The Name Game – Exploring Dinosaur Names

Download a Word or PDF version of this lesson plan.

Watch Rick demonstrate this lesson.

Indiana Expeditions Show:

Earth Science

Overview:

Students will gain an understanding of how dinosaurs are named.  Using designated card sets for the different parts of dinosaur names, students will construct dinosaur names and then describe and draw or construct a model of their “new” dinosaur.

Background information:

Organisms, including dinosaurs, are named by combining many small pieces of words.  These small pieces of words, called roots or combining forms, most often originated as part of the Greek language or Latin language.  Greek and Latin roots and combining forms are used to name organisms because they are considered to be relatively stable and universal languages.

The roots and combining forms that are put together and used to name dinosaurs are chosen because they describe something about the dinosaur.  Dinosaurs are most commonly named based on one or more of the following criteria:

1.  body parts or guessed behavior of the dinosaur.  For example, the Triceratops is a dinosaur with three (tri) horns (cerat) on its face (ops).

2.  the location where the dinosaur was found.  For example, the Edmontosaurus was found in Edmonton, Canada.

3.  a famous person or the person who discovered the dinosaur fossil.  For example, the Lambeosaurus is named after the paleontologist Lawrence Lambe.

Connections to the Indiana Academic Standards for Science:

3.1.5, 3.2.6, 3.4.5, 4.1.3, 4.2.5, 5.4.8, 5.6.2, 6.1.2, 6.1.3, 6.1.5, 7.1.2,  7.1.4

Science Process Skills:

• Classifying
• Communicating
• Hypothesizing and predicting
• Inferring

Estimated Time Requirement

Two forty-five minute sessions

Materials:

• Dinosaur Word Parts master
• Dinosaur Names Funsheet master
• One pair of scissors per student
• Crayons, colored pencils, or markers
• Picture of a Triceratops (Note: This can be found by doing an internet search for Triceratops.)

Objectives:

Students will be able to

• identify three criteria used for naming dinosaurs
• analyze dinosaur names to tell something about the dinosaur

Procedure:

Preparation prior to the lesson: 

• Make one copy of the dinosaur word parts cards for each group of two students.
• Make one copy of the dinosaur word parts cards for yourself.  Cut apart, and separate the dinosaur word parts cards placing the cards into four stacks, one stack for numbers, one for body parts, one for size, and one for color.

Anticipatory set:

• View the Earth Science Indiana Expeditions segment
• Write the words “cerat”, “ops”, and “tri”, in that order, on the board.  Ask students if any of them have ever seen, heard of, or know what these words mean.  Then rearrange the words and combine them to form “Triceratops”.  Most students will recognize this as the name of a dinosaur.

Lesson sequence:

• Introduce the idea that dinosaur names are put together using roots and combining forms that are in some way descriptive of the dinosaur.
• Show students a picture of a Triceratops and ask them what they think the origin of the dinosaur’s name might be.  Write the meaning of the parts of Triceratops on the board below each part of the word as shown below.

Tri                        cerat                       ops

                                  Three                 horn             face    

• Elicit from the students that this dinosaur is named using words that describe the body of the dinosaur.  Mention that some dinosaurs are named based on their believed behavior.  For example, the Oviraptor (meaning egg thief) was first discovered near a pile of fossilized eggs and thus, was named (erroneously) based on the belief that it was preparing to eat the eggs when it died.
• Explain to students that many times dinosaurs are also named based on where they are found (Edmontosaurus) or they are given names that relate to a person, for example, to honor someone or to give credit to the person who discovered the dinosaur. 
• Show students the four stacks of cards you prepared prior to the lesson.  Explain that the stacks represent criteria used when naming dinosaurs.  Tell the students the criteria: numbers, body parts, size, and color.
• Draw one card from each stack and write the four words, along with their meanings, on the board.
• Ask the students to arrange the words in the order of their choosing to create a dinosaur name and be prepared to explain the appearance of their dinosaur.
• After practicing the activity as a class, tell the students that they will work with a partner and their own set of word cards to create some more dinosaur names. 
• Distribute a copy of the dinosaur word parts cards, two pairs of scissors, and two Dinosaur Names Funsheet handouts to each group of two students.  Instruct the students to cut apart, and separate the dinosaur word parts cards placing the cards into four stacks, one stack for numbers, one for body parts, one for size, and one for color. 
• Once students have completed cutting and sorting the dinosaur word cards, they should design several dinosaur names by randomly drawing one card from each pile, arranging the drawn cards in the order of their choosing and writing the name, along with the meaning, on the Dinosaur Names Funsheet provided.  Students should then return the cards to the appropriate piles and repeat the activity until they have designed a total of four dinosaur names.
• Students should then choose one of their dinosaurs, draw a picture of what they think the dinosaur would look like, and write a brief description about the dinosaur.

Closure

• Have students share their drawings and descriptions with their classmates.

Suggested Student Assessment:

Objective #1:

            Give students the following groups of dinosaur names and ask them to identify

            the criteria used to name each group.

Objective #2:

Provide students with the names of dinosaurs that are named based on physical

characteristics and ask them to decode the name by breaking it into its parts and

identifying what each part means.

Extending the Lesson:

• Provide the students with several blank word parts cards.  Instruct the students to look up some other word parts that are used to name dinosaurs and fill in their blank cards.  Collect the cards form the class, sort them into piles, and create new names and accompanying pictures and descriptions.
• Provide the students with the names of several real dinosaurs and, using their cards and other references, ask the students to decode the names and describe what they think the dinosaurs will look like.

Source of Lesson:

Rick Crosslin

Educator – M.S.D. Wayne Township

School Liaison for Science Learning – The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis 

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Dinosphere Unit of Study

http://www.childrensmuseum.org/themuseum/dinosphere/unitsofstudy/3-5/index.html

Deb Sachs,
Director, Office of Professional Development
School of Education
University of Indianapolis

Dinosaur Word Cards

Dinosaur Names Funsheet

Name_________________________________________________

Card results for dinosaur #1:

Greek or Latin

Word      ___________   ____________    __________   __________   

      number card   body parts card              size card                 color card

Word

Meaning __________   ____________   __________    ___________

My arrangement into a dinosaur name:

What my dinosaur name means:

_______________________________________________________

Card results for dinosaur #2:

Greek or Latin

Word      ___________   ____________    __________   __________   

      number card   body parts card              size card                 color card

Word

Meaning __________   ____________   __________    ___________

My arrangement into a dinosaur name:

What my dinosaur name means:

_______________________________________________________

Card results for dinosaur #3:

Greek or Latin

Word      ___________   ____________    __________   __________   

      number card   body parts card              size card                 color card

Word

Meaning __________   ____________   __________    ___________

My arrangement into a dinosaur name:

What my dinosaur name means:

_______________________________________________________

Card results for dinosaur #4:

Greek or Latin

Word      ___________   ____________    __________   __________   

      number card   body parts card              size card                 color card

Word

Meaning __________   ____________   __________    ___________

My arrangement into a dinosaur name:

What my dinosaur name means:

_______________________________________________________

Choose one of the dinosaurs you have created and on a separate sheet of paper, draw a picture of the dinosaur and include a brief written description of the dinosaur.  Be sure to include the dinosaur name with your drawing and description.

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