Introduction: Where the Giants Roamed (10 Minutes)

Hook: The Mighty Stomp

Educator: "Let's pretend we are the biggest, loudest animals ever! Stand up tall! Can you make a giant stomping sound? STOMP, STOMP, ROAR! What giant animal do you think makes a noise like that? Dinosaurs!"

Learning Objectives (Tell Them What We'll Learn)

By the end of this adventure, you will be able to:

• Name three different kinds of dinosaurs.
• Show me how different dinosaurs moved.
• Sort their food into plants or meat!

Body: Dino Discoveries and Practice

Phase 1: I Do - Introducing the Dinosaur Family (10 Minutes)

Content Focus: Identification and basic diet (Plant Eater vs. Meat Eater).

Modeling Activity: Meet the Dinosaurs

Educator Action: Hold up each dinosaur figure/picture card and model the name and a simple action.

1. Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex): "This is T-Rex! He has big teeth and little arms. He is a Meat Eater! (Show teeth and make a big chomp sound.) He walks with big, slow stomps."
2. Triceratops: "This is Triceratops. Tri means three, and look! He has three pointy horns on his face. He is a Plant Eater! (Mime chewing slowly.) He walks low to the ground."
3. Apatosaurus/Brontosaurus (Long Neck): "This dinosaur has a super, super long neck! He eats the leaves right off the tallest trees. He is a Plant Eater, too. (Stretch neck up high.) He walks slowly and gracefully."

Success Criteria: The learner can repeat the name of at least two dinosaurs when prompted.

Phase 2: We Do - Dinosaur Movement Relay (10 Minutes)

Activity Focus: Kinesthetic learning and distinguishing movement.

Guided Practice: Move Like a Dino

Instructions: We will move across the room like the dinosaurs. I will call out the name, and we will move together!

• If I say 'T-Rex': We use our arms like tiny wings and take big, heavy stomps, ROARING loudly!
• If I say 'Triceratops': We put our hands on our head (to show the horns) and walk low, quickly looking side to side.
• If I say 'Long Neck': We stretch our arms and necks up high and take slow, gentle steps.

Formative Assessment: Observe if the learner correctly matches the movement to the dinosaur name.

Phase 3: You Do - The Dino Dig and Food Sort (15 Minutes)

Activity Focus: Independent practice, sensory exploration, and application of diet knowledge.

Independent Practice: What’s For Dinner?

Setup: Hide the 3 dinosaur figures inside the sensory bin (rice/sand). Place the 'Plant' pile (green scraps) and the 'Meat' pile (red/brown pieces) nearby.

1. Digging for Dinos: "Time to be a paleontologist! Dig carefully to find our dinosaur friends hiding in the sand." (Allow time for discovery.)
2. Dinner Time Sort: As each dinosaur is found, help the learner decide what it eats.
   • Educator Prompt: "Oh, we found T-Rex! What does T-Rex eat? Meat or Plants?"
   • Learner Action: The learner places T-Rex next to the correct food pile (Meat).
   • Repeat for Triceratops and Long Neck (Plants).

Success Criteria: The learner successfully places the three dinosaurs next to the correct food source (2 for plants, 1 for meat).

Conclusion: Recap and Closure (5 Minutes)

Tell Them What We Taught

Educator: "Wow, we had a huge adventure! Let's remember our three new friends!"

1. "Can you show me the stomping T-Rex?" (Learner stomps.) "He ate... MEAT!"
2. "Can you show me the Triceratops horns?" (Learner holds hands up.) "He ate... PLANTS!"
3. "Can you stretch your neck up high like the Long Neck?" (Learner stretches.) "He ate... PLANTS!"

Summative Assessment: Exit Ticket Roar

Instruction: Before our dinosaur friends go back to the toy bin, give one mighty roar for the T-Rex, one happy little munch for the Triceratops, and one big 'goodbye' wave for the Long Neck.

Reflection

Educator: "Dinosaurs were big, strong, and amazing, but they are gone now—we call that extinct! But we can still learn all about them!"

Differentiation and Adaptability

Scaffolding (For learners needing extra support):

• Simplify Identification: Only focus on two contrasting dinosaurs (e.g., T-Rex and Long Neck). Use highly contrasting colors for the picture cards.
• Pre-Sorting: Label the 'Plant' and 'Meat' piles with large pictures of a leaf and a chicken leg (or similar) before the sorting activity.

Extension (For advanced or motivated learners):

• Dino Size Comparison: Introduce the concept of Big vs. Small. Sort the toy dinosaurs by size.
• DCounting: Count the horns on the Triceratops (one, two, three).
• Creative Expression: Use playdough to build a simple volcano or create "dinosaur tracks" by pressing the figures into the dough/sand.

Context Adaptations:

• Homeschool: Use the entire house/yard for the movement relay to maximize physical activity.
• Classroom/Group: Divide the class into three "Dino Teams" (T-Rex, Tri, Long Neck) for the movement game.
• Training/Camp: Use large painted footprints (visual aids) to designate the 'stomping path' for each dinosaur type.