Dino Discovery: Colorado’s Prehistoric Adventure

Learning Goals & Products

Learning Goals

Students will be able to identify and describe basic dinosaur body parts using fossils, bones, and skeleton models.

Students will be able to observe and compare dinosaur tracks, fossils, and bones to tell what evidence shows about dinosaurs.

Students will be able to locate Colorado fossil sites on a simple map and describe that dinosaurs lived in Colorado long ago.

Students will be able to ask and answer questions about dinosaur evidence during teacher-supported interviews and class talks.

Students will be able to build, label, and revise a simple dinosaur skeleton model to show what they learned.

Students will be able to create a picture map or museum display that shares one fact about dinosaurs in Colorado.

Students will be able to work with partners to sort ideas, make choices, and improve a class museum piece together.

Products

individual

My Dinosaur Discovery Journal and Labeled Skeleton Page

Each student creates a journal page with drawings, oral labels, and a simple skeleton model showing what they learned from fossils, tracks, bones, and Colorado maps. The page includes one clear fact about dinosaurs in Colorado and one revision made after feedback.

team

Class Colorado Dino Museum Station and Story Walk

Small groups co-create a museum station with a shared display, simple map, picture panel, and short puppet or gesture retelling for families and visitors. The station explains a shared problem statement, shows how student evidence shaped the design, and invites visitors to learn about dinosaurs in Colorado.

individual

New Product

Describe what students will create.

Rubric

Competency Progression Rubric Competency-first rubric

Category	Learning Goal	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4
Deeper Learning Competencies	Critical Thinking & Problem Solving	I can use my senses and tools (like magnifiers) to notice dinosaur evidence at museum stations, and I can tell one thing I see from fossils, tracks, bones, or maps.	I can compare two pieces of evidence and explain how they seem to match (for example, “I see a track and a bone that look like they belong to the same dinosaur”), using picture gestures, drawings, or simple words.	I can sort evidence into “this helps me” and “this is still confusing,” and I can ask a new question and make a simple plan to look for an answer during the next station or reading.	I can revise my thinking by using feedback and new evidence (fossils, tracks, bones, or stories) to change my drawing, label, or puppet retelling, and I can share what evidence helped me decide.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Self Directed Learning	I can show what I notice and what I wonder during Dino Discovery Day by using my journal drawings, gestures, or oral words when it is my turn.	I can choose one dinosaur idea I want to explore and begin it by using materials (fossils, tracks, maps, bones) and following simple next-step directions from a teacher or a peer.	I can use feedback from a teacher, partner, or visitor (like “Try adding a label” or “Show how you know”) to revise my work, and I can tell you what I changed and why using my pictures and words.	I can set a small learning goal for my museum piece, keep working toward it with help when needed, and reflect on my learning by telling what I improved, what I still need to practice, and what I will try next.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Collaboration	I can work with a partner during Dino Discovery Day by taking turns at a station (fossils, tracks, bones, magnifiers) and sharing my materials appropriately.	I can work with my partner to choose one discovery and one question to explore next, using simple turn-taking and taking turns speaking during partner talk with picture cards or puppets.	I can help our team co-create a museum display by contributing an idea (a drawing/label/map) and showing care for others’ ideas during planning, building, and clean-up.	I can take a shared role in the class museum by helping others make decisions, resolving small disagreements kindly, and explaining how our team’s work shows evidence from dinosaurs in Colorado.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Content Expertise	I can use dinosaur fossil and track pictures/objects to notice and tell what I see (like bones, tracks, or body parts) and connect them to a dinosaur idea in my own words or pictures.	I can sort and describe dinosaur evidence (bones, tracks, replicas, simple Colorado maps) and use it to build a labeled skeleton model with parts that match what I observed.	I can use evidence from more than one source (bones, tracks, maps, and stories) to explain what dinosaurs in Colorado might have been like and I can revise my drawing/model labels after feedback.	I can independently choose the best evidence for my museum display, create accurate labels for my dinosaur skeleton model, and confidently connect my explanation to the Colorado location using my pictures/gesture or oral retelling.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Effective Communication	I can listen to my classmates and the museum visitor by looking, staying with the group, and taking turns when we talk during Dino Discovery Day.	I can share what I notice and wonder using simple words, pictures, and sentence stems (like “I notice…”, “I think…”) to explain one dinosaur fact from my fossil, track, or map station.	I can communicate my learning clearly for an audience by using my labeled skeleton model or display piece and matching my picture/label to what I say during museum talks and story walks.	I can improve and extend my communication by using feedback from a partner or expert to revise my display or oral label, then confidently explain how I know my dinosaur fact using evidence (fossils, tracks, bones, or Colorado map).