Young readers travel back to the time of the dinosaurs in this literature unit based on the story Dinosaurs Before Dark. Intended for use with upper-elementary special education students, this resource provides reading comprehension, vocabulary, and extension activities for each chapter of the book, creating a throughly engaging reading experience.

Concepts

the magic tree house series, children's literature, historical fiction, reading comprehension, dinosaurs, dinosaurs before dark, compare and contrast, making predictions

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Include this unit in a reading of other Magic Tree House books, comparing and contrasting the different periods of history
• Perform the activities for each lesson as a series of small group learning centers
• When reading the book as a class, use different strategies like shared reading, partner reading, and popcorn reading to keep children engaged

Classroom Considerations

• Though intended for upper-elementary special education students, this lesson can be taught in the primary grades as well

Pros

• Offers a daily routine to follow when performing each lesson in the series
• Provides multi-sensory activities that meet the needs of special education learners
• Includes a song to sing with the class at the beginning of each lesson

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.1.1 RL.1.3 RL.1.4 RL.2.1 RL.2.3 RL.2.4 RL.3.1 RL.3.3 RL.3.4 RL.4.1 RL.4.3 RL.4.4 RL.5.1 RL.5.3 RL.5.4