Hanging Heaton Primary Prepares for Dinosaur Term Topic
Pupils and staff at Hanging Heaton CE (VC) Junior and Infant School (near Dewsbury, West Yorkshire), have been busy preparing their classrooms for the start of the special Spring Term topic – dinosaurs. Children in class 1 and class 2, comprising the Reception and Key Stage 1 cohorts at the school, will be learning all about dinosaurs, fossils and prehistoric animals for the rest of this term. To help kick-start the topic, Everything Dinosaur was invited into the school to provide a provocation in the form of a dinosaur workshop to help enthuse the children.
Class 1 (Reception and Year 1) Have Prepared a Palaeontology Lab Display
Picture credit: Hanging Heaton CE (VC) Junior and Infant School/Everything Dinosaur
Tidy and Spacious Classrooms Ready for Dinosaurs
Our dinosaur expert had the opportunity to see the classrooms prior to starting the morning of dinosaur and fossil themed workshops. The classrooms were tidy and spacious and the dedicated teachers, with the support of the learning support assistants had prepared a number of display boards to showcase the children’s work as they study dinosaurs. The children in the mixed class of Reception and Year 1 are going to have a palaeontology laboratory in the corner of their classroom. Perhaps, some of the extension activities we proposed, such as creating a prehistoric animal might end up being put up on the display board.
Class 2 (A Mixed Year 1 and Year 2 Class) Ready for the Dinosaurs Term Topic
Picture Credit: Hanging Heaton CE (VC) Junior and Infant School/Everything Dinosaur
For further information about Everything Dinosaur’s work: Contact Everything Dinosaur.
Questions About Dinosaurs
The children demonstrated some amazing pre-knowledge, confidently talking about the largest dinosaurs and explaining the differences between meat-eaters and plant-eaters. They also asked lots of questions about different types of prehistoric animals. One little boy (George), wanted to know what sort of dinosaurs hunted Styracosaurus. Our dinosaur expert was able to explain that when Styracosaurus (a horned dinosaur), roamed North America in the Late Cretaceous, there were several types of tyrannosaur and other predators that might have considered this very spiky reptile as dinner.
A Drawing of the Horned Dinosaur Styracosaurus (S.albertensis)
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
The picture (above) shows a Styracosaurus illustration. This drawing is based on the CollectA Deluxe Styracosaurus figure.
To view this model range: CollectA Deluxe Prehistoric Life Models.
Additional Resources and Activities
Prior to the two workshops, our dinosaur expert had a short meeting with the teaching lead for the term topic to ensure that learning objectives would be incorporated into the sessions. In addition, the Everything Dinosaur team member was able to provide a number of additional teaching resources to support the school’s scheme of work, including a dinosaur footprint measuring exercise, a motor skills test linked to writing for the Reception children and a dinosaur themed geography exercise to help the Key Stage 1 children learn about the continents.
We look forward to seeing pictures of the classroom display boards filled up with examples of the children’s dinosaur and fossil themed learning.
Visit Everything Dinosaur: Everything Dinosaur.
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