Dinosaur Investigations

Overview

Today students will read short informational text about dinosaurs and learn how the information connects across several steps in a process (for example, how scientists study fossils). They will then record a key connection in a simple written statement.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• Read an informational text about dinosaurs with teacher support.
• Describe how ideas or events connect from one part of the text to the next.
• Identify facts about dinosaurs (where they lived, what they ate, or how scientists know).
• Write an informative sentence that includes a fact and a concluding thought.

Success criteria

• I can tell one fact from the dinosaur text.
• I can explain how one part of the text connects to the next part.
• I can use a sentence frame to write an informative statement about dinosaurs.
• I can answer a question about the sequence/connection in the text.

Curriculum links

• Reading Informational Text — CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.10 (comprehend informational text in the grade band with scaffolding).
• Reading Informational Text — CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.3 (describe connections between steps/events/ideas in a text).
• Writing — CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.7 (participate in a shared research and writing task).
• Writing — CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.2 (write an informative/explanatory text with facts/definitions and a conclusion).

Lesson structure (1 minutes)

1. 0–8 min · Engage with a prompt. Teacher shows 2–3 dinosaur pictures and a short “Did you know?” sentence; students turn-and-talk: “What do you already know, and what do you want to learn?”
2. 8–18 min · Shared reading (scaffold). Teacher reads a short informational passage about dinosaurs aloud, stopping to point to key words (fossil, habitat, teeth, scientist); students follow along and underline one fact they hear.
3. 18–28 min · Connection focus. Teacher rereads the passage in chunks (Step 1, Step 2, Step 3) and models language for connections (“First…, then…, so…”); students complete a 3-box “Text Connections” chart for the order of ideas.
4. 28–42 min · Guided evidence check. Teacher asks 2–3 text-based questions (example: “What does the text say scientists use to learn about dinosaurs?” “How does that connect to what dinosaurs are like?”); students point to the sentence/paragraph that supports the answer.
5. 42–54 min · Shared writing (informative sentence). Teacher and students co-write one informative paragraph on the board using a sentence starter: “The text says ___. This means ___.” Students copy and add one extra fact using their underlined detail.
6. 54–60 min · Exit ticket. Students respond to one prompt on a half-sheet: “Write one fact and tell how it connects to another part of the text.” Teacher collects for quick review.

Resources

• Short dinosaur informational text (1 page, grade-appropriate)
• 3-box “Text Connections” chart handout (First / Then / So)
• Underlining highlighters or pencils
• Dinosaur picture cards
• Sentence starters on a board or chart paper
• Student copy sheet for shared writing
• Exit ticket half-sheet

Assessment

• During guided questions, teacher listens for students connecting ideas using text evidence.
• Checks for understanding from the 3-box “Text Connections” chart (order and connection).
• Exit ticket: students include one fact and describe a connection to another part of the text.

Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence frames (“The text says…”, “Next…”, “This connects because…”), and allow students to circle a relevant sentence before answering.
• Support: For students needing more help, teacher uses a “read and point” strategy and reduces the chart to two connections instead of three.
• Extension: Challenge students to add a second connection (“The text also says… which helps us understand…”).
• EAL/SEN: Offer visuals (fossil image, habitat image) and pre-teach 3–5 essential words with gestures; accept oral responses that students later transcribe with assistance.