When Jack and Annie discover the Magic Tree House and are whisked back to the prehistoric past, they must figure out how to get home before dark or risk becoming a dinosaur's dinner. Sunset of the Sabertooth Jack and Annie almost freeze when the Magic Tree House takes them to the time of cave people and woolly mammoths, but nothing can stop them from having another thrilling adventure. Pre-Reading Activities Ask students to think about how they imagine life in prehistoric times. Point out that there might similarities between how dinosaurs and early people survived, including how and what they ate, and the type of shelter they sought. Have students think about how dinosaurs became extinct.
Many scientists think dinosaurs died from large glaciers or even a comet hitting the earth.
When Jack and Annie are whisked off to the time of the dinosaurs, they find themselves in the Cretaceous Period, the last part of the Mesozoic Era, whose ending is marked by the great extinction of the dinosaur population 65 million years ago. Details provided in the story help to paint a picture of this post-Jurassic period, which, for 80 million years, provided a nourishing environment for its many reptilian inhabitants. Highlight how distinguishing physical characteristics enabled them to draw on aspects of their environment to survive as plant or meat eaters. Divide the class into groups. Using a cardboard box with its front cut out, have each bring the Cretaceous Period to three-dimensional life through the construction of a diorama.