Paleontology: Digging for Dinosaurs and More SUMMARY This book explores various aspects of paleontology, focusing on information gathered from fossils and how knowledge and opinions of dinosaurs have changed over time LESSON VOCABULARY erected occasion workshop foundations proportion mold tidied INTRODUCE THE BOOK INTRODUCE THE TITLE AND AUTHOR Discuss with students the title and the author of Paleontology: Digging for Dinosaurs and More Go over the definition of paleontology (See page 3.) Ask students to try to identify what the man on the cover is doing Then ask students what they think the book will be about BUILD BACKGROUND Ask students to share any knowledge of how fossils are formed, excavated, and put together, as well as what can be learned from them Also, encourage students to discuss any knowledge of dinosaurs: when they lived, what they ate, what different kinds there were, etc PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES Have students look through the book before reading After students have looked at the section headings and pictures in the book, ask what kind of information students think they will learn about paleontology Point out that the pictures and captions on pages 4–5 show steps in the process of how an animal becomes a fossil 5.3.3 FACT AND OPINION PREDICT READ THE BOOK SET PURPOSE Have students set purposes for reading Paleontology: Digging for Dinosaurs and More Students’ own interest in dinosaurs should help guide their purpose If prompts are needed, tell students that new information about dinosaurs has been discovered in recent years, causing some people to change the way they think about dinosaurs STRATEGY SUPPORT Discuss that students should always be able to justify their predictions They can use the text or their own knowledge Have students read page and then look at pages and together Have students tell what they think they will learn about how a fossil is formed Then have them tell how they came to that prediction Help students judge whether or not their predictions were logical, based on their knowledge and text information Tell students that as they read, they should not only make predictions about what they will learn next, but they should also be aware of why they are making those predictions COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS PAGE Is the first sentence on this page a statement of fact or a statement of opinion? (opinion) PAGE 12 What are some things a paleontologist needs to study? (chemistry, biology, zoology, geology, math, computer science, languages) PAGES 14–16 How does the section heading and pictures on these pages help you predict what information you might learn? (Answers will vary.) PAGE 15 What caused scientists to think that some dinosaurs may have been warmblooded? (discovery of feathers on a fossil skeleton) 60 Paleontology: Digging for Dinosaurs and More 16911_LRD_TG_060-061 60 1/4/06 9:49:33 AM REVISIT THE BOOK READER RESPONSE Skill Work Possible response: Facts: Sue Hendrickson discovered a well-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex in 1990 Scientists in China found a fossil skeleton of a small dinosaur that they named Sinosauropteryx Sets of fossil footprints were discovered in Colorado and Texas Opinions: Answers will vary Answers will vary, but students should justify predictions Possible response: pottery; statues; cases for radios, electric razors, phones, etc Answers will vary but should reflect understanding of what paleontologists Use the illustrations in the book to help students understand vocabulary concepts For words like occasion and tidied, give a variety of synonyms until the meanings are clear EXTEND UNDERSTANDING TARGET SKILL AND STRATEGY Ask students to think about how the photos and drawings helped them to understand the different sizes of dinosaurs For example, on page 11, students should see that they can compare the size of the dinosaur to the size of human beings RESPONSE OPTIONS WRITING Tell students to pretend they are scientists and have just made one of the discoveries in this book Have them write postcards home telling about their discoveries and how they felt about making them SCIENCE CONNECTION Have students each pick one of the dinosaurs mentioned in the book and more research on it Then have each student use the research information to create a diorama showing a possible scene from that dinosaur’s life TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY Have students use a classroom dictionary to look up all the words and find the ones that have more than one meaning or can be used in more than one way Have students predict which meaning will be used in this book FACT AND OPINION Remind students that a statement of fact can be proved true or false A statement of opinion is someone’s judgment, belief, or way of thinking To practice distinguishing fact from opinion, read pages 14 through 16 together Discuss which statements are fact and which are opinion and note how the opinions changed with new information Tell students to continue to apply this skill as they read PREDICT Remind students that to predict means to tell what you think might happen next in a book, article, or story based on what has already happened and prior knowledge of the subject Discuss that it is important to keep revising or changing predictions, based on new information ADDITIONAL SKILL INSTRUCTION CAUSE AND EFFECT Remind students that cause refers to why something happened, and effect refers to what happened As students read the book, they will not only learn some possible causes for the disappearance of the dinosaurs, but also circumstances that caused scientists to change their opinions on dinosaur sizes, behavior, and environments Paleontology: Digging for Dinosaurs and More 16911_LRD_TG_060-061 61 61 1/18/06 10:56:13 AM Paleontology Name Fact and Opinion • A statement of fact is one that can be proved true or false • A statement of opinion is a statement of someone’s judgment, belief, or way of thinking Directions Read the following passage Some of the sentences are statements of fact, and some are statements of opinion On the lines below, write the sentence or sentences that are statements of facts Then write the sentence or sentences that are statements of opinion M any scientists believe that Tyrannosaurus rex was mainly a hunter However, new information about its sense of smell suggests that it might also have been a scavenger Scavengers are animals that eat dead and decaying things Statements of Fact Statements of Opinion How did you figure out which sentences showed facts and which showed opinions? © Pearson Education Directions Answer the following question 62 16911_LRD_TG_062-063 1/4/06 9:49:52 AM Paleontology Name Vocabulary Directions Choose the word that best completes each sentence Check the Words You Know erected proportion I foundations tidied mold workshop my messy room The scientists made a of the fossil Good buildings have strong A good ice-cream sundae has the right We made the kitchen table in our After we occasion of ice cream to syrup the frame, we were able to attach the dinosaur bones The day I won the pie-eating contest was a very special Directions Write a sentence of your own for each vocabulary word 10 11 © Pearson Education 12 13 14 63 16911_LRD_TG_062-063 1/4/06 9:49:54 AM ... question 62 16911_LRD _TG_ 0 62- 0 63 1/4/06 9:49 : 52 AM Paleontology Name Vocabulary Directions Choose the word that best completes each sentence Check the Words You Know erected proportion I foundations... sentence of your own for each vocabulary word 10 11 © Pearson Education 12 13 14 63 16911_LRD _TG_ 0 62- 0 63 1/4/06 9:49 :54 AM ... behavior, and environments Paleontology: Digging for Dinosaurs and More 16911_LRD _TG_ 060-061 61 61 1/18/06 10 :56 : 13 AM Paleontology Name Fact and Opinion • A statement of fact is one that can be