Description
What our Dinos A to Z: Wulong lesson plan includes
Lesson Objectives and Overview: Dinos A to Z: Wulong 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 bird-like dinosaurs. This lesson is for students in 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade.
DINOS A TO Z: WULONG LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES
Wulong
The Dinos A to Z: Wulong lesson plan contains one content page. The country of China is known for its long, rich history. It is one of the world’s oldest cultures. So, it’s not surprising that several dinosaur fossils have been found there. One of the newest finds is also one of the most unusual by dinosaur standards. The Wulong (WOO·long) dinosaur gets its name from the fossil pose of the dinosaur when it was discovered. The name loosely translates to “dancing dragon.” It lived about 120 million years ago. Many scientists think it was an early relative of the Velociraptor. There are several reasons this dinosaur is one of the most unusual and interesting fossils ever found!
Curious Facts
The first is that when we think of dinosaurs, we usually picture them as being large, bulky, and heavy. Wulongs were none of these! They were small—really small—about the size of a modern crow. They only weighed about half a kilogram (1 to 2 pounds). And they were 36 to 46 centimeters (14 to 18 inches) long and about 10 to 15 centimeters (4 to 6 inches) tall. That means half of this dinosaur’s length was in its tail!
Another unusual and striking feature of the Wulong dinosaur was that it was covered with feathers. We don’t usually think of dinosaurs as feathered like birds. Yet this dinosaur was one of the earliest dinosaurs to have feathers, making it of special interest to scientists. Using computer models and other tools, scientists have reconstructed what these special dinos may have looked like from fossil evidence. They believe their feathers were bright and showy. Some describe the colors as being vivid and bold.
As far as its diet goes, the Wulong dinosaur was a carnivore. Its sharp, pointy teeth indicate it was a meat-eater. Other than its size, feathers, and what it ate, little else is known about it. Scientists need more research about this bird-like dinosaur before they can determine what life was really like for this small ancient creature!.
DINOS A TO Z: WULONG LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS
The Dinos A to Z: Wulong 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.
MEASUREMENT ACTIVITY WORKSHEET
For this activity, students will think of something that matches the small height of the Wulong and draw it in the box on the worksheet page.
DINOS A TO Z: WULONG 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.
