Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark — Chapter 4

About This Passage

These short sentences show how a child can describe something completely new by comparing it to something she already knows. Annie has never touched a pteranodon — but she has touched her dog Henry. So she uses her old experience (Henry the dog) to make sense of her new experience (the prehistoric creature). Jack does not agree. Young writers will practice using 'feels like' to compare two things, and will see how dialogue can be punctuated with COMMAS, periods, and quotation marks.

Narration Prompt

Tell someone what happened in this chapter in order. When you get to the most important part, slow down and tell it carefully — what happened, why it mattered, and what you think about it.

Discussion Questions

1. Annie names the pteranodon HENRY, after her dog at home. Was that a good way to make the strange creature feel less scary, or was Annie pretending it was the same as her dog when it really was not? What in the chapter helps you decide?
2. Jack writes in his notebook 'Small brain' about the pteranodon. But then the creature acts smart — he understands Annie, stays calm, and tilts his head when Jack speaks. Was Jack's note about the small brain WRONG? What does this tell us about figuring things out from a book versus from real life?

+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide