Image of Trex chasing a triceratops into a cave
Art by Owen Richardson
Time Machine,

A Day as a Dino King

Travel back in time, millions of years ago, to the age of the dinosaurs!

By Jess McKenna-Ratjen
From the September 2025 Issue
Lexiles: 500L-600L; Easier Level
Featured Skill: Knowledge Building,

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Gurgle. Grumble. GROWL. Your empty stomach wakes you up. 

Your eyes, as big as softballs, slowly open. It’s a hot afternoon. The air feels thick and muggy. You open your mouth, revealing 60 giant teeth—each about the size of a banana! Your jaws are three times stronger than those of a great white shark. (You could crush a car in a single bite!)

All around, insects buzz and birds chirp. There are no roads, buildings, or houses. That’s because there won’t be any humans around to build them for a very long time. 

Where are you? You’re on Earth,
66 million years ago. And you’re one of the most powerful creatures ever to walk the planet: a Tyrannosaurus rex!

Gurgle. Grumble. GROWL. Your stomach is empty. It wakes you up. 

Your eyes open. They’re as big as softballs. It’s a hot afternoon. The air feels thick and muggy. You open your mouth. You show your 60 giant teeth. They’re each about the size of a banana! Your jaws are strong. They’re about three times stronger than the jaws of a great white shark. (You could crush a car in a single bite!)

Insects buzz and birds chirp. There are no roads, buildings, or houses. That’s because humans won’t be around to build them for a very long time. 

Where are you? You’re on Earth. It’s 66 million years ago. And you’re one of the most powerful creatures ever to walk the planet. You’re a Tyrannosaurus rex!

A Rotten Meal

A Rotten Meal

OSAKAWAYNE STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES

Grumble. Growl. Your stomach rumbles again. You set out to search for a meal. At 40 feet long and 15,000 pounds, you’re about the size and weight of a school bus! Your massive tail helps you stay steady on your feet as you march along. 

Your sharp eyes spot something moving in the shadows. A tiny, ratlike animal scurries by. Could that be lunch? No, it’s far too small for your giant appetite. It takes loads of calories a day to fill up a carnivore, or meat eater, like you: more than 1,000 hamburger patties’ worth of meat!

A deliciously sour scent floats through the air. Mmmm. There’s rotting meat nearby. When it comes to food, you’re not picky—you’ll happily eat fresh meat or finish another dinosaur’s leftovers. Yum!

Grumble. Growl. Your stomach rumbles again. You need to look for a meal. You’re 40 feet long and 15,000 pounds. That’s about the size and weight of a school bus! Your huge tail helps you stay on your feet. You start walking.  

Your sharp eyes see something moving in the shadows. A tiny animal runs by. Could that be lunch? No, it’s too small for you. It takes a lot of calories a day to fill you up. You’re a carnivore, or meat eater. It takes more than 1,000 hamburger patties’ worth of meat to keep you full! 

You smell something deliciously sour in the air. Mmmm. There’s rotting meat nearby. You’re not picky. You are happy to eat fresh meat. Or you’ll finish another dinosaur’s leftovers. Yum! 

On the Hunt

On the Hunt

BOOM! BOOM! Your weight shakes the ground as you stomp through the forest. Your killer claws dig into the earth. The hot air feels thick on the scales and feathers along your back. 

Finally, you see it: a nice hunk of stinking meat. But you’re not alone. Birdlike dinosaurs are already there, pecking at the remains! Annoyed, you snap at the small creatures. 

There is not enough meat left for you. You’ll have to keep looking. Luckily, you spot a mighty dinosaur: a Triceratops (try-SEHR-uh-tahps). It’s munching on leaves in a nearby field. You must be careful when hunting this creature. Three sharp horns poke from the top of its head. One jab could be deadly. But you’re hungry enough to risk it.

You hide in the shadows of the forest, waiting for the right moment to strike. The Triceratops steps closer to you. Now is your chance! You lunge forward . . . but the dinosaur hears you. It moves away just in time. 

Thump! You fall to the ground, and the Triceratops gets away. You’ll have to find something else to eat in order to survive another day.

BOOM! BOOM! You walk through the forest. Your weight shakes the ground. Your sharp claws dig into the dirt. The air feels hot on the scales and feathers on your back. 

Finally, you see a nice piece of stinking meat. But you’re not alone. Small dinosaurs are already there. They are picking at the meat! You’re annoyed at the small dinosaurs.

