expected to participate in class discussions and ask
Evidence Outcomes:
questions during the class period.
2. Note taking during class lecture is expected, along with questions
and comments to be presented to the teacher.
3. Note taking during video presentations is required. Questions are to
be asked and answered when video is complete.
Objectives:

1. Students are to be able to make basic assessments about dinosaur

diets, modes of movement, environmental and physical adaptations
based off of fossil remains.
2. Knowledge of the time periods and the order in which they occurred
is expected to be retained.
3. Specific examples of dinosaur species is to be identified to selected
time eras.

Resources,
Materials, and
Key Vocabulary:

1. General charts of bipedal and quadrapedal dinosaurs (anatomical and

skeletal).
2. Basic/Easy dinosaur skeleton models to assemble.
3. Timeline chart of all pre-human eras with illustrated examples of living
animals at the time.
4. Educational books of dinosaurs and the eras in which they lived.
5. Credible documentaries of dinosaur fossils, and what these fossils
reveal about the dinosaurs and their environment.

Differentiation
(Adaptive and/or
Extension
Activities):

1. In addition to in class lecture and notes, visual presentations with

videos and organizational charts will be provided.
2. Reviews each day will be provided in the form of worksheets and
mini quizzes.
3. Hands on assignments will also be given in the form of fossil
models and chart formation assignments to associate time eras,
locomotion, diets, and environments.
4. Reading assignments will also be given as homework, and tracked
by questions to be answered related to the readings.

Preparing Students
for the Lesson:
Transitions
Expected

1. Introduce students to the notion of how life on Earth was very

different from life forms of today.
2. The dominant forms of life were much larger than humans, and
closer resembled reptiles and birds.

Behaviors

Teaching the Lesson

(Lesson Sequence/
Activities):

Motivation/
Anticipatory Set

Pre-Assessment/
Activating
Background
Knowledge

Teacher Input,
Modeling, &
Checking for
Understanding

Guided Practice

Independent
Practice

Closure

Assessment
Formative
and/or
Summative

3. Explain we know about them from the fossilized bones they left
behind.
4. Transition from fossil examination to how they lived and survived.
5. Transition from their physical life to what their environment was.
6. Transition from dinosaur environment to how long ago they and
their environment existed.
7. Students are expected to answer questions presented by teacher
about notions brought up to class about the section being covered.
8. Students are encouraged to ask questions and offer ideas about the
subject matter.
1. Basic introduction to prehistoric animals known as dinosaurs.
2. Pre-Assessment: Ask class what they already know about
dinosaurs.
3. Record and expand on classs pre-existing knowledge.
4. Introduce how we know dinosaurs existed: fossils.
5. Provide fossil models to students. Allow period of time for students
to see how bones fit together and see generally what each looked
like.
6. Define and explain fossils. Describe what traits about dinosaurs and
their environment may be found from the examination of their fossil
remains.
7. Allow time for questions and answers.
8. Move on to the physical life of dinosaurs. Examine how each fossil
example lived based off of what was learned about from their
fossils.
9. Have students think about what the environment was like based off
of structure of fossils.
10. Allow time for questions and answers.
11. Introduce dating methods of finding out how long ago dinosaur
examples lived.
12. Briefly explain carbon dating method. Focus mainly on plant fossil
assessments (including tree ring dating method), and assessment of
evolutionary progression of plant and animal fossil examples.
13. Using timeline charts, explain how each era of time is broken up,
and show where each dinosaur example is designated.
14. Explain how long ago (in years B.C.) each era took place.
15. Allow time for questions and answers.

1. Alternating daily assignments will be given based on the section

covered for the week. In class assignments will alternate between
hands on assignments, and visual presentations the next day.
2. Consistent daily assignments involving reading and written

Must align
with stated
objectives

3.

4.

5.

6.

Notes & Reflections:

1.
2.

3.

homework assignments will be given to be turned in the next day.

For week one: hold end-of-the-week test to assess students grasp of
fossil portion of class. Test knowledge of what a fossil is opposed
to actual bones. Test knowledge of the function of certain parts of
the fossil (legs, fins, teeth, plates, horns, etc.).
For week two: hold end-of-the-week test to assess students grasp of
the physical and environmental life of dinosaur examples. Test
knowledge about what the whole structure of the dinosaur tells
about the environment. Does the fossil show this dinosaur lived on
land or in the water? Could this dinosaur run fast? Was is a meat or
plant eater? And so on.
For week three: hold end-of-the-week test to assess students grasp
of which dinosaurs lived together in which time era. Test
knowledge of what dinosaurs live in which era.
For week four: hold end-of-the-week test to assess students grasp of
when each time era took place. Test chronological order of time
eras.
Take note of each students progress. Determine which form of
learning seemed most successful with the class as a whole.
Make sure to present the following weeks section at a level of
complexity based on the level of success of the general class in the
previous week.
Review what was learned last week before moving on with the
subject matter.