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The Final Dinosaur Inquiry Post

3/6/2015

 
First, I wish to acknowledge and thank Jenn. The Dinosaur Inquiry has been a great success, and all the children have answered their questions with respresentations that felt right for them. In addition, we have all enjoyed and learned from the sharing of their research findings! 
Please note the children's documentation will be placed in their individual binders.  Please enjoy reading at our Celebration of Learning! 
Although this entry marks the conclusion of the individual research on dinosaurs, the students' and teachers' new understandings will likely permeate into all we do at JK for the remainder of this year.
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Question:  Which dinosaurs are related to birds?  Do they look like birds?  Do they fly?

Answer:  Velociraptors had feathers like birds.  The feathers kept them warm, but they could not fly.

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Question:  Points to a photo of a bird and a photo of a Velociraptor and asks, "Same?"

Answer:  They both have feathers and beaks.

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Question:  Do you remember the map I had of jungle animals:  Like that....  I am just wondering where they (dinosaurus) live?

Answer:  I live here now, and T-Rex lived here before.  That's crazy!

Another child asks, "But why is your name and the dinosaurs in the same place?"

She responds, "Well, T-Rex lived here, then went EXTINCT.  Now I live here."

Questions:
Many children in the afternoon class identified an interest in dinosaurs that lived in the water. 
1.  He points to the swimming dinosaur, Plesiosaurus.  When the teacher asks, "Are you interested in this dinosaur?"  He says, "Si, agua."
2.  How do dinosaurs swim?  Which ones swim?
3.  This student mostly answers "train" for any question asked, thus the teacher asked him to show what he knows about dinosaurs and water.
4.  I will learn about a dinosaur that swims like a scuba diver.
 
These students showed their new understanding by acting it out using  toy dinosaurs and fish and a blue scarf to represent the water. The video recordings taken with the iPad were played back on the big screen for their classmates to view.  The photos are posted in the same order (left to right) as the questions listed above (1-4).
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Question:  What does Allosaurus eat?  I know him, but don't know what he eats.  Do you?

Answer:  Allosaurus has sharp teeth and claws.  He hunts with his family.  He stands on his tippy-toes so he's quiet and ready to catch meat. 
This answer was shared with a performance! 

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Question:  I am interested in everything about Stegosaurus.

A drawing of a Stegosaurus was made using the light table.  The key features were labelled:  small brain, plates to keep him cold or hot, and spikey tail.  It was also noted that they live in families and can climb or lift to eat plants.

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Question: Which dinosaur is the biggest? Maybe Pterodactyl? Noo, just kidding! Who is bigger?

Answer: The Diplodocus was the longest dinosaur. Its tail is looking like an instrument, so long is shakes the earth! The legs are so huge!


Question:  Do all dinosaurs stomp?  Maybe, but I am not sure.... (1.)

Other children were not with us when we recorded questions, so instead they reflected on how they were moving like dinosaurs.  The responses correspond with the photos left to right (2,3).
1.  They stomp, fly, snuggle, swim, and sleep!
2.  "We stopped to make a nest to have a rest."
3.  "We are flying dinosaurs.  Like a bird flies!"
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Question:  The bone ones.  I want to learn about the bones of dinosaurs.

Answer:  Dinosaurs lived, then died.  Their bodies were buried with dirt, and rock, and water.  Then just bones.

We answered this question by cutting out a dinosaur fossil puzzle, and putting it together. This is what Paleontologists do when they find dinosaur bones too! "What kind of dinosaur are you putting back together?" "The dead kind."

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Question:  What do all dinosaurs eat?

Answer:  All dinosaurs either ate plants or meat. 
(Mona, do you recognize the tissue paper?)


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    Teachers of the Child Study Centre Junior Kindergarten at the University of Alberta

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