Description
What our Dinos A to Z: Mosasaur lesson plan includes
Lesson Objectives and Overview: Dinos A to Z: Mosasaur 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: MOSASAUR LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES
Mosasaur
The Dinos A to Z: Mosasaur lesson plan contains one content page. Possibly one of the most unusual creatures to live during the heyday of dinosaurs was the Mosasaur
(MOH·suh·SOAR). Between 65 and 75 million years ago, these giant reptiles swam through ancient oceans. In fact, the middle of America was once covered by a great ocean known as the Great Western Interior Seaway. Long after they disappeared, people began finding their fossil bones in places like Kansas and South Dakota, which used to be covered by this ancient ocean!
Although it lived during the dinosaur period, scientists don’t consider Mosasaurs to be dinosaurs. They belong to a family of aquatic reptiles that adapted to life in the water. Mosasaurs were large. Many were as long as 15 meters (50 feet). They may have weighed as much as 15 tons (30,000 pounds), about the size of the modern humpback whale.
Mosasaurs had enormous mouths. Their teeth were like monitor lizards, which scientists often compare them to. They weren’t picky eaters! Mosasaurs were predators, and their diet mainly consisted of anything they could find. Scientists have found fossil remains of their stomachs containing fish, sharks, birds, and dinosaurs. Some of the fossils of young Mosasaurs even have teeth marks from other Mosasaurs, indicating they often fought and ate each other.
Interesting Features
These aquatic creatures had long, snake-like bodies. Their bodies were covered in scales that scientists describe as similar to a rattlesnake. Mosasaurs had more than a hundred vertebrae in their backbones. The flexible tail was nearly half the animal’s length and was used to propel it through the water. They used flippers that resembled paddles. Mostly a water creature, Mosasaurs probably spent most of their lives in shallow waters to avoid larger predators and to rest or give birth to young mosasaurs.
Scientists are especially interested in the Mosasaur because its fossil remains help us understand how the Earth has changed over thousands of years. These bones tell the story of an ancient sea, a powerful predator, and a world that looked very different from today.
DINOS A TO Z: MOSASAUR LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS
The Dinos A to Z: Mosasaur 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.
MOSASAUR FOSSIL MODEL ACTIVITY WORKSHEET
For this activity, students will get to create fossil models of a mosasaur using the supplies you provide. They can follow the directions on the page as a guide.
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.
