St Mary’s Catholic Primary School Children Learn About Fossils and Dinosaurs
It has been a very busy Autumn term for the dinosaur experts at Everything Dinosaur. There have been so many school visits to fit into their teaching schedules. For example, this week one of our fossil experts was at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School working with Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils.
Dinosaurs and Fossils
Year 2 students (Wharfe class) had been learning about animals that lived in the past and trying to answer the question “Would a dinosaur make a good pet? A dinosaur themed workshop helped the eager, young palaeontologists to see some of the disadvantages of having a Triceratops in the back garden, or taking an Ankylosaurus to school. The children had prepared lots of questions and prior to the visit the teaching team had been exploring eggs and identifying which types of animals are egg layers. All the information was being posted up on the classroom’s topic wall.
A Colourful Topic Wall for Dinosaurs in the Year Two Classroom
Encouraging the use of describing words.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
A Dinosaur Workshop
The dinosaur workshop linked nicely into the science topic for the term. Wharfe class were looking at living and non-living things with a specific emphasis on dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. The children were helping to sort out and classify things in accordance as to whether they are living today, extinct or never alive. The Everything Dinosaur team member set a couple of extension activities for the class, in support of the teaching team. The focus will be on helping the children to devise charts, posters and fact sheets, all part of working scientifically.
To view the huge range of dinosaur themed toys and gifts available: Dinosaur Toys and Dinosaur Gifts.
Learning About Rocks and Fossils
Swale class (Year 3) were learning all about rocks, fossils and soil. This was an opportunity to ask Everything Dinosaur how fossils are formed and what they are made of. The leader of the dinosaur workshop set up an experiment for the children so that they can explore how fossils form. Lots of photo opportunities for the teacher Mrs Hunt! Year 3 had been set the learning challenge of looking at rocks and their properties, with a view to working out what rocks tell us about how the Earth was formed. Everything Dinosaur was able to explain about sedimentary rocks and where fossils can be found and the sort of rocks likely to contain them.
A Table with Lots of Different Types of Rocks
A very full “rock table”. Lots of rocks and fossils to explore!
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Swale class were also set one of our challenges as part of a series of extension activities. We can’t wait to hear about how the children tackled this challenge.