#4524. Writing about Dinosaurs

Reading/Writing, level: Kindergarten
Posted Sat Feb 26 09:44:17 PST 2011 by cloe70 (cloe70).

I'm doing dinosaurs right now. I have two favs.

1. I read Dinosaur Dream and then we write about what our dinosaur dream would be. Can't remember the author, though.
By this time of the year the kids are really write. I have a blackline with a picture of a child sleeping in a bed that a big bubble above his head. That is where the kids draw their dream. Then they write below. Most kids are writing 3 sentences at this time.

2. I spend 3 weeks on dinosaurs. During the last week I pair the kids up and they draw a dinosaur scene together. We have had lots of practice drawing dinosaurs along the way and we have studied what the environment looks like. The paper size is 36/24 inches (at least). I display these in the hall. I usually plan on an hour for this activity. They must outline their dinosaurs and any other major things in their paper
with a black crayon.

You would be amazed at how much better their work looks when you have them outline their drawings. The kids always use a pencil to draw and then they outline when they are finished coloring. I love listening to how they divide up the jobs and who draws what, who colors what, etc.

A real study in cooperation!

I save these and then we do the same thing with our ocean study. I pair up the same kids and then one will take home the dinosaur scene and the other takes the ocean scene home.

This is one of my favorite themes.