Dinosaurs Developing Communication and Language Skills

As part of a term topic on dinosaurs, teaching professionals can use this subject area to encourage children with their reading, writing and speaking.  Whilst conducting their dinosaur themed workshops in school, Everything Dinosaur’s team members are happy to discuss extension ideas and activities.   As many children are excited by dinosaurs and as these prehistoric animals are rarely out of the media these days a teaching topic all about life in the past can really motivate and enthuse schoolchildren (and their teachers).

Language and Communication Skills

Classroom Displays Demonstrating Use of Adjectives

Lots of examples of transcription and composition.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Eight Simple Ideas to Help Develop Communication Skills and Language

Everything Dinosaur team members have compiled a set of simple exercises that can be incorporated into the classroom to help children develop appropriate communication, listening and language skills.  These exercises can be used as extensions with Foundation Stage 2 up to Lower Key Stage 2, with perhaps modified forms being applied to Year 4 classes and beyond.

1. Story writing – encourage creative composition by having the children imagine that they could go back in time to visit some dinosaurs.  Can they write a story about their adventure?
2. Spilt the class into small groups and have them prepare their own term topic newspaper that summarises the learning.  Photographs from the Everything Dinosaur workshop can be incorporated along with drawings, illustrations and lots of examples of class writing.
3. A variation on the above is to have the class write a dinosaur themed comic strip. What stories can they come up?
4. Dinosaur inspired poems – another simple idea is to challenge the class to come up with a dinosaur or prehistoric animal poem. This is a great way to develop vocabulary and more confident learners could present their work in front of the class.

Children Compose Poems/Write Sentences  Inspired by Dinosaurs

“Three horned Face” has a poem written about it.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Dinosaur Inspired Poems

Dinosaur inspired Poems – a really easy to implement idea that can spark imaginations and provide the classroom with a colourful dinosaur themed wall display.

1. Write an autobiography on Mary Anning, Sir Richard Owen or another famous scientist involved with dinosaur research.  This encourages independent learning.
2. Explanation texts, either themed around a single dinosaur species or perhaps writing an explanation as to how the dinosaurs became extinct (exploring ideas, scientific working).
3. Play scripts – an opportunity for creative writing and composition. Can the class work together to produce a small play about dinosaurs and prehistoric animals?
4. Reporting on the topic for a school assembly.  This activity can help bring the dinosaur term topic to a close and to help reinforce learning.

To see the range of educational toys available at Everything Dinosaur: Dinosaur Toys and Gifts.

In total we have provided eight simple ideas that can help the classroom to focus on developing communication and language skills.  Everything Dinosaur team members are happy to help further by providing free downloads of teaching resources and lesson plans as well as emailing drawing materials and fact sheets to assist teachers and home educators.

For further information including dinosaur workshops in schools: Contact Everything Dinosaur.

Blackpool Celebrating Science Conference Welcomes Everything Dinosaur

A busy day for Everything Dinosaur team members as they attended the Blackpool Science Conference (BCSC 2015), at Unity Academy.  Team members had prepared a series of dinosaur and fossil themed workshops to conduct with Year 4 and Year 5 children.  In addition, a member of the Everything Dinosaur staff had agreed to run a stand in the main conference hall and conduct a fossil hunting activity, in which the eager young scientists could hunt for fossils on an artificial beach.

For dinosaur models and replicas: Dinosaur Models and Prehistoric Animal Replicas.

Early in the morning, Everything Dinosaur Team Members Prepare the Stand

Getting the stand and fossil hunting activity for the conference.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Blackpool Science Conference

The workshops involved lifting the lid on the new movie “Jurassic World” and explaining all about some new research into dinosaur soft tissue.  The children handled real dinosaur fossil bones and got to grips with measuring and weighing different fossils as well as learning about what their own bones were made of.  Some teachers even got to break a few bones – but all in the interests of science of course.  Our thanks to Unity Academy for being such amazing hosts and to Jane Walpole and Cheryl Langley for organising the Blackpool Celebrating Science Conference.

To view the dinosaur themed learning materials including replicas of iconic animals from the fossil record: Dinosaur Games and Crafts.

Everything Dinosaur’s work did seem to go down very well, with teachers and children alike.  We got five stars out of five in our workshop feedback.

