Non-fiction: Dinosaur Discovery
Dinosaur Discovery
Dinosaurs1 lived millions of years ago. Scientists recently discovered
something new about dinosaurs.
What did they find?
Little Big Dinosaur
wikipedia.org
Europasaurus
Scientists stumbled upon strange-looking dinosaur bones in
Germany.
Scientists recently found dinosaur fossils that are unlike any they had
seen before. Fossils are remains of plants and animals that lived long
ago. This is what scientists found:


The fossils were from a sauropod (SAWR-uh-pahd). Sauropods
were tall, plant-eating dinosaurs. The fossils were much smaller
than other sauropod fossils.
The fossils were from a dinosaur that lived on an island in
Germany. The dinosaur had little food to eat and little space to
roam. It never grew!
1 dinosaurs: a group of extinct large reptiles
1
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Article: Copyright © 2006 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved.
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Used by permission.
Non-fiction: Dinosaur Discovery
WR News

The dinosaur shrank over time to fit on the island. Scientists
named their new discovery Europasaurus (yoor-oh-pah-SAWRus).
Dinosaur Differences
Scientists sometimes group dinosaurs by the food they eat.
Herbivores
(plant eaters):
stood on
four legs.

stood on two
legs.
had flat
teeth to eat
plants.

had sharp
teeth to eat
meat.

moved
quickly to
catch
animals.


Carnivores (meat
eaters):

