The Mystery of the Missing Dinosaurs: A Geographical Investigation (Year 1)

Begin by asking children what they already know about dinosaurs. Show a large picture or model of a dinosaur. Ask questions like: 'Where do you think dinosaurs lived?' 'What did they eat?' 'Are there any dinosaurs alive today?' Guide the discussion towards the idea that dinosaurs lived a very, very long time ago and are no longer here. Introduce the word 'extinct'. Explain that today we're going to be 'dinosaur detectives' to find out why they disappeared.

1. Introduce the 'Big Rock' Theory: Explain to the children, using simple language and visuals, the most widely accepted theory of dinosaur extinction. Use a large, colourful picture of an asteroid hitting Earth (or a model of an asteroid). Tell them: 'Imagine a huge, giant rock from space, even bigger than our school, came crashing down to Earth!'
2. Discuss Immediate Impact: Ask 'What would happen if a giant rock hit the Earth?' Guide them to think about a big 'bang', lots of dust, and fire. Explain that the impact would have caused huge clouds of dust and smoke to go high into the sky.
3. Environmental Changes (Geography Link): This is where the geography comes in. Explain that these dust clouds would have blocked out the sun for a very long time. 'If the sun couldn't shine through, what would happen to the plants?' (They would die). 'What would happen to the animals that ate plants?' (They would have no food and would die). 'What about the meat-eating dinosaurs?' (They would have no plant-eaters to eat, so they would also die).
4. Visual Storytelling: Use a sequence of simple drawings or laminated cards to tell the story: Dinosaur living happily -> Asteroid in space -> Asteroid hitting Earth -> Dust clouds blocking sun -> Plants dying -> Plant-eating dinosaurs dying -> Meat-eating dinosaurs dying -> Dinosaurs are gone (extinct).
5. 'What If' Discussion: Engage children in a 'what if' scenario: 'What if the rock hadn't hit? Do you think dinosaurs would still be here?' 'What if the dust cleared quickly?' This encourages critical thinking about cause and effect related to environmental changes.

Gather the children together. Ask them to share one new thing they learned about why dinosaurs became extinct. Use the visual story cards from the main activity to quickly recap the sequence of events. Ask questions like: 'What was the big rock called?' (asteroid) 'What did the dust clouds stop from reaching Earth?' (sunlight) 'Why was sunlight important?' (for plants to grow). Reinforce the term 'extinct'.

Observe children's participation in discussions. Listen to their responses during the plenary. A simple 'thumbs up/down' or 'traffic light' system can be used to gauge their understanding of 'extinct' and the basic sequence of events. Collect any drawings or simple sentences they might have produced.

• Large picture/model of a dinosaur
• Visual aids: pictures depicting an asteroid, asteroid impact, dust clouds, sun being blocked, dying plants, dying dinosaurs.
• Story cards (sequenced pictures of the extinction event)
• Whiteboard or flipchart for keywords
• Optional: Large world map/globe to show where dinosaur fossils are found (linking to 'ancient Earth' geography).

• Science: Understanding cause and effect, life cycles (extinction), environmental change.
• History: Understanding 'a long time ago' and the concept of prehistoric eras.
• Art & Design: Drawing their own sequence of the extinction event.
• Literacy: Writing simple sentences about what they learned, using keywords.