Description
What our Dinos A to Z: Diplodocus lesson plan includes
Lesson Objectives and Overview: Dinos A to Z: Diplodocus is a high-interest reading comprehension lesson plan. As such, students will practice various close reading and comprehension skills. In addition, they will learn some basic information about these interesting prehistoric animals. This lesson is for students in 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade.
DINOS A TO Z: DIPLODOCUS LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES
Diplodocus
The Dinos A to Z: Diplodocus lesson plan contains one content page. The Diplodocus (DIP·luh·DOCK·kiss) is one of the most unusual of all the dinosaurs. It was built like a Brontosaurus but was thinner and had a long whip-like tail. Its extraordinarily long neck helped it reach the leaves and twigs in the tall canopy of trees. However, scientists wonder how the dinosaur could have supported its neck. The tail of a Diplodocus was long, and some scientists believe the dinosaur may have had bony spines on its back.
How big was the Diplodocus? Compared with a Brontosaurus, a Diplodocus was more than twice as long (maybe up to 175 feet). Based on the fossil bone record, it was longer than a brontosaurus but also lighter. Like the Brontosaurus, the Diplodocus was an herbivore, dining on leaves and twigs high in the tops of trees.
Interesting Facts
The name of the dinosaur is interesting. Diplodocus means “double beam.” Many other dinosaurs have straight, bony tails. Diplodocus tails look like two beams with a V-shape space between them. Lots of scientists believe the dinosaur’s long tail could be whipped around to defend against predators.
As you might expect, it probably did not move around much. Enormous dinosaurs were not designed to be fast. These dinos preferred to remain near large groves of trees where they could easily feed. Predators probably preferred smaller dinosaurs for meals and those that didn’t have a tail that could whip around. Even though it moved slowly, unless a Diplodocus was sick or injured, predators feared its enormous size.
Considering the significant number of fossils of the Diplodocus that have been found, it must have been one of the most prolific dinosaurs in the Americas. Scientists believe that herds of these enormous creatures roamed the lower Great Plains area and the Southwest. The dinosaur lived about 150 million years ago.
DINOS A TO Z: DIPLODOCUS LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS
The Dinos A to Z: Diplodocus lesson plan includes two worksheets: an activity worksheet and a practice worksheet. Each one will help students solidify their grasp of the material they learned throughout the lesson.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST ACTIVITY WORKSHEET
For this activity, students will compare the diplodocus to the brontosaurus that share a common feature with the dinosaur. These animals are rhinos, armadillos, and porcupines.
REVIEW PRACTICE WORKSHEET
The practice worksheet requires students to answer a series of 5 questions. These questions all relate to the content pages, so students will need to refer to them for the answers.
