Digging into Data About Dinosaurs (4–5 years)
Text on screen: Digging into Data About Dinosaurs (4–5 years).
Logo: Count, play, explore—for early education.
On screen: An educator sits at a table with a group of children, leading an activity. Plastic toy dinosaurs are arranged in front of the children. The educator picks up two dinosaurs with wings as she speaks.
Educator: So, we're gonna have three groups. You need to take your dinosaurs. I ended up with two of these. I'm going to make the flying dinosaurs here. I'm going to make the two-legged walkers there. Why don't we make the four-legged walkers there? Can you put yours in the groups?
On screen: The educator puts her two flying dinosaurs into a group on one side of the table. She points to two other areas on the table for the four-legged and two-legged dinosaurs. As the children sort their dinosaurs into the groups, one child holds up a dinosaur with flippers.
Child 1: But what about the swimming ones?
Educator: Oh, that is a good question. Where do you think he ought to go? With walking on four legs? Walking on two legs? Or not walking?
On screen: The educator points to each group on the table as she speaks.
Child 1: It doesn’t have legs, it only has flippers.
Educator: Or not walking?
Child 2: It has flippers. Educator: Does he walk? Child 2: No.
Educator: Where should he go? Where should he go? With the four-leggers? Walk-on-two-leggers? Or the ones that do not walk?
Child 1: Do not walk.
On screen: The child hands the dinosaur with flippers to the eduator, and she adds it to the group of dinosaurs that do not walk. All dinosaurs are now sorted into the three groups.
Educator: We need to move from the real dinosaurs here, to making a pictograph. We're going to use pictures of dinosaurs. Look.
On screen: The educator directs the children’s attention to a pinboard. Across the top are three pictures of each type of dinosaur: a four-legged dinosaur, a two-legged dinosaur, and a dinosaur with wings (that does not walk). Another pinboard is filled with unsorted, blue dinosaur pictographs – one for each toy dinosaur.
Educator: I'm going to do this group. Let's count them. How many?
On screen: The educator slides the group of dinosaurs that do not walk in front of her and holds each one up as they count.
Children: One, two, three, four, five.
Educator: So, I have five dinosaurs that do not walk, for the most part, right?
On screen: The educator walks to the pinboards. She takes one of the blue pictographs and pretends to pin it on the pinboard under the picture of the two and four-legged dinosaurs.
Educator: I'm going to take the dinosaur and put it under this one?
Children: No.
Educator: This one?
Children: No.
Educator: Which one?
Children: That one.
On screen: The children point to the picture of the dinosaur with wings, and the educator pins the pictograph underneath.
Educator: That one. I need to have the same number here of blue dinosaurs, as I have here.
On screen: The educator gestures to the picture on the pinboard of the dinosaur that does not walk, then to the group of toy dinosaurs on the table.
Zia: Get, like, um…
On screen: The educator pins another pictograph under the picture of the dinosaur that does not walk, creating a column.
Educator: Do I need more?
Zia: Yeah.
On screen: The educator continues moving pictographs one by one into the column.
Educator: Yeah? You tell me when to stop, Zia
Zia: Stop.
On screen: Zia says stop once the educator has added five pictographs to the column.
Educator: Stop. You think this is the same? Okay. Landon, I need you to put up the right amount of dinosaurs to match her number. How many did she have?
Landon: Four.
Educator: Come do it.
On screen: The child pins four pictographs under the picture of the two-legged dinosaur. Moments later, three children are pin pictographs under the picture of the four-legged dinosaur. As the three children take turns pinning the pictographs, they say the number they are on.
Child 2: Nine.
Educator: Nine?
Child 3: 10.
Educator: 10. He was 10, how many will you be?
Child 3: 11.
Educator: 11.
On screen: A still photo briefly shows the educator standing next to the completed graph. Next, the children observe the completed graph and answer the educator’s questions.
Educator: I want you to look up here. Which one has the most?
Child 4: 15.
Educator: 15. The four-legged walkers? Which one had the least?
Children: Two-legged.
Educator: Two-legged walkers. How many more two-legged walkers would we need to make the no-legged walkers, the flyers and… how many more?
Children: One.
On screen: The educator points first to the column of dinosaurs with wings, then to the column with two-legged dinosaurs.
Educator: One more. Or how many of these would we have to take away to get this side?
Children: One.
On screen: The educator removes one of the pictographs from the column of dinosaurs with wings.
Educator: One. Could we do that? And then we could say that these two are what?
Children: Equal.
Educator: Equal.
Text on screen: A special thanks to the children, families, and staff at Ocean View Elementary School, without whose help these videos would not have been possible.
Logo: Count, play, explore—for early education.