L4 - U19 - Lesson 1 - Dinosaurs

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ESL Unit: Dinosaurs – Level 4 (Pre-Intermediate A2)

Engaging and Interactive ESL Lessons Exploring the World of Dinosaurs!

About This ESL Unit

Take your ESL students on a fascinating journey through the prehistoric world of dinosaurs! This Level 4 unit from SuperEnglishESL.com is designed to build vocabulary, improve reading comprehension, and reinforce grammar skills while sparking curiosity about the past. Covering carnivorous dinosaurs, gentle herbivores, flying reptiles, and marine giants, students will gain a well-rounded understanding of prehistoric life.

Teachers will love these engaging, structured lessons that require minimal prep time and provide fun, interactive learning opportunities. With role-playing exercises, games, and real-life applications, this unit makes language learning both effective and exciting for ESL students.


Lesson Overviews

Lesson 1: Fearsome Meat-Eaters

Students discover famous carnivorous dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptors, and Spinosaurus, learning about their hunting habits and unique features.

Warm-up: Vocabulary guessing game
Reading & Discussion: T-Rex, Spinosaurus, Velociraptors, and Allosaurus
Vocabulary Focus: jaw, tear off, agile, chomp
Grammar & Sentence Structures: Past simple vs. present simple tense
Pronunciation/Phonics: ‘-cious’ and ‘-tious’ suffixes (e.g., delicious, ambitious)
Interactive Elements: Role-playing as dinosaur experts
Real-Life Applications: Discussing animals today with similar features


Lesson 2: Peaceful Plant-Eaters

Students learn about Brachiosaurus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, and Hadrosaurs, focusing on how these gentle giants lived and protected themselves.

Warm-up: Naming game (plants, animals, landscapes)
Reading & Discussion: The life and defense strategies of plant-eating dinosaurs
Vocabulary Focus: gentle, spikes, slice, calm
Grammar & Sentence Structures: Verb tense review (past, present, future)
Pronunciation/Phonics: ‘-cious’ and ‘-tious’ words (e.g., vicious, nutritious)
Interactive Elements: Fact vs. Fiction dinosaur discussion
Real-Life Applications: Comparing modern-day herbivores with dinosaurs


Lesson 3: Flying Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Birds

This lesson introduces Pterodactylus, Quetzalcoatlus, Archaeopteryx, and Anurognathus, exploring the evolution of flying reptiles and early birds.

Warm-up: “Guess the Flying Creature”
Reading & Discussion: Characteristics and adaptations of flying reptiles
Vocabulary Focus: dwell, soar, blend, original
Grammar & Sentence Structures: Using past tense to describe past events
Pronunciation/Phonics: Words with ‘-ous’ and ‘-ious’ endings (e.g., gracious, cautious)
Interactive Elements: “Design Your Own Flying Dinosaur” activity
Real-Life Applications: Comparing ancient flying creatures to modern birds


Lesson 4: Dinosaurs of the Ocean

Students dive into the prehistoric seas, learning about Elasmosaurus, Mosasaurus, Ichthyosaurus, and Liopleurodon, their feeding habits, and survival strategies.

Warm-up: Opposites game (e.g., big/small, fast/slow)
Reading & Discussion: Exploring marine reptiles and their adaptations
Vocabulary Focus: aquatic, razor, beast, skull
Grammar & Sentence Structures: Adjective order and comparative forms
Pronunciation/Phonics: Hard and soft ‘c’ sounds (e.g., conscious, suspicious)
Interactive Elements: “Survival in the Ocean” role-play
Real-Life Applications: Comparing prehistoric ocean creatures to modern marine life


Lesson 5: Dinosaur Review & Assessment

A comprehensive review of all vocabulary, sentence structures, and phonics from the unit.

Warm-up: Odd-one-out game (choosing the unrelated word)
Assessment Tasks:

  • Identifying dinosaurs and their traits
  • Completing sentences with the correct vocabulary
  • Reading comprehension questions
  • Grammar and verb tense review
    Interactive Elements: Sentence-building games, multiple-choice quiz
    Real-Life Applications: Discussing what we can learn from fossils and dinosaur history

Who Is This Unit For?

Pre-Intermediate ESL learners (A2) in classrooms, online lessons, or homeschool settings
1:1 tutoring or small group lessons for kids or young learners
ESL teachers looking for structured, engaging, and low-prep lesson plans


Downloadable Materials

📌 Lesson Previews & Worksheets
🎲 Games & Interactive Activities
📚 Reading Passages & Vocabulary Exercises
🔊 Phonics & Pronunciation Drills


Teacher Tips

💡 Use dinosaur toys or pictures to make lessons more engaging
💡 Encourage storytelling – let students describe “a day in the life” of a dinosaur
💡 Compare dinosaurs to modern animals for real-world connections


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