Unit
49 Homework 6
Unit
49 Homework
Detectives at Work
Bron-to-sau-rus (Brontosaurus)—
A dinosaur that didn't really exist
Scientists aren't sure what happened
to the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, so
they keep looking for an answer.
Scientists are like detectives. When
they find dinosaur bones, the skeletons
are not always whole. The bones have
to be put back together like the pieces
of a puzzle. Sometimes scientists don't
put the bones together the right way.
When scientists put a dinosaur named
Brontosaurus together, they put the wrong
head on it. Oops! The new dinosaur is
no longer called Brontosaurus.
As scientists keep working, they can
make better and better guesses about
how dinosaurs lived and died.
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7
Dinosaur Clues
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Questions to talk about:
1. What are scientists like?
2. Why did scientists have to rename the Brontosaurus?
I’ve listened to my child read this passage two times, and we’ve discussed
the questions.
This book belongs to:
______________________________________________
Date __________ Signed __________________________________________
Practiced Passage
© Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved.
© Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved.
Unit
49 Homework 5
Clues in the Earth
Dear Parents:
In this unit, your child’s natural curiosity will be
captivated as he or she learns more about dinosaurs. Ask your child what the largest dinosaur ever found
is called. You may be surprised to hear that it is
Argentinosaurus (Ar-gen-TEEN-oh-saurus).
Note: If a word is underlined, it hasn’t been practiced
at school. Help your child with the word if needed.
Homework Routine
Please listen to your child read one story, twice in a
row, each day. Remember, a small amount of reading
each day is better than a lot in one day. You may wish
to make your child’s Read Aloud Story a part of your
bedtime routine.
After listening to your child read a story, ask questions
as indicated. Encourage your child to talk with you
about the story and what he or she liked. Have your
child reread the story. Then sign and date the story. Please return this little book to school every day so we
can acknowledge your child’s efforts. When the book is
completed, it will belong to your child.
Sincerely,
Scientists do not know for sure
what made the dinosaurs disappear, so
they look at fossils and the Earth to try
and find the answer.
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Sometimes dinosaur bones can
show what happened, but often the
Earth gives more clues. As time goes
by, layers of rock, dirt, and other things
build up on the land. By looking at the
layers, scientists can tell a lot about
what happened long ago. The layers
give scientists clues about what was
in the atmosphere and on land while
dinosaurs were alive.
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Someday scientists may be able to
tell us whether an asteroid, volcanoes,
or something else made the dinosaurs
become extinct.
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Questions to talk about:
1. What do scientists study to find out about dinosaurs?
2. What are the layers on Earth made of?
I’ve listened to my child read this passage two times, and we’ve discussed
the questions.
Date __________ Signed __________________________________________
Parent Letter
© Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved.
© Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved.
Practiced Passage
Unit
49 Homework 4
Unit
The Best Guess
Scientists aren't sure why the
dinosaurs disappeared. They study
the clues left in the Earth and by
dinosaur bones, so they can make
good guesses about what happened.
Many scientists think a huge
asteroid hit the Earth. They think the
dust and cold from the asteroid killed
the dinosaurs.
Some scientists think huge
volcanoes may have erupted. They
think volcanoes made the Earth
too hot and then too cold for the
dinosaurs.
Other scientists think the dinosaurs
may have become sick and died out
over time.
49 Homework 1
Introduction
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Millions of years ago, dinosaurs
roamed the Earth. However, today
there are no dinosaurs left.
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Scientists have found the bones of
many different kinds of dinosaurs. To
learn about the dinosaurs, scientists
study these bones. They study
everything they find near the bones.
They study dinosaur footprints. They
also study rocks and the bones of other
animals that lived during the time of the
dinosaurs.
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Dinosaurs disappeared about
65 million years ago. Find out how
scientists think dinosaurs might have
died in the next stories.
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Questions to talk about:
1. How do scientists study how dinosaurs became extinct?
2. What do most scientists think happened to the dinosaurs?
Questions to talk about:
1. When did dinosaurs die out?
2. What do you think happened to the dinosaurs?
3. Name four things scientists study to learn about dinosaurs.
I’ve listened to my child read this passage two times, and we’ve discussed
the questions.
I’ve listened to my child read this passage two times, and we’ve discussed
the questions.
Date __________ Signed __________________________________________
Date __________ Signed __________________________________________
Modified Practiced Passage
© Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved.
© Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved.
New Passage
Unit
49 Homework 2
Unit
Volcanoes
Some scientists think that giant
volcanoes erupted and changed the
Earth's atmosphere. These scientists
think the dinosaurs could not live in the
new atmosphere.
When the volcanoes first erupted,
the Earth would have become very
hot. Clouds of gas would have covered
the Earth. Then Earth would have
become very cold. The change in heat
and atmosphere would have taken a
long time. Still, many plants, animals,
and dinosaurs wouldn't have been able
to adapt to the hot
and cold weather.
Some scientists think
dinosaurs would have
disappeared because
of the change.
49 Homework 3
An Asteroid
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Many scientists think that a huge
asteroid from space hit the Earth and
made dinosaurs extinct. An asteroid is
a rock that circles the Sun.
Scientists think that huge fires
started when the asteroid hit the Earth.
They think storms broke out, and a
thick cloud of dust covered the Earth.
Scientists think that the cloud was
so thick that sunshine could not get
through. This would have made the
Earth very dark and cold.
Most plants and animals could not
have lived in the cold and dust. Living
things need sunshine and clean air.
Do you think an asteroid made the
dinosaurs disappear?
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Questions to talk about:
1. What may have happened when the volcanoes erupted?
2. Why couldn’t dinosaurs live after the volcanoes erupted?
Questions to talk about:
1. What do scientists think happened when the asteroid hit Earth?
2. What do living things need?
3. What is an asteroid?
I’ve listened to my child read this passage two times, and we’ve discussed
the questions.
I’ve listened to my child read this passage two times, and we’ve discussed
the questions.
Date __________ Signed __________________________________________
Date __________ Signed __________________________________________
New Passage
© Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved.
© Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved.
Modified Practiced Passage