Empathize
Students will launch the dinosaur project by exploring real-world artifacts and community voices, then build early understanding of Colorado dinosaur evidence, audience needs, and museum communication. They will observe, talk, draw, listen, and revise simple artifacts so they can begin designing a class museum experience for families and visitors.
Days 1 - 4
🦴 Dino Discovery Day
Launch 45m
🗺️ Colorado Fossil Places Talk
Knowledge/Skill Building 40m
👀 Visitor Needs Picture Sort
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
✏️ My Dino Skeleton Start
Deliverable 45m
Define
Students will sort what they noticed about Colorado dinosaurs into shared ideas, name what museum visitors need to understand, and turn those ideas into a simple class problem statement for their museum station work. They will use maps, fossil evidence, partner talk, picture supports, feedback, and revision to decide what their displays should help visitors learn.
Days 5 - 8
🦴 Colorado Fossil Clues Sort
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
🗺️ Visitor Needs Picture Map
Knowledge/Skill Building 40m
🗣️ Dino Museum Problem Card
Deliverable 50m
✅ Class Museum Challenge Check
Assessment 40m
Ideate
Students will generate many possible ways to share dinosaur learning with real visitors, use evidence from earlier fossil and map studies to choose ideas that fit family and community needs, and revise early plans through peer and expert-informed feedback before moving into prototype drafting.
Days 9 - 13
🦴 Dino Museum Needs Sort
Knowledge/Skill Building 35m
🗺️ Colorado Dino Ideas Sketches
Knowledge/Skill Building 45m
💬 Puppet Feedback on Museum Ideas
Deliverable 45m
🧩 Team Station Choice Board
Project Work 55m
✅ Dinosaur Station Plan Share
Assessment 45m
Draft
Students will build first drafts of their Colorado dinosaur museum pieces by using body-part vocabulary, maps, fossils, puppets, and picture labels to create skeleton models and team display parts. They will make design choices for real visitors, practice explaining their ideas, gather peer and adult feedback, and revise their draft artifacts before moving into testing.
Days 14 - 19
🦴 Bone Labels for Skeleton Drafts
Knowledge/Skill Building 35m
🗺️ Colorado Fossil Map Mini Build
Knowledge/Skill Building 40m
🦕 My Labeled Skeleton Page
Deliverable 45m
🏛️ Museum Station First Prototype
Project Work 45m
💬 Sticky Note Museum Walk
Project Work 45m
🗣️ Puppet Facts and Revision Check
Assessment 45m
Test
Students will test their dinosaur museum drafts with classmates and community users, listen for what visitors understand or still wonder, and revise their skeletons, maps, labels, and oral explanations so the class display better teaches others about dinosaurs in Colorado.
Days 20 - 24
🗣️ Dino Talk Practice Stems
Knowledge/Skill Building 35m
👀 Peer Museum Tryout Walk
Deliverable 45m
🦴 Fossil Feedback With Expert
Community Experience 45m
✏️ Revise Skeletons And Maps
Project Work 55m
📋 Colorado Dino Test Check
Assessment 45m
Critique
Students will use structured critique routines to improve their dinosaur museum pieces by noticing what helps visitors understand, giving kind and specific feedback, revising skeleton labels and Colorado display parts, and practicing clearer oral explanations based on peer, adult, and expert input.
Days 25 - 28
🦴 Dino Museum Feedback Practice
Knowledge/Skill Building 35m
🗺️ Sticky Note Museum Walk
Deliverable 45m
🦕 Ranger and Paleontologist Tune-Up
Community Experience 45m
🎤 Puppet Fact Revision Check
Assessment 45m
Notice & Reflect
Students will curate their final Colorado dinosaur museum pieces, reflect on how their thinking changed through fossils, tracks, maps, and skeleton building, and share their learning with families and community visitors. They will use peer, adult, and self-feedback to revise display pieces one last time, document one improvement, and explain how their class museum helps others learn about dinosaurs in Colorado.
Days 29 - 32
🦴 Dino Museum Fix-It Round
Deliverable 45m
🗺️ Colorado Dino Reflection Wall
Knowledge/Skill Building 40m
🏛️ Colorado Dino Museum Day
Assessment 50m
🎤 Little Paleontologists Story Share
Assessment 45m