Teacher guide · Think Lab · Medium · about 60 min
🦖 Dino Park Rangers
Pupils practise problem solving and curiosity through "Dino Park Rangers": Run a dinosaur park: dig fossils, plan enclosures and keep visitors safe.
Lesson guide
1. Hook · 5 min
Show the 🦖 mission title and read the opening: "Fossil dig! What can the bones tell you?". Take three quick guesses.
2. Model · 5 min
Think aloud through the first step together. Use Cog the Owl's line as your prompt: "Good thinking. Show me the why."
3. Do · 35 min
Pairs work through the 8 steps on screen or on the printed sheet. Circulate and ask "why?"
4. Discuss · 10 min
Use two or three of the discussion questions. Ask pairs to share different answers, not just correct ones.
5. Reflect · 5 min
Exit ticket: one sentence on how they used problem solving today.
Discussion questions
- What was the hardest choice in "Dino Park Rangers", and why?
- What did this dinosaur eat — explain your reasoning to a partner.
- Why did you choose those things? What did you leave out — explain your reasoning to a partner.
- A fence breaks! First thing to do — explain your reasoning to a partner.
- Where could you use problem solving outside school this week?
- If you did this again, what would you change?
Adapting it
Support: Read prompts aloud, pair with a confident partner, and accept spoken or drawn answers for writing steps.
Stretch: Ask pupils to create their own extra step for a partner and explain the correct answer.
Curriculum links
- National Curriculum: Maths: reasoning mathematically and problem solving
- National Curriculum: Computing: logical reasoning and algorithms
- PSHE: Living in the wider world: making decisions and evaluating choices
Pupil sheet
🦖 Dino Park Rangers
Name: ____________________ Date: __________
1. Fossil dig! What can the bones tell you?
Clue — Teeth: Long, sharp and curved.
Clue — Legs: Two strong back legs, tiny arms.
Clue — Size: As long as a bus.
2. What did this dinosaur eat?
☐ Leaves
☐ Meat
☐ Rocks
3. Match dinosaur to fact.
Stegosaurus → ________________
Triceratops → ________________
Brachiosaurus → ________________
Pterodactyl → ________________
4. Build the park — £50k, at least 4 things.
Budget: £50
☐ Strong fences — £15
☐ Visitor café — £10
☐ Vet centre — £12
☐ Viewing tower — £8
☐ Gift shop — £6
☐ Safety signs — £3
Total spent: £______
5. Why did you choose those things? What did you leave out?
6. A fence breaks! First thing to do?
☐ Move visitors to safety
☐ Sell tickets
☐ Take photos
7. Order the dinosaur timeline (oldest first).
___ Cretaceous
___ Dinosaurs go extinct
___ Jurassic
___ Triassic
8. Write a welcome sign for your park.