All About Dinosaurs: A K-2 Lesson About Dinosaurs and Rhyming Words

Are your littles obsessed with dinosaurs? Mine sure are! I've created a lesson plan all about dinosaurs for Kinder-2nd graders to have a DINO-mite time!

Warm-Up:

I almost always start my K-2 classes with a song that we have learned in a previous lesson. Right now, that's reviewing Bee Bee Bumblebee with some of my classes while others are reviewing Button You Must Wander and A Sailor Went to Sea.

I also usually throw in a quick rhythm review game so I can assess some individual students.

Here's a quick random rhythm generator for quarter note, eighth notes, and quarter rest. See the video description for full directions.

And here's one that also includes half notes:

Movement/Listening (and secretly assessment):

In this video, students will see two rhythms displayed and then have to choose which one they hear. Each rhythm is played twice before students have to make a decision. I like to label two spots in my room "1" and "2" and then have students move to the correct answer when it says, "Make Your Choice!" This gives the added bonus of allowing for movement and you can see which of your students are leading and which ones are following.

If they all just run to the same place as the most confident student, it's fun to have them show their "secret number" on their fingers before moving. This just means that they hold up a finger with either "1" or "2" before moving.

Enjoy the hilarious dinosaur jokes and puns, too! The last one is definitely the best!

Book:

Literacy connection! And fun with rhyming words

I love love love books in the music classroom! I love all of the ones that are meant for music class--ones that are songs or parodies of classic songs--but I also like using ones that aren't traditionally seen as "music books." These two are great and both available widely. I often check my school library before purchasing, but you can also click on the covers for Amazon links.

While you're reading, keep a running list of a few different rhyming pairs and ask if students can find any others.

Art Connection/Wrap-Up:

Coloring? Who said coloring?

There are lots of ways you can take this part of the lesson but I almost always give my students a completely blank piece of paper! They somehow love this every time and they're thrilled to get to make their own masterpieces. When I did this lesson, I had students first choose a rhyming word from the book we read and then illustrate a definition. For instance, if they chose "line," they drew dinosaurs standing in a line. I then have them come up with other words that rhyme and write them down. I often feel like I don't have the time for this type of extension activity in my class, but then I remember that I am making literacy connections, helping students work independently, and encouraging find motor skills--all things that are incredibly beneficial for music class!

Also, if you don't know...you NEED to throw away all of your colored pencils and crayons (well, maybe not right away 😂) and get these Crayola Color Sticks!! They are essentially the inside of a colored pencil made into a little stick. You NEVER need to sharpen them (hello!!) and they last forever. I've had this mega pack for two school years now and they look almost brand new.

That's it! Have them take home their creations, or display them in your room or on a bulletin board. I almost always have kids take their work home and tell them to show their grown-ups what they did in music class because it's a great way to make a connection with families.