Mixed Year 5/6 Class Explore a Strange Fossil

Children in Year 5 and Year 6 at Streethouse Primary near Pontefract (Yorkshire, England), have been learning all about rocks, fossils and dinosaurs this term.  All the classes at this school have been named after famous authors, we wonder what Roald Dahl would have thought about the class named after him that have been studying giants, which were not all “big and friendly”.  Some giant prehistoric sharks were so enormous that they could have swallowed Mrs Richardson (Roald Dahl class teacher), in one bite?

Rocks, Fossils and Dinosaurs

The fossil shark teeth resembled “less than” and “greater than” symbols that the children had been using in their maths work.  This provided Everything Dinosaur with an opportunity to send over some pictures of shark teeth so the children could use these fifteen million year old fossils as mathematical symbols.  Could the budding palaeontologists of Roald Dahl class use these mathematical symbols to sort some dinosaurs out, listing them in order of size?

A “Wow Wall” with Lots of Prehistoric Animal Information to Help Inspire Key Stage 2

A dinosaur workshop activity - a "wow wall".

An impressive extension activity after a dinosaur workshop. A dinosaur “wow wall”. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Streethouse Primary

One of the walls of the classroom had been set aside so that a display featuring key facts about dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals could be posted up.  We look forward to seeing some of the children’s work as they complete their dinosaur study books.  A quick glimpse at these books revealed that the teaching team had certainly put together a very creative and challenging scheme of work for the class.

To contact team members at Everything Dinosaur: Contact Everything Dinosaur Team Members.

Over the morning, the dinosaur and fossil themed workshop explored a number of key elements related to the new science curriculum.  There were also a number of “pinkie palaeontologists” challenges posed, for example, could the children write a story about having a pet Triceratops?

Lots of Topic Areas Covered

Topic areas covered during the workshop included food chains, extinction (or not in the case of the Coelacanth), exploring fossil evidence and working scientifically.  Once back in the office there was just time to sort out some additional resources which were then emailed over to the teaching team.

Lots of Photographs of Fossils were on Display

Lots of dinosaur and fossil pictures on display.

Lots of dinosaur and fossil pictures on display. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Streethouse Primary

The visit acted as a provocation exercise for the Year 5/6 pupils, enthusing the children and teachers alike.  The dinosaurs topic will run until the end of the autumn term, the fossil expert from Everything Dinosaur offered to answer any questions that the children emailed to the company, questions that they could not find the answers to after they had carried out their own investigations and independent research.  Looks like Roald Dahl class are going to have a fossil and dinosaur fact filled autumn term.

Visit Everything Dinosaur’s user-friendly website: Everything Dinosaur.