An Example of the Teacher Feedback Received by Everything Dinosaur after a Dinosaur Themed Workshop

5 stars for Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

To read additional testimonials from customers: Customer Testimonials.

Sue Judd from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“It was fun helping the children to find fossils and to identify their discoveries for them, we were kept extremely busy.  I included some information about Mary Anning on the Everything Dinosaur stand, so that Year 4 and Year 5 children could learn all about Mary and her contribution to the science of palaeontology.”

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s website: Everything Dinosaur.

An Afternoon of “Dinosaur Detectives” with Year 1

Children in Year 1 at St Joseph’s RC Primary in Manchester had a busy Wednesday afternoon as they had a visit from Everything Dinosaur to conduct a dinosaur themed workshop at their school.  This is the first time that Year 1 have studied prehistoric animals as a term topic, but after Everything Dinosaur’s work with Reception earlier in the year, the company was invited back by the Senior Leadership Team to help enthuse and inspire the budding young palaeontologists in class one.

One of the aims of the afternoon of activities was to help the children with their writing and to encourage them to use adjectives.  In the morning, prior to our visit, the children had been busy labelling drawings of Triceratops and the fearsome T. rex.  There were some fine examples of transcription and composition on display.

A Colourful Dinosaur Display

A colourful dinosaur themed display.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Dinosaurs Help to Encourage Children with Adjectives

Children gain confidence using adjectives.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Following our visit, we discussed lots of extension ideas and activities with the teacher.  We then email over additional, supporting resources to assist the teaching team with this topic.

To contact Everything Dinosaur requesting more information about our wide product range: Get in Touch with Everything Dinosaur.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur stated that the team members had enjoyed working with the children and that they had been surprised about their knowledge about dinosaurs and prehistoric animals.

The spokesperson added:

“It was fun working with all the enthusiastic children and answering the questions. Some children even brought in models of dinosaurs to show us.”

To view the range of dinosaur models available from Everything Dinosaur: Dinosaur Models.

Abbey Hey Primary Academy Children Study Dinosaurs

Children in Year 1 at Abbey Hey Primary Academy have been learning all about prehistoric animals and fossils as part of an exciting summer term topic with a dinosaur theme.  The three classes had a visit from one of Everything Dinosaur’s experts this week and a series of dinosaur themed workshops were conducted.

The teachers had created an interesting and varied scheme of work and our dinosaur workshop helped to reinforce learning and check understanding, as well as providing the teaching team with the opportunity to pick the brains of a dinosaur expert so that some new ideas can be incorporated into the term topic.

Dinosaur Habitats

Abbey Hey Children Have Been Learning About Habitats

Lots of tactile handling of different materials. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Tyrannosaurus rex and Stegosaurus

The children had focused on two dinosaurs, the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex and the Jurassic herbivore Stegosaurus.  They were keen to share their newly acquired knowledge.  Lots of pictures of our dinosaur workshops were posted up on the school’s website, a spokesperson for the school stated:

Everything Dinosaur stocks a wide variety of Stegosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex models and figures. To see the range of dinosaur and prehistoric animal replicas in stock: Dinosaur Models and Prehistoric Animal Figures.

“Today, Year 1 had a visit from Everything Dinosaur.  They were shown dinosaur fossils dating back over 150 million years.  The children thoroughly enjoyed the day and they learnt so much more about dinosaurs.”

For further information about Everything Dinosaur’s work in schools or to contact us for a quotation: Contact Everything Dinosaur.

Fossil Discovery Shows Dinosaurs can Still Surprise

A team of palaeontologists from Manchester University in collaboration with an independent researcher have published a scientific paper in an on line academic journal describing a tail bone from a dinosaur found in Yorkshire.  Yorkshire may be a county synonymous with puddings, tea and cricket but the North Yorkshire coast is very important to palaeontologists and geologists.  The strata exposed at Whitby and Ravenscar for example, dates from the Middle Jurassic, it is roughly the same geological age as the famous rock formations to be found on England’s “Jurassic Coast” around the Lyme Regis area.

The fossil bone had eroded out of a cliff close to the Abbey at Whitby, it represents a tail bone (caudal vertebrae) from a long-necked dinosaur, a group of dinosaurs called sauropods.  Diplodocus, Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus are typical examples of this plant-eating dinosaur suborder.

