Description
What our Dinos A to Z: Xenoceratops lesson plan includes
Lesson Objectives and Overview: Dinos A to Z: Xenoceratops 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: XENOCERATOPS LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES
Xenoceratops
The Dinos A to Z: Xenoceratops lesson plan contains one content page. It is maybe not the prettiest of the dinosaurs, but the Xenoceratops (ZEE·no·SEHR·ruh·tops) may be one of the most important fossil finds in Canada. It was an important find because it is the oldest horned dinosaur discovered in Canada.
The dinosaur’s name means “alien-horned face.” This is not because it’s from outer space! The Xenoceratops got its name from being a rare dinosaur find in the Foremost Formation, a geologic site in Canada filled with ancient fossils of plants and dinosaurs. Its fossils seemed out of place or alien among the other dinosaur fossils.
Xenoceratops lived about 78 million years ago. They were herbivores, eating plants and grazing on grasses. They weighed roughly two tons (4,000 pounds) and were a little larger than the size of the modern rhinoceros. This dino is thought to have been about 6 meters (19 feet) long and 2 meters (7 feet) tall. It was an average-sized dinosaur when compared with others. In its day, it was probably one of the largest species roaming Canada.
Fun Facts
The dinosaur had a bony frill. A frill is a large, bony plate. When you look at a Xenoceratops, you can see that its frill extends from the back of the dinosaur’s head. Scientists describe a frill as being like a shield around a dinosaur’s neck, protecting it from predators. Xenoceratops had two horns, bony knobs, and spikes protruding from their heads and frills. Their mouths were beak-like, and their teeth were designed to chew the plants that it fed on. They lived among several predators. But those predators probably shied away from attacking a Xenoceratops due to its fierce look, size, and sharp horns.
Scientists have a special interest in the Xenoceratops. It is one of the oldest fossil remains found in North America. Even though they have not discovered as many fossils or fragments of the dinosaur, they can piece together its history. Because it is one of the oldest fossils discovered, scientists can use the Xenoceratops to learn more about the early earth and how dinosaurs lived.
DINOS A TO Z: XENOCERATOPS LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS
The Dinos A to Z: Xenoceratops 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.
CERATOPSIAN COUSINS ACTIVITY WORKSHEET
For this activity, students will first compare the Xenoceratops with its Triceratops cousin. They will write five sentences that describe how the two dinos are similar. Then they will offer their opinion as to whether scientists are right when they state that the Xenoceratops is an early distant relative of the Triceratops. At the bottom of the page, they will then compare the Xenoceratops with a Centrosaurus.
DINOS A TO Z: XENOCERATOPS 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.