slowly
grazed for
food.
2
®
© 2012 ReadWorks , Inc. All rights reserved.
Article: Copyright © 2006 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved.
Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.
Used by permission.
Questions: Dinosaur Discovery
Name: ____________________________
Date: ________________
Directions: Answer the following four questions based on the information
in the passage.
1. On what continent were the strange-looking dinosaur fossils
discovered?
________________________________________________________
____________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
____________________________________
________________________________________________________
2. The table shows several ways in which plant-eating and meat-eating
dinosaurs are different. Describe two differences between herbivores
and carnivores.
________________________________________________________
____________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
____________________________________
________________________________________________________
3. Based on the passage, how did the Europasaurus’s body change over
time? Why did this change occur?
________________________________________________________
____________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
____________________________________
________________________________________________________
4. What is the central idea of the passage?
________________________________________________________
____________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
____________________________________
________________________________________________________
1
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Dinosaur Discovery
Directions: Please read the sentence below and then write the word or
phrase that best answers the questions. The first answer has been provided
for you.
On an island in Germany, scientists recently found dinosaur fossils that are
unlike any they had seen before.
Who? scientists
5. (did) What?
________________________________________________________
____________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
____________________________________
________________________________________________________
6. Where?
________________________________________________________
____________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
____________________________________
_______________________________________________________
7. When?
________________________________________________________
____________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
____________________________________
________________________________________________________
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Dinosaur Discovery
8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that
best completes the sentence.
The Europasaurus didn’t have much food to eat or land to roam
across, _______ it never grew very large.
A but
B because
C so
Directions: Read the vocabulary word and definition below. Then answer
questions 8, 9, and 10.
Vocabulary Word: graze (graze): to eat grass and other plants.
9. Read the sentences below and underline all forms of the word graze.
a. The old farmer brought the cows to the field to graze.
b. The giraffe tried to graze for leaves on the highest branches of the
tree.
c. The cheetah carefully watched the zebra graze on tall grass.
d. My pet guinea pig likes to graze on the dried alfalfa I leave in its cage.
e. Mom was angry when she found that deer had grazed on her favorite
plants in our garden!
10. Which picture shows a location that would be better for animals to
graze?
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Teacher Guide and Answer Key: Dinosaur Discovery
Teacher Guide and Answer Key
Passage Reading Level: Lexile 560
Featured Text Structure: Compare/Contrast – the writer presents similarities and
differences between two or more objects, places, events, or ideas
Passage Summary: Scientists discovered fossils of an unknown dinosaur. They were
able to use the fossils to learn how the dinosaur evolved over time. A table shows the
differences between herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs.
To the Teacher: Read the passage aloud to the class [TIP: while reading aloud, show
the passage on a whiteboard or give each student a copy of the passage so they can
follow along].
Then, use the text-dependent questions 1-8 to facilitate a whole class discussion to
ensure students comprehend the key details from the passage.
Finally, use questions 9-10 to deep teach one important vocabulary word [TIP: you can
use the model provided for teaching additional vocabulary].
1. On what continent were the strange-looking dinosaur fossils discovered?
[Important Detail]
Suggested answer: The Europasaurus’s fossils were discovered in Europe.
[bullet 2, paragraph 2; map]
2. The table shows several ways in which plant-eating and meat-eating dinosaurs are
different. Describe two differences between herbivores and carnivores. [Important
Detail]
Suggested answer: There are a number of differences between plant-eating and
meat-eating dinosaurs as described in the passage. Plant-eating dinosaurs, or
herbivores, walked on four legs, had flat teeth, and moved slowly. Meat-eating
dinosaurs, or carnivores, walked on two legs, had sharp teeth, and moved quickly.
[table]
3. Based on the passage, how did the Europasaurus’s body change over time? Why
did this change occur? [Important Detail]
Suggested answer: The Europasaurus’s body became smaller to adapt to the
small island it lived on and the lack of food available to it. [bullet 3, paragraph 2]
1
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Teacher Guide and Answer Key: Dinosaur Discovery
4. What is the central idea of the passage? [Main Idea]
Suggested answer: Scientists recently found dinosaur fossils that support the
idea that dinosaurs’ bodies developed to help them meet their survival needs in
their habitats. With little food to eat, a normally tall and large dinosaur actually
shrank over time to fit on the island.
Directions: Please read the sentence below and then write the word or phrase that best
answers the questions. The first answer has been provided for you.
On an island in Germany, scientists recently found dinosaur fossils that are unlike any
they had seen before.
Who? scientists
5. (did) What? found dinosaur fossils unlike any they had seen before
6. Where? on an island in Germany
7. When? recently
8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best
completes the sentence.
The Europasaurus didn’t have much food to eat or land to roam across, _______ it
never grew very large.
A but
B because
C so
To the Teacher: ReadWorks recommends that you teach this vocabulary word to the
whole class out loud using the four steps listed below.
Vocabulary Word: graze (graze): to eat grass and other plants.
Step 1: Introduce the word
a. Teacher writes the word on the board and divides it into syllables: (graze)
b. Teacher says: “This word is graze. What is the word?” [All students reply together
out loud: “Graze.”]
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Teacher Guide and Answer Key: Dinosaur Discovery
Step 2: Provide a child-friendly definition
a. Teacher says: “To graze means to eat grass and other plants.”
b. Teacher says: “In the passage, herbivorous dinosaurs grazed, or ate grasses and
other plants.”
c. Teacher says: “What is the word?” [All students reply together out loud: “Graze.”]
Step 3: Practice the word
Teacher provides examples and additional opportunities to repeat the word. Read the
first sentence out loud to your students. Begin reading it again and when you come to
the vocabulary word prompt students to say the vocabulary word out loud. Then, finish
reading the sentence out loud to your students.
Directions: Read the vocabulary word and definition below. Then answer questions 9
and 10.
Vocabulary Word: graze (graze): to eat grass and other plants.
9. Read the sentences below and underline all forms of the word graze.
a. The old farmer brought the cows to the field to graze.
b. The giraffe tried to graze for leaves on the highest branches of the tree.
c. The cheetah carefully watched the zebra graze on tall grass.
d. My pet guinea pig likes to graze on the dried alfalfa I leave in its cage.
e. Mom was angry when she found that deer had grazed on her favorite plants in our
garden!
Step 4: Check for student understanding
To the Teacher: This step can be completed as a whole class activity or as an
independent practice.
10.
Which picture shows a location that would be better for animals to graze?
Suggested Additional Vocabulary: fossils
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.