A Close-up View of the Yorkshire Sauropod Fossil Material

The specimen is currently housed at the Yorkshire Museum (York).

Picture credit: PLOS One with additional annotation from Everything Dinosaur

Primitive Sauropod Fossil

The shape of the bone, such as the distinct keel (arrowed) seen on the bottom of the vertebra, has allowed scientists to state that this fossil very probably represents a new species of British dinosaur.  Plant rootlet fossils and remains of freshwater molluscs discovered in the surrounding matrix enabled the research team to locate the horizon within the rock formation where the fossil probably came from.  The fossil is around 176 million years old, making this specimen Britain’s oldest known Sauropod fossil.

An Illustration of the New Sauropod Dinosaur

An illustration of a typical sauropod from the Middle Jurassic (Cetiosaurus).

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

During the Middle Jurassic, this part of northern England was part of an extensive coastal plain.  This low-lying area was marshy and crossed by large rivers.  The sandstone strata has preserved few fossilised bones and teeth of dinosaurs but a number of fossilised dinosaur footprints have been preserved.  Yorkshire was once the UK’s “Jurassic World” and this fossil, believed to be around 176 million years old represents the oldest long-necked dinosaur fossil described to date from Britain.

To read Everything Dinosaur’s earlier blog about this fossil discovery: Britain’s Oldest Sauropod.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“This scientific paper only goes to show that palaeontologists are learning new things all the time about dinosaurs, even ones that once roamed around Britain.”

Papo have introduced various models of sauropods.  To view the Papo range of prehistoric animal models: Papo Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animal Models.

Mary Anning – Fossil Hunting Pioneer

Today, May 21st, we remember Mary Anning, the Englishwoman who did much to assist in the development of the science of palaeontology in the 19th century.  Mary Anning was born on this day in 1799.  Sadly, during her lifetime, her exploits and contribution to our understanding about fossils and prehistoric life were not recognised to as large an extent as they should have been.  If Mary was alive today, she would find the academic world much more accessible than it was back in Georgian and early Victorian times.

Remembering Mary Anning

Mary helped put the small, Dorset town of Lyme Regis on the scientific map.  The fossils she found and her work in studying the many specimens excavated from the the Lower Jurassic marine shales did much to shape the nascent sciences of geology and palaeontology.  Although Mary became well known as an expert in fossils and fossil hunting, she did not receive full credit for her work.  In those less enlightened days, the concept of women in science was frowned upon by many academic institutions.

Mary is credited with the discovery of the first plesiosaur fossils (1821) and the first pterosaur from the British Isles (1828).  The responsibility for studying and describing this pterosaur specimen went to the Reverend William Buckland (1829), although the fossil was well-preserved, it was missing the skull and as a result , the Reverend Buckland mistakenly identified the creature as belonging to an already described flying reptile genus known from Germany (Pterodactylus).

Remembering Mary Anning – A Pioneer in Fossil Hunting

Helping to promote science for girls by dressing up as Mary Anning.  Team members at Everything Dinosaur help support funding to commemorate the contribution to science made by Mary Anning.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Pterosaur Fossil

In fact, the fossil represented an entirely new genus of long-tailed pterosaur.  Sir Richard Owen re-examined the original fossil evidence along with a number of other fossil finds and in 1858, over a decade after Mary had sadly passed away, he established the new genus Dimorphodon.  Look out for this toothy pterosaur terrorising visitors to the Isla Nuablar theme park in the forthcoming movie “Jurassic World”.

Everything Dinosaur stocks a wide range of models of iconic fossil animals that represent specimens that Mary Anning would have been familiar with: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Figures.

Mary died in 1847, she is buried at St Michael’s church (Lyme Regis), each time team members at Everything Dinosaur visit the Jurassic coast we pop along and pay our respects to her.

The grave of Mary and Joseph Anning at Lyme Regis.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

When visiting primary schools to talk about fossils and rocks we tell the story of Mary Anning and show the children typical fossils that Mary would have found as she searched the beaches and cliffs along that part of the Dorset coast.

Recently, a new species of ichthyosaur was named in honour of Mary Anning: New Ichthyosaur Species Honours Mary Anning.

