Dinosaur Bones: New Members and New Discoveries

On December 5, 2006, the Dinosaur Bones Group (GA, CH, BM, and JD) met again to revisit their previous bone drawings and to make a new one. As a group they decided to each contribute by drawing a different part of the dinosaur. CH volunteered to draw the head, GA the body, BM the tail, and JD the hands and feet. They used their knowledge of dinosaurs, including the ideas they got from the books they collaboratively researched, to redraw their skeletal structure.

Dinosaur Bone Group: Discovery on the Playground

On December 14, 2006, a group of children discovered that there were "bones" (rocks) buried in the dirt near the playground. Not only was the Dinosaur Bone group interested in this new finding, so were many other children in the class. The children used sticks and their fingers to dig up the "bones" buried in the surface of the dirt.

Dinosaur Bone Group: New Members

On January 11, 2007, the Dinosaur Bone Group, which included BM, GA, CH, and JD, invited two new members, TK and TKS, to join their group. Since this was their first meeting of 2007, Ms. Leigh thought it would be a good idea to revisit their skeletal drawing and also the pictures the teachers took of their excavation of the dinosaur bones they discovered before the winter break. The original group members recognized their skeletal drawing and shared their creation with the two new members. They also remembered the digging they did on the playground and were all interested in going back out to find more "bones."

During the winter break, TKS found some "dinosaur bones" at a park he visited with his family. He shared the bones with the group, and a discussion began about whether or not these were bones or rocks.

CH: (picking up a rock) "Teeth."
GA: "No, it’s a tiny rock."
TK: "Maybe they're all rocks."
GA: (making two piles) "These are rocks, and these are bones."
JD: "That’s a human teeth."
BM: "There’s no teeth."
GA: (opening his mouth) "No, look."
TK: (showing his teeth to JD) "Human teeth look like this."

JD: (looking at the pictures of the excavation on the playground) "I saw the pictures. I think a dinosaur came and died, and then got buried in dirt."
TK: (looking at the skeletal drawing) "Whatever looks like that must be a dinosaur bone."

GA: (holding up a long piece of rock) "This looks like that, cause it’s long."

JD: "I drew the arms and the legs."

CH found a ruler on a nearby shelf and placed it on the table.

GA grabbed the ruler and placed it on top of the skeletal drawing. He then began to point at each number that marked the centimeters. He counted up to thirty, which is the end of the ruler.

CH: "How much is it?"
GA: "It’s 30 big."
JD: "Wow, it might be a big dinosaur, bigger than me."

In this conversation, the teachers noticed two very interesting ideas.The first one is the idea of rock vs. bone, and the second one is the idea of measurement. The teachers believe that the children do know that their findings are actually rocks, but did not want to discourage their imaginative thinking. Some of the children believe that they are collecting natural materials in order to make a dinosaur structure, while others want to believe that they are collecting bones that they will place together to form a dinosaur. In their upcoming excavation and reflection meeting, the children will again discuss the difference between natural materials and actual dinosaur findings. Measurement will also continue in their upcoming excavation. The children did not make the connection of finding a bone the same size as the skeletal bone drawing they measured, but did insist on taking the ruler outside with them.

As the group left the classroom, GA said "I know where to look for bones." The group followed GA around the Preschool and Elementary campus until they reached an area near Wilcox office where they spotted some "bones." The group quickly gathered some bones as they noticed the differences in colors and shapes.

JD: "Mine is kind of green."
CH: "This one too, but it’s longer."
TKS: "This one is a circle; maybe it’s the eye."

The group then decided to move on. They followed GA to a grassy hill near the turnaround in front of Wilcox office. The children’s excitement grew as they noticed the many different types of natural materials that could be found in this area.

JD: (finding some seeds that had fallen from the tree) "I got a lot of clues."
CH: "I know, they’re babies from ants."
JD: "They’re dinosaur babies."
BM: "That is not dinosaur babies. Dinosaurs are not alive anymore."
JD: "I know, they’re on a different planet."
BM: "No, they’re not on a different planet."
JD: "I know, they’re in the museum."

TK found a piece of bark on the ground.

TK: "Is it a bone?"
JD: "It looks like alligator skin."
TKS: "It could be dinosaur skin."
JD: (looking at a tree trunk) "This piece, it’s from the tree."
CH: "I know, it’s just to help us build a dinosaur."

The group began to use the ruler to measure sticks, rocks, branches, and a sign.

GA: (measuring the piece of bark) "This is nine big."

TK: (finding a branch) "This could be the tail. Can I use the ruler?"

GA hands the ruler to TK.

TK: (measuring the branch in inches) "The tail is 12 big."

GA noticed a sign near the tree.

GA: "I can measure the sign."
CH: "What does it say?"
GA: "It says don’t climb the tree and don’t hurt the tree."
GA: (measuring the sign) "It’s 4 big"
TKS: "Can I measure?"

The children continued their exploration as they shared one ruler. They also created their own game by balancing on roots sticking out of the ground. Throughout the game, they made up rules such as: "No touching the grass," "You have to go this way," and "If you touch the grass you have to start all over."

Through this simple exploration, the children were experiencing so much. By continuing their search for "bones," they were expressing and indulging their imagination. By using one ruler, the group was able to foster their skills in sharing and turn-taking. They were also critically thinking about the use of measurement and the numbers and symbols provided on the ruler. By inventing a game and collaborating on rules, the children were able to take ownership of their game, work together, and be part of a whole. By collecting rocks and other natural materials to contribute to the group, the boys were thinking about their roles as contributors to the group rather than just themselves. It is through these types of explorations that the children are doing their best learning. The teachers see the children as capable learners and collaborators with the potential to lead their own learning.

After the excavation, the group went back to the classroom to share their findings with the rest of the class. At this reflection meeting, the group shared what they found, where they found it, and where they plan to search next.

Posted on January 17, 2007 1:09 PM | Permalink