In this reading comprehension worksheet about the world of the dinosaurs, you are going to find ESL reading exercises that will help elementary (A2) students improve their reading skills, use context clues and answer questions about the text they are reading.
Join our mailing list to receive a free ESL teaching resource every week.
Preparation Notes for the Teacher
Required time: 45 min
To prepare: Flashcards game “Cross the River”
Prepare flashcards with the names of the 6 dinosaurs presented in Exercise A below: Brachiosaurus, Giganotosaurus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, T-Rex, and Velociraptor. Use these for the flashcards game in Exercise C.
Place the flashcards on the floor in a winding manner. Each flashcard, i.e, a dinosaur, is a stepping stone. A student steps on the flashcard and must say 1-2 facts about the dinosaur that they have memorized from the lesson.to cross the river. You can also print out a double set of flashcards, divide students into 2 groups and make a competition on who will cross the river first.
The World of Dinosaurs
In this ESL Dinosaur reading comprehension worksheet, you will read about 6 types of dinosaurs and learn where and when did they live on Earth, how they looked like, and what kind of food they ate.
What do you know about dinosaurs? Can you name a few? Discuss briefly with your teacher and the class, then answer the questions in Exercise A and Exercise B.
Read the questions before answering to make sure you understand them.
EXERCISE A. Reading Comprehension
1. Read the text carefully, then answer the questions in Exercise A and Exercise B.
The World of Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs lived on planet Earth millions of years ago in the Era of the Dinosaurs. They were the biggest animals in the world. Some of them were huge, like school buses, and others were small, like baby elephants. Some dinosaurs ate only meat and others were vegetarians and ate only plants. There were 700 different kinds of dinosaurs in the world. Dinosaurs lived on all continents. Now let’s read and learn more about these 6 kinds of dinosaurs!
1. BRACHIOSAURUS – The name of this dinosaur means “arm lizard”. It lived 145 million years ago in North America and Tanzania. It was 13 meters tall and ate only plants.
2. GIGANOTOSAURUS – The name of this dinosaur means “giant reptile”. It lived 100 million years ago in Argentina. It was 14 meters tall and ate only meat.
3. STEGOSAURUS – The name of this dinosaur means “roof lizard” because it has tiny roofs on the back. It lived 140 million years ago in the USA, India, Mongolia, Europe, and Africa. It was 3 meters tall and ate only plants.
4. TRICERATOPS – The name of this dinosaur means “three-horned face” because it had 3 horns. It lived 72 million years ago in the USA and Canada. It was 3 meters tall and ate only plants.
5. T-REX – The name of this dinosaur means “tyrant lizard king” because it was the most dangerous and deadly dinosaur! It lived 85 million years ago in the USA, Mongolia, and Canada. It was 6 meters tall, and could eat 230 kg of meat in one bite!
6. VELOCIRAPTOR – The name of this dinosaur means “speedy thief” because it was very fast and could run up to 60 km per hour! It lived 80 million years ago in Mongolia, China, and Russia. It was 1 meter tall and ate only meat.
2. Match the images (A-F) with the correct descriptions in the text (1-6). Write the name of each dinosaur (1-6) under the correct image.
EXERCISE B. Have got (affirmative, negative, questions)
3. Complete the blanks with ‘have got’-‘has got’/ ‘haven’t got’-‘hasn’t got’. Check your answers in the text in Exercise A.
a) The “arm lizard” ___________________ wings.
b) The Giganotosaurus and the T-Rex ___________________ a big body, and they are strong.
c) The Stegosaurus ___________________ tiny roofs on the back.
d) The Triceratops ___________________ 2 horns.
e) The “speedy thief” ___________________ short legs, but it can run very fast.
f) All the dinosaurs ___________________ tails.
4. Make questions with the “have got” form, then answer them correctly. Check your answers in the text in Exercise A.
a) _______________ the Triceratops _______________ three horns?
Answer: _____________________________________________.
b) _______________ the T-Rex and the Velociraptor _______________ tails?
Answer: _____________________________________________.
c) ______________ the Brachiosaurus _______________ a long tail?
Answer: _____________________________________________.
d)______________ the Stegosaurus _______________ horns on the back?
Answer: _____________________________________________.
C. Game: Cross the River
Place the flashcards on the floor in a winding manner. Each flashcard, i.e, a dinosaur, is a stepping stone.
A student steps on the flashcard and must say 1-2 facts about the dinosaur that they have memorized from the lesson to cross the river.
You can also use a double set of flashcards, divide into 2 groups and make a competition on who will cross the river first.
Download this worksheet (including key) as a Word document to print it and use it in your lessons.
