Key Ideas
Level 1

• Some dinosaurs grew very, very large during the Jurassic Period.
• Plants were everywhere, giving plant-eating dinosaurs lots of food.
• Many different animals lived on land, in the air, and in the oceans.
• All living things were connected through food webs.

Level 2

• Warm global temperatures and high plant growth allowed ecosystems to support enormous sauropods.
• Long-necked dinosaurs could reach food that other animals could not, reducing competition.
• Jurassic ecosystems included complex food webs linking plants, herbivores, and predators.
• Oceans were filled with large marine reptiles, while pterosaurs occupied the skies, showing how life adapted to many environments at on

Schedule

Day One	Day Two	Day Three	Day Four
Main Lesson and/or Story	Spine Reading	Literature Extension	Extension Videos or Books
Hands On Activity	Art Extension		Try something for "Other Activities"
Narration Page or Coloring Page	Notetaking Extension	ELA: Sentence Expansion	ELA Page: Choose Another One

Hands-On Activity
​Measuring Jurassic Giants

Materials

• Brown paper (brown paper bags, butcher paper, kraft paper, or cardboard)
• Crayons, chalk, or washable paint
• Tape (to hang paper on walls or under tables)

Timeline Entries
c. 155 million years ago
Jurassic Giants and Global Ecosystems
During the Jurassic Period, Earth supported enormous dinosaurs like long-necked sauropods through warm climates, abundant plant life, and complex food webs. Dinosaurs dominated the land, while marine reptiles ruled the seas and pterosaurs filled the skies, creating one of the most diverse ecosystems in Earth’s history.

Discussion Questions
Level 1

1. What do you notice about how big some Jurassic dinosaurs were?
   Sample answer: Some dinosaurs were much bigger than animals we see today.
2. Why do animals need plants to survive?
   Sample answer: Plants are food for plant-eaters and help other animals get food too.
3. Where did animals live during the Jurassic Period?
   Sample answer: On land, in the ocean, and in the sky.
4. What happens to animals if there is plenty of food?
   Sample answer: They can grow, stay healthy, and have babies.

Level 2 

1. How did climate and plant growth help support giant dinosaurs during the Jurassic?
   Sample answer: Warm temperatures and lots of rainfall helped plants grow quickly, providing enough energy for very large herbivores.
2. How might long necks and large bodies reduce competition among herbivorous dinosaurs?
   Sample answer: Different body sizes and neck lengths allowed dinosaurs to eat plants at different heights, so they weren’t all competing for the same food.
3. Why are food webs more useful than food chains when studying ecosystems?
   Sample answer: Food webs show many connections and energy paths, not just one linear relationship.
4. How did marine reptiles and pterosaurs expand Jurassic ecosystems beyond land?
   Sample answer: They allowed predators and prey to fill ocean and air niches, increasing biodiversity and ecosystem complexity.