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leonello calvetti/Alamy Stock Photo (Tyrannosaurus Rex); iStockPhoto/Getty Images (Water); Shutterstock.com (All Other Images)
Background Builder,

Fossil Facts

You are going to read about a girl who found an amazing fossil. Here are four facts to know first. 

From the March/April 2025 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will build background information about dinosaurs and fossils to prepare for the Big Read-Aloud.

Lexiles: 390L
Featured Skill: Vocabulary, Main Idea,
Common Core Standards
  • RF.1.1 Features of print RF.1.3 Decoding RI.1.1 Key details RI.1.3 Connecting information RI.1.4 Vocabulary RI.1.5 Text features RI.1.6 Distinguish between information from words and images RI.1.7 Use visuals SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative discussions with peers and adults
TEKS Standards
  • Science
    (5) Recurring themes and concepts. The student uses recurring themes and concepts to make connections across disciplines. The student is expected to: (G) describe how factors or conditions can cause objects, organisms, and systems to either change or stay the same. (13) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms resemble their parents and have structures and undergo processes that help them interact and survive within their environments. The student is expected to: (A) identify the external structures of different animals and compare how those structures help different animals live, move, and meet basic needs for survival; (B) record observations of and describe basic life cycles of animals, including a bird, a mammal, and a fish.

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1. Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago.

Tyrannosaurus rex

They were reptiles, just like lizards today. But these reptiles were huge! 

Dinosaurs lived on land. But they weren’t the only giant animals on the planet.

2. Other big animals lived at the same time.

ichthyosaur

(IK-thee-uh-sor)

In dino times, giant reptiles also swam in the sea. Some looked a bit like dolphins. 

pterosaur

(TEHR-uh-sor)

Other huge reptiles flew in the sky. Did they have feathers? Scientists are still trying to find out.

3. These huge animals died out.

From left to right: Triceratops, Ankylosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Brachiosaurus

There are no more giant reptiles from dino times. They went extinct millions of years ago. So how do we know about them today?

4. We can see some of their bones today.

This is a fossil of a Keichousaurus (KAY-choo-sor-us).

The bones of dead animals can turn into rock after millions of years. These rocks are called fossils. People find fossils deep in the ground!

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More About the Article

English Language Arts Focus

Key details

Science Focus

Animal behaviors

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Implementation

  • Whole group

Pairings and Text Connections

  • In this issue: “Big Read-Aloud: The Bonehunter”; “Early Reader Fiction: My Big Dino Dig”; “Read and Do: The Secret to Drawing a T. Rex”
  • Book pairings: Fly Guy Presents: Dinosaurs by Tedd Arnold

Before-Reading Resources

  • Vocabulary slideshow (5 minutes) reptiles, extinct, fossils
  • Video: The Science of Dinosaurs (5 minutes) Meet a paleontologist and build background knowledge about fossils.

Suggested Reading Focus

Build background knowledge (20 minutes)

  • Activate children’s background knowledge by asking what they know about fossils. Say that fossils tell us about dinosaurs and other living things from a long time ago.
  • Preview the article by pointing out the nonfiction text features. Ask them what they notice about the pictures.
  • Read the article. Stop to check for comprehension with each of the bolded vocabulary words.
  • Ask students to recall something they learned from the words or pictures in the article. Summarize their learning through discussion or on chart paper.

After-Reading Skills Practice

Skills: Key details; main idea (15 minutes)

Text-to-Speech