Invent-A-Saurus

INVENT-A-SAURUS

GETTING READY An activity in which Prepare the materials listed on the left. INVENTING A DINOSAUR students invent and describe a new dinosaur DOING THE ACTIVITY 1) Hand out the Student Handout - Invent-A-Saurus. Read over the lists of ARIZONA SCIENCE SETTING THE STAGE pefixes and suffixes. Tell students not to STANDARDS: 4SC-R2, 1) Ask the students how they would say worry about the pronunciations. 4SC-R3, 4SC-F3, “Tyrannosaurus rex” in Spanish (the 2) Explain that today they are going to 4SC-F4 same way). Explain that fossils (and be a famous paleontologist and discover dinosaurs) have been found all over the a new dinosaur! They should combine world and scientists who find them speak the words in the columns to make up many different languages. But scientists the name of their new dinosaur that use one common method when they describes its adaptations. For example: OBJECTIVES “Dinosaltusvenator” would mean Students should: name any lifeform, extinct or living. These names are usually taken from the “Terrible Leaping Hunter.” • Invent a dinosaur 3) Have the students fill in the blanks at by combining prefixes Latin or ancient Greek languages, which do not change over time. When a pale- the bottom of the page. You may need and suffixes from to help them individually with this. attached lists. ontologist discovers a new dinosaur, he or she looks for something special about 4) Have the students draw a picture of • Write a descrip- their dinosaur on the back of the hand- tion of their new it, then names the new dinosaur species after that unique feature. out. Include its habitat. dinosaur. 5) Provide time for the students to • Draw a picture of 2) List the following underlined words on the board and explain the meanings of share their dinosaurs with the rest of the their dinosaur in its class. habitat. the parts. Ask students to identify what each dinosaur was named for. • Share their cre- EXTENSIONS ation with the class. • Triceratops (their head ornaments) Tri = three; ceratops = horned face 1) Have students make shoebox diora- mas with their dinosaur in its habitat. • Iguanodon (their teeth) Place them on display in the classroom MATERIALS Iguan = iguana (lizard); odon = tooth or in a school display case. • Student Handout 2) Have students make bag puppets - Invent-A-Saurus, 1 • Deinonychus (their feet) using the templates and directions copy for each student Deino = terrible; onychus = claw included on page 20. • Pencils, erasers, 3) Divide each invented dinosaur name crayons, markers • Maiasuara (their behavior) into its prefixes and suffixes. Explain Maia = good mother; saura = lizard the meanings. • Stegosaurus (their body features) VOCABULARY Stego = roof; saurus = lizard Adaptation • Sonorasaurus (the place where it Habitat was found) Sonora = Sonoran Desert, saurus = lizard

Name ______

You are a famous paleontologist who just discovered a new dinosaur! Now you need to give it a scientific name. Combine the scientific word parts in the columns below to name your new dinosaur. You may use more than one word from each column. Then, write your imaginary dinosaur’s name below, fill in the rest of the blanks and draw its picture on the back of this page.

Beginning Ending (prefix) (suffix) brachio - arm ceratops - horned face bronte - thunder dipus - two-footed di - two gnathus - jaw deino - terrible mimus - imitator gravis - heavy nychus - claw frigo - cold ops - face glyco - sweet odon - teeth makros - long pus - foot megalo - large raptor - theif micro - small rhinos - nose saltus - leaping saurus - lizard stegos - plated venator - hunter teratos - monster tri - three The famous paleontologist, ______, discovered a new dinosaur and named it ______which means______

This is a good name because______

This dinosaur ate ______

It lived near ______

It liked to ______

DRAW A PICTURE OF YOUR DINOSAUR AND ITS HABITAT ON THE BACK OF THIS PAGE.