FINCHOSAURUS:Dino-themed Activities for Readers

Best Users: Librarians, Educators, After School Organizations, Families, Budding Paleontologists, Home Learners
Best Audience: Children Grades 02-05

 

ACTIVITIES

In the novel Finchosaurus by Gail Donovan (Islandport Press), 10-year-old Finch knows absolutely everything there is to know about dinosaurs. Do you know any budding paleontologists?

Engage Readers with Dinosaur Trivia Cards
Invite your readers to test their dino-knowledge with a set of 20 trivia cards and score sheets. For either solo or group play, your readers can invent their own game or challenge.
DOWNLOAD Finchosaurus Triviasaurus (PDF)

Write a T-Rex Acrostic Poem
In class, Finch struggles to write an acrostic poem with the letters of his name. Thinking it would be easier to write an acrostic poem with a dinosaur name (as he knows more about dinosaurs then he does about himself), we created this T-Rex acrostic activity sheet.
DOWNLOAD Finchosaurus Acrosticsaurus (PDF)

Make a Wish
While hoping to dig up a fossil, Finch instead uncovers a buried scrap of paper. On the paper is one single word. Is the buried note a wish? Explore wishes and how they are nurtured and realized with this activity.
DOWNLOAD Finchosaurus Wishosaurus (PDF)

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Finchosaurus
By Gail Donovan
Published by Islandport Press
ISBN-13:9781944762551
Age Range: 7-10 Years

Finch has trouble paying attention in school. He’s just too busy dreaming about uncovering a dinosaur fossil and naming a new species after himself—until he digs up a note in the fifth-grade class garden with the word HELP on it. He is determined to come to the aid of the mystery note-writer. But when the quest turns out to be harder than expected, Finch risks losing two things that he really wants—his best friend Noah, and a field trip to Dinosaur State Park.

Acclaimed author Gail Donovan gets inside the hearts and minds of fifth graders on this journey told with unexpected humor and impressive insight.

“A 10-year-old wannabe paleontologist finds his life transformed after unearthing a buried message. Finch loves dinosaurs and digging for fossils. Unable to “settle down” the way adults would like him to, Finch has received “special services” in school since first grade but resents needing “extra help.” A bouncy ball seat arranged by his fifth-grade teacher provides a partial outlet for his fidgety energy, enabling him to manage without “extra help.” When Finch digs up a piece of paper containing the single word “Help” in the school garden, he has an opportunity to become the kid giving help instead of the kid getting it. He doggedly embarks on a solo mission to discover who buried the note, eventually including others in his quest by identifying classmates with problems and surreptitiously encouraging kids to help one another. However, Finch spends so much time helping others he jeopardizes completing fifth grade and attending the class trip to Dinosaur State Park unless he’s willing to accept some help. Told in the third person, Finch’s metamorphosis from a supercharged kid obsessed with digging and dinosaurs to a focused “helper-kid” proves challenging and convincing. Savvy special-service providers, supportive parents, and diverse classmates (Finch is white) add depth. A playful flip-art cartoon feature reinforces the dinosaur theme. An amusing, empowering tale that should appeal especially to middle schoolers with abundant energy. (Fiction. 8-12)”
—Kirkus Reviews