Dinosaur Naming Activity
Part of the Dinosaurs: Activities and Lesson Plans Curriculum Collection.
Dinosaur names are often made up of combinations of Greek and Latin root words that describe characteristics or how the animal might have behaved. Other dinosaur names describe where the fossil remains were discovered or the name of the paleontologist who made the discovery. In 1841, Richard Owen, the first director of London’s Natural History Museum, gave the name dinosaurs to these giant prehistoric reptiles. The word dinosaur is from the Greek deinos (terrible) and sauros (lizard). Some dinosaur names are short; others are tongue twisters.
Objective
In this activity, students will be introduced to dinosaur names and their meanings.
Materials
- List of Greek and Latin root words and their meanings written on the chalkboard or on chart paper
- Pictures of various dinosaurs
Procedure
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- Write the following dinosaur names on the chalkboard. Have students use the chart to decipher the names.
Tyrannosaurus rex = tyranno + saurus +rex
Stegosaurus = stego + saurus
Triceratops = tri + cerat + ops
Apatosaurus = apato + saurus
- Have students suggest other dinosaur names that they would like to learn the meanings of. Write the names on the chalkboard. Use the chart provided as a reference.
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