There is not enough meat left for you. You’ll have to keep looking. Luckily, you spot a big dinosaur. It’s a Triceratops (try-SEHR-uh-tahps). It’s eating leaves in a field close by. You need to be careful when hunting this dinosaur. There are three sharp horns on the top of its head. One poke could be deadly. It’s risky. But you’re hungry enough to try.

You hide in the forest. You wait for the right moment. The Triceratops steps closer to you. Now is your chance! You jump forward. But the dinosaur hears you. It moves away just in time. 

Thump! You fall to the ground. The Triceratops gets away. You’ll have to find something else to eat in order to survive another day.

Amazing Dinosaurs

Amazing Dinosaurs

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Years later, a giant space rock will crash into Earth. The explosion will cause dinosaurs—and many other creatures—to die out for good. 

Over time, your bones will get buried under water, rocks, and mud. They’ll harden into fossils. Millions of years later, humans will uncover these bones. They’ll study them to learn about amazing dinosaurs like you.

But for now, you continue to search for your next meal, thundering through the forest as the dinosaur king. 

Years later, a giant space rock will crash into Earth. The crash will cause dinosaurs to die out for good. It will also kill many other creatures.   

Time will pass. Your bones will get buried under water, rocks, and mud. They’ll turn hard and become fossils. Humans will find these bones after millions of years. They’ll study them to learn about amazing dinosaurs like you.

But for now, you search for your next meal. You continue stomping through the forest as the dinosaur king. 

Dino Discoveries

Dino Discoveries

Here’s what scientists have learned about T. rex so far!

Rumble, Not Roar

Instead of a roar, scientists think T. rex made a low rumbling noise, similar to that of a crocodile.

Rumble, Not Roar

Instead of a roar, scientists think T. rex made a low rumbling noise, similar to that of a crocodile.

Fuzzy Feathers

Experts think T. rex was likely covered in feathers that helped keep it warm.

Fuzzy Feathers

Experts think T. rex was likely covered in feathers that helped keep it warm.

Related to . . . 

T. rex’s closest modern relativesare birds, like chickens!

Related to . . . 

T. rex’s closest modern relatives are birds, like chickens!

THINK AND WRITE

Would you want to be a T. rex for a day? Using details from the article, write a paragraph explaining why or why not.

THINK AND WRITE

Would you want to be a T. rex for a day? Using details from the article, write a paragraph explaining why or why not.

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Can't Miss Teaching Extras

BOOM! What’s that? It’s a mighty titanosaur—another giant dinosaur who once roamed Earth. Meet him and other fascinating creatures in “Journey to the Time of the Dinosaurs.”

Meet two other amazing dinosaurs in our Paired Texts “Big Dino and Little Dino.”

What’s that smell? It’s dinosaur poop! Students can practice essential paragraph-writing skills while learning fun facts in “The Amazing Secrets of Dinosaur Poop.”

Search for fossils in “Finding a Giant,” a play about a boy who grew up to discover one of Earth’s biggest dinosaurs.

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
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Table of Contents

1. Preparing to Read

2. Close Reading

3. Skill Building and Writing

1. Preparing to Read

Set a Purpose for Reading

  • Ask students to predict what this article will be about based on the headline, subhead, and image on pages 20-21. Review the predictions after reading.

  • To provide your students with helpful background information on dinosaurs, play the video “When Dinosaurs Roamed the Earth.”

Preview Text Features and Vocabulary

  • Before reading, point out the terms muggy (hot and humid), revealing (showing), scurries (moves quickly), hunk (a large piece of something), pecking (striking or biting with a beak), and jab (a quick, sharp blow) and review their definitions. Go over any other vocabulary terms that may be challenging for your students. 

  • Point out the photographs on pages 20-22. Ask students to call out any details they notice about the images.

2. Close Reading

  • Read the article as a class or have students follow along as they listen to the audio Read-Aloud. 

  • Project or assign the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions.

  • You may challenge students to either underline or highlight any details that are specific (or unique) to the particular time or place visited in the Time Machine.

Close-Reading Questions

  • Read the introduction. What are you? You’re one of the most powerful creatures ever to walk the planet, a Tyrannosaurus rex. (key details, point of view)
  • Read the introduction. Where are you? What’s it like there? You’re on Earth, 66 million years ago. It’s hot and muggy. Insects buzz and birds chirp. There aren’t any roads, buildings, or houses. (setting)
  • Read the section “A Rotten Meal.” What do you need to do each day to stay alive? You need to find food each day to stay alive. