Description
What our Dinos A to Z: Nedoceratops lesson plan includes
Lesson Objectives and Overview: Dinos A to Z: Nedoceratops 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 this unusual dino. This lesson is for students in 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade.
DINOS A TO Z: NEDOCERATOPS LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES
Nedoceratops
The Dinos A to Z: Nedoceratops lesson plan contains one content page. The Nedoceratops (NEE·doh·CARE·uh·TOPS) may be one of the most confusing dinosaurs for scientists. At first, scientists named it Diceratops. It lived around the same time as Triceratops and was part of the same family. The prefix di- means two, and the root word -ceratops means horned-faced.
The horns created the confusing mystery of this dinosaur. When its fossil remains were discovered, some paleontologists thought it belonged to a deformed Triceratops! Others argued that was wrong. The Diceratops had to be a separate species of two-horned dinosaurs rather than a deformed Triceratops.
Interesting Features
So, scientists agree that Diceratops (aka Nedoceratops) and Triceratops were relatives. But they debate whether Nedoceratops was a separate genus or just a special Triceratops! Some even speculate there once was a Monoceratops—a dinosaur with one horn that came before the others. No such dinosaur has ever been found, but scientists sometimes hypothesize when there is little evidence to go on.
Horns aside, what we can agree on about the Nedoceratops is that it was an herbivore. It lived about 67 million years ago. The dinosaur weighed two to three tons (4,000 to 6,000 pounds). It may have grown as long as 23 feet, but many scientists think it may have been shorter. The fossil remains were discovered in Wyoming in 1891, and the dino was renamed Nedoceratops in 2007. Though it was a grazing herbivore, it’s easy to think that a predator probably didn’t want to tangle with a Nedoceratops and its horns and muscular, stout body!
When studying things that happened millions of years ago, there often is not much evidence for scientists to use. When that happens, scientists compare different species they have more information about. Then, they respectfully debate their side of the issue. Sometimes, they don’t come to the same conclusion. That’s okay! When more information is available, they eventually reach a consensus or the majority opinion.
DINOS A TO Z: NEDOCERATOPS LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS
The Dinos A to Z: Nedoceratops 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.
CLASSROOM ISLAND ACTIVITY WORKSHEET
For this activity, students will work together to design a shared island. They will have to make group decisions about what it should have, such as food, rules, pets, shelter, and so on. They must follow the steps on the worksheet page to complete the assignment. There are reflection questions at the bottom for the class to discuss afterward.
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.
