taking a chance

If you'll remember, I mentioned here that we have begun an exploration of dinosaurs. I also mentioned I was very hesitant to do so, as the concept of the dinosaur is really very abstract...since they're extinct and all. But weighing the pros and cons, I couldn't get over the fact that the loudest voices I heard speaking about dinosaurs were several of the children learning English. The chance that they could be fully engaged in a project overwhelmed my list of cons.

Below is a book, written by J. This is J's first story told in English and I attribute that all to dinosaurs. He had the motivation to make sure I understood his story because he was so excited about the story. You will see the idea of eggs and babies come across in his illustrations and words. This seems to be the area of interest for many of the children. This week many of the play scenarios and conversations all came back to this idea..how are dinosaurs born.

This, of course, makes me happy because it seems like a perfect way to segue into animals alive today who lay eggs. This will be more appropriate for project work as we will be able to have first hand experiences with the living animals. In fact we will have a live reptile in our class for two weeks, for observation and even handling! *A note for any parents in our classroom, please don't tell your children about this connection yet or that we will have a reptile in the classroom. We want them to make their hypothesis first and see what ideas are brewing. We haven't yet made the connection to today's reptiles and dinosaurs and I want that connection to unfold naturally*

Enjoy J's book...