How Do Dinosaurs Measure Up?
Students measure and draw to scale, a representation of a dinosaur to practice math skills.
By Ann Whittemore
When I was a child, math was my least favorite subject. Hate is not nearly a strong enough word to describe how much I disliked the topic. However, as I got older, I began to realize that math was one of the most useful subjects I had learned in school. As an adult I use it to determine my monthly budget, to quickly figure out how much of a discount 35% off a purchase price is, and decide the proper length of curtain rod I need to darken my windows at night. Math is a practical and valuable tool that we use in our adult life - every day. However, many of our students do not see the intrinsic value in math; they only know that hate is not a strong enough word to describe how the subject makes them feel.
Show How Math is Useful
When I teach a mathematics topic, I keep in mind that my students may feel the same way about math as I did. However, I have found, that even the most skeptical students tune in to a lesson if they think the information is useful. "Teach with purpose" is what I always say. For many students, the pain associated with math may lessen if they know there is a practical application to make learning the concept worthwhile. For example, if students are learning about percentages and decimals, I may conclude our week with a shopping activity in which students can use what they have learned. I do this for a few reasons:
- The activity is rewarding
- It stimulates creative and critical thinking skills
- It provides an obvious connection between math in the classroom and the real world
Engaging Dinosaur Math
My favorite math activity is what I call Dinosaur Math. I have my students get into groups of three or four, and each is randomly assigned a dinosaur. The groups are responsible for researching the era the dinosaur is from, what its name means, and what the height, length, and weight of their dinosaur is. The students use their newly-acquired measurement skills to draw a life-sized representation of their dinosaur on the blacktop. This activity stimulates interest, engages students in cooperative work, and makes math a little more fun(ctional). This activity can also boost self-efficacy. When lunch recess begins and first through third grades pour onto the blacktop, they will be amazed at the life-sized creatures stretched across the basketball court. Nothing feels better to a child than being able to say, “I drew that.” It may even spark a conversation about how they were able to draw such a huge thing; the answer (I hope) will be, with rulers and math!
Extend the Lesson
To extend this activity, I hand out pictures of various objects, each labeled with that object’s size, length, and height. Students draw that object next to their dinosaur in order to illustrate perspective and relative size differences. Another teacher on campus may even have their older students determine a height or size difference expressed as a ratio or percentage, which is a good way to have students practice fractions and comparative mathematics. Think of it! Your mathematical class project can be used and appreciated by the entire school!
The bottom line is, math is a valuable and functional discipline. It is our job to help kids push through the parts they don’t like (in fun and useful ways), and help them understand that they are learning math for a good reason. I have included several lesson plans that may provide some ideas for practical math applications.
Math Lesson Plans:
This lesson provides students with an opportunity to work together and use their creative energy. Students create a classroom mural using life-sized dinosaurs and the flora and fauna common to the Mesozoic era.
Students read the book, "Actual Size" by Steve Jenkins, then use a ruler to measure the actual size of various objects. Students can also measure the animals depicted in the book, since they have been drawn to "actual size."
This lesson can be used as a final project for a unit on standard to metric conversion. Students engage in a series of both on and off-line activities and creative projects in order to practice their newly-acquired measurement skills.
Students use paper or measuring tapes to determine the length and circumference of different parts of their own body. This is a fun hands-on activity that gets students curious about: how long, how tall, and how wide they really are.