Dandridge Elementary’s second graders recently traveled millions of years into the past—without ever leaving their classrooms—during a much-anticipated Dinosaur Day celebration. Spearheaded by teachers Kay Surratt and Becky Williams, the immersive learning experience brought science, reading, and math together in a fun and memorable way.

Although Dinosaur Day is traditionally tied to the Benchmark text A Dinosaur Named Sue, this year’s winter weather caused the unit to fall during a stretch of snow days. Rather than skip the experience, teachers chose to move the celebration to the end of the school year, giving students something exciting to look forward to—and it was well worth the wait. Classrooms were transformed into prehistoric landscapes, with walls covered in vibrant dinosaur scenes that set the stage for a day of exploration. Students fully embraced their roles as young scientists by wearing pith helmets, creating the feeling of a real-life fossil dig adventure.

Throughout the day, students participated in a variety of engaging, cross-curricular activities. A virtual field trip introduced them to the world of paleontology, where they learned about fossils, extinction, and how scientists study ancient life. They applied reading skills by gathering text evidence from passages and conducting simple research, while math center games added another layer of hands-on learning. The excitement was evident as students eagerly took part in each activity, and the experience sparked new interests for many. Several second graders even shared that they now hope to become paleontologists when they grow up.