Big Saurus/Little Saurus is a fun introduction to four basic dinosaurs:  tyrannosaurus rex, triceratops, pteradactyl, and stegasaurus. Using rhymes, stories, games, songs, young learners  are exposed to the prehistoric age of the dinosaur in a fun way with lots of audience participation, costuming and props. 

    Artist Bio

Cathy Kaemmerlen, actress, dancer, and storyteller, and author,  is a well known area performer, who tours extensively her various solo programs,  throughout Georgia and elsewhere.  An undergraduate English  and elementary education major, Cathy uses her programs to promote reading and dramatic play. and her MFA in dance performance/choreography and her theatre background to make her stories come to life.  Children from all over the state have said:  “You make education fun.”

    Background on Art Form

Telling stories is an oral tradition, dating back to when mankind first developed a language or form of communication.  Storytelling is a universal way of passing down information to be saved and remembered for generations to come.  It is an interactive art form in which the storytellers’ passion for the story, material, and information, is passed on to the audience, who sorts through, interprets, stores, and synthesizes what is heard.

Prepare:

Teachers, please read this to your students.

Today we're going to enjoy a performance about dinosaurs.  A storyteller is coming to tell us stories about dinosaurs.  We know that dinosaurs once roamed the earth, but now they are no longer here. They are extinct.  There are different theories about how they became extinct.  Sometimes the storyteller will ask for volunteers.  Remember not everyone can be chosen to come up on the stage, but we all can enjoy the fun.  Remember to raise your hand without speaking out if she asks for a helper.

Warm Up Questions to set the stage for engaging students:

When did dinosaurs live?
Where did dinosaurs live?
Are dinosaurs still around?
Why do you think dinosaurs are extinct?
Name and describe your favorite dinosaur.
Do you think you would like to have had a dinosaur for a pet?

Some vocabulary words to review before performance:
dinosaur--terrible lizard
vegetarian--one who lives on plants
carnivorous--a meat eater
tyrannosaurus rex--legendary king of the dinosaurs, a carnivore who walked on two legs
pternadon--also pteradactyl, flying dinosaur supposed to be the predecessor of birds
triceratops--three horned , plant eating dinosaur who supposedly was one of the last to die off
stegosaurus--a "tank" dinosaur, plant eater, who probably killed most of his opponents with his spiked tail
prehistoric--before written history
extinct--a species no longer living

Reflect:

Read about some types of dinosaurs, the most common ones for example.
Do you have a dino expert in your class?
Bring dinosaur models and toys from home.
Watch Disney’s DINOSAURS.
Watch Disney’s first FANTASIA.
Watch Spielberg’s LAND BEFORE TIME.
Discuss what you think happened to all the dinosaurs.  Make up stories and act them out or write them down and illustrate them.  Make up a class story.
Make up a new dinosaur and describe what he looked like, where he lived, what he ate, how big he was, what happened to him.
Talk about what it would be like if dinosaurs still roamed the earth.

Resources:

Shields, Carol Diggory. SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE DINOSAUR STOMP.
Schnetzler, Pattie.  TEN LITTLE DINOSAURS.
Puffin Books.  THE WORLD UNFOLDS:  DINOSAUR.
Johnson, Jinny.  DINOSAUR SKELETONS AND OTHER PREHISTORIC ANIMALS.
Learning Horizons.  DINOSAURS FACT PACK.
Stickland, Paul.  TEN TERRIBLE DINOSAURS.
Kellogg, Steven.  THE MYSTERIOUS TADPOLE.
Nelson, Ray, Jr.  A DINOSAUR ATE MY HOMEWORK.
Forte, Imogene.  DINOSAURS:  Facts, Fun, and Fantastic Crafts
Wahl, Jay.  I MET A DINOSAUR.
Fleischman, Paul. TIME TRAIN.
Butterworth, Oliver. THE ENORMOUS EGG.
Greenfield, Eloise.  I CAN DRAW A WEEPOSAUR AND OTHER DINOSAURS
Yolen, Jane.  HOW DO DINOSAURS SLEEP?  WHAT DO DINOSAURS EAT?

QCC's:  Kindergarten Language Arts:  2, 4, 6; Kindergarten science: 13