This Magic Tree House activity explores dinosaur names by breaking them down into the latin and greek words that are used to form them.
Have you ever wondered why dinosaurs are named the way they are? Scientists use greek and latin words and word parts to describe animals, plants, and more including dinosaurs.
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This activity is part of our Magic Tree House book activities series. In the story, Dinosaurs Before Dark, Jack and Annie go back in time and cross paths with four types of dinosaurs.
Dinosaur Name Supplies
- Scissors
- Cardstock
- Free Deciphering Dinosaurs Workbook (find this at the end of this post)
How to Setup Your Activity
This dinosaur name activity comes with both a worksheet and hands-on activity to learn eight different dinosaur names. You’ll use the worksheets to match those names with the correct image based on the characteristics found in each name.
This activity is great for 1st-3rd grade kiddos and even some young dinosaur enthusiasts!
Use the greek and latin word key to decipher the dinosaur names.
Start by underlining the greek or latin words you find. Fill in the meaning of each word on the line.
Finally, connect the correct dinosaur name with the image of that dinosaur based on the characteristics identified in the dinosaur name.
Dinosaur Name Latin Word Card Game
To play the dinosaur name word card game, fold pages along the solid black line and cut on the dotted lines you see.
The workbook contains 8 pages of dinosaur name cards (like the ones below) with 20 latin words and 8 dinosaur images.
The goal is to use these cards to build dinosaur names and learn Latin and Greek words.
Learn what’s in a dinosaur name with these hands-on cards!
After you’ve cut out and folded your hands-on dinosaur name cards, grab your worksheets and get started deciphering dinosaur names!
Match the latin and greek words to the dinosaur names listed on your worksheets. Once you have a dinosaur name completed, flip over the name to reveal the meaning of that dinosaur name.
Think about the characteristics in the dinosaur name and find the matching dinosaur picture based on the characteristics you see. Check out the video below for an example.
What’s in this free dinosaur name download?
Our Deciphering Dinosaur names workbook comes with:
- Two dinosaur name worksheets
- Answer keys
- Latin & Greek word key
- 20 Latin and Greek dinosaur name word card game (with their meaning on the back)
- and 8 dinosaur images!
PIN THIS IMAGE TO SAVE THIS DINOSAUR NAME ACTIVITY!
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Meet Toni, the Maker Mom behind Our Family Code
Hey there, I’m Toni! I’m a software engineer and Maker Mom that finds my joy in unleashing my children’s curiosity by exploring STEAM concepts with my fantastic five!
When I’m not chasing toddlers or raising tweens, you can find me tearing things up and putting them back together over here at Our Family Code.
I am the owner and content creator of multiple educational websites designed to increase access to STEAM & STEM education with a focus on teaching computer science and coding to kids of all ages!
You can also find out more about me by visiting ToniGardner.com!
