Dinosaur Workshops for the Cornerstones Curriculum

The start of the second part of the autumn term and Everything Dinosaur team members are in the process of delivering a number of dinosaur and fossil themed workshops to support various term topics within schools.  Several schools have approached the teaching team at Everything Dinosaur and requested a provocation, a dinosaur workshop to kick-start a topic area, one that will enthuse the pupils (and teachers too).

Everything Dinosaur and Dinosaur Workshops

Some of these schools are following the Cornerstones curriculum, a cross curricular approach to learning that encompasses four interlocking phases.

Delivering a Provocation to Inspire Young Learners

Helping to promote learning in schools.

Helping to promote science for girls by dressing up as Mary Anning.  Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Cornerstones Curriculum

Cornerstones has four main areas of learning:

  1. Engage
  2. Develop
  3. Innovate
  4. Express

Pupils have the opportunity to develop and improve skills learnt during each of these interlocked and related stages.  The aim is to help each child reach their full potential.  When it comes to a dinosaur themed learning topic, our team members are often amazed at the level of pre-knowledge that is demonstrated.  For instance, during one of our recent dinosaur workshops in school, working with a Year 1 class, the children were eager to show us their underwater scenes that featured a variety of marine reptiles and a coelacanth!

The Engage Element of the Cornerstones Curriculum

In the “Engage” section of the Cornerstones curriculum, pupils are given the chance to start their topic with a memorable, exciting and stimulating first-hand learning experience.  Everything Dinosaur team members call their provocation workshops “wow experiences”, after all, a great way to start a topic all about dinosaurs and life in the past is to handle real fossils.

Fossil Handling as Part of a Dinosaur Themed Workshop Helping to Kick-Start a Term Topic

dinosaur coprolite

“Shiny side up” the joys of “dino dung”.  The joys of fossil handling.  Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

For further information about Everything Dinosaur’s science outreach work: Email Everything Dinosaur Team Members.

Dinosaur Workshops

It is important to kick-off the topic with a thought provoking and exciting learning experience.  This will help to enthuse and motivate the children, it will also help to enthuse the teaching team and with the extra resources we provide, there is plenty of scope to build in extension activities after one of our dinosaur and fossil workshops.

The dedicated teaching team at Everything Dinosaur will be undertaking a number of these provocations over the next two weeks as many schools start a new dinosaur and fossil themed topic area in the second half of the autumn term.  We wish all teachers, teaching assistants and home educationalists a rewarding and successful teaching term.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s website: Everything Dinosaur.