Dinosaurs & Adaptations

👩‍🏫 **Teacher’s Guide**

**Objective**  
Explain dinosaur survival features and discuss evidence for their disappearance.

**Vocabulary**  
<ul>
<li><span class="hidden-answer" data-answer="reptile"></span> — A cold‑blooded animal with scales</li><li><span class="hidden-answer" data-answer="armor"></span> — Hard body covering</li><li><span class="hidden-answer" data-answer="prey"></span> — Animal that is hunted</li><li><span class="hidden-answer" data-answer="asteroid"></span> — Space rock</li><li><span class="hidden-answer" data-answer="paleontologist"></span> — Scientist who studies fossils</li>
</ul>

**Teaching Notes**  
Link form to function (teeth, legs, plates); asteroid impact hypothesis; birds as relatives evidence.

**Answer Key**  
Sharp teeth for meat; plates/spikes for defense; birds share traits with dinosaurs.

**Extension Ideas**  
Compare feet (bird vs. T. rex) — count toes/claws.

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🧒 **Student Worksheet**

**Concept and Helping Material**  
Dinosaurs lived long ago. Some hunted. Some ate plants. Some had armor. Scientists study fossils to learn about them.

**Words to Learn**  
- An animal hunted by another is ___.<br>- A person who studies fossils is a ___.<br>- A hard body covering is ___.

**Sentences to Fill In**  
- Riddle: What breaks a shell to get out? (___).<br>- Choose: Did all dinosaurs live at the same time? (Yes/No).

**Hands-On Experiment — Torn‑Paper Fossil Art**  

**What You Need**  
paper, glue, reference image

**What You Do**  
Tear paper shapes to assemble a skeleton; label parts; title your specimen.

**Reflection**  
- What evidence suggests birds are dinosaur relatives? <span class="hidden-answer" data-answer="Similar feet and other bone traits."></span> (Answer may vary.)
How could an asteroid cause extinctions? (Answer may vary.)