Singapore Ranks First, UK Ranks Twentieth

In the most extensive research into global education practices, Asian countries have come out on top in a poll based on maths and science skills amongst fifteen year-old students.  The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), set out to test the link between a country’s education system and the gross domestic product (GDP) of that country.  The better educated the workforce the greater propensity for that country’s economy to grow and for wealth to be created.

Students in Seventy-Six Countries were Tested

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School (Year 2) dinosaur display.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

For educational products, visit Everything Dinosaur’s website: Everything Dinosaur.

The top five places in the rankings were all taken by Asian countries.  Singapore, a country with an extremely well-respected education system was ranked first, second was Hong Kong, then South Korea, Taiwan and Japan.

The lowest ranked countries in this OECD survey were, unsurprisingly, some of the poorest and least developed countries, although South Africa was rated very low and propping up the table, coming last of all was Ghana.

The survey compiled by Eric Hanushek (Stanford University) and Ludger Woessmann (Munich University), was commissioned by the OECD in preparation for a global education conference due to take place in South Korea next week.

The United Nations is going to set a target for raising global education standards by 2030.  The country rankings are based on an amalgamation of international assessments, including the OECD’s Pisa tests, the TIMSS tests run by United States-based academics and TERCE tests from the Latin America countries.  In this survey, both developed and developing countries have been assessed against the same criteria, this allows for accurate comparisons irrespective of a country’s economic status.

Science and Maths Tests

One notable absentee from the OECD report is China but with a third of the world’s countries surveyed the study reaffirms the long held belief that Asian countries such as South Korea and Singapore have excellent education systems, especially when it comes to maths and the science disciplines.

Andreas Schleicher (Education Director of the OECD) stated:

“This is the first time we have a truly global scale of the quality of education.  The idea is to give more countries, rich and poor, access to comparing themselves against the world’s education leaders, to discover their relative strengths and weaknesses, and to see what the long-term economic gains from improved quality in schooling could be for them.”

Whilst it may not be possible to mine the data to extract any variations between England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, which between them do have different national curricula, this study provides a useful benchmark.  The UK results do show that approximately 20% of UK school leavers have only basic maths skills and only a limited knowledge of science.  Academics propose that if basic education levels could be improved in the United Kingdom then this would result in a much more skilled and capable workforce leading to a increase in the GDP and everyone’s economic welfare.

For information on how Everything Dinosaur helps schools and home educators: Email Everything Dinosaur.

Dinosaurs Inspire Creative Writing with Year 2 – Thank You Letters

Children in classes 2P and 2T (Key Stage 1), at Great Wood Primary School (Morecambe), really enjoyed their dinosaur workshops with Everything Dinosaur, we were sent some super thank you letters.  Even the interruption caused by the fire alarm going off did not spoil the day.  Year 2 pupils have been learning all about dinosaurs and prehistoric animals as part of a term topic called the “Jurassic Forest”.  Everything Dinosaur was invited into the school to conduct a workshop to help inspire and motivate the budding young palaeontologists.

Dinosaurs Inspire Creative Writing

One of the teaching aims was to act as a provocation to help enthuse the children (and teachers), as they began this topic.  The dinosaur expert who visited the school suggested a number of extension activities including writing thank you letters to Everything Dinosaur after the workshops had been concluded.

A Super Set of Thank You Letters Sent in from Year Two

Letters and drawings sent in by children at Great Wood Primary.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Everything Dinosaur

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“We try to cater for the learning objectives required by the teaching team and build them into our dinosaur and fossil workshops.  For example, one of the aims of this workshop was to help inspire the children with composition writing.  All the wonderful letters we received provides evidence as to how successful this was.”

To enquire about Everything Dinosaur’s award-winning range of toys and gifts: Contact Everything Dinosaur.

Dinosaur Workshop Inspires Year 2 with their Creative Writing

Super examples of letter writing from the children.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The very tactile and practical dinosaur workshop appealed to visual/spatial learners and certainly inspired the children with their writing.  We received lots of letters, some of the children even sent in two pieces of writing!

To view the range of educational, prehistoric animal themed toys and games available from Everything Dinosaur: Dinosaur Toys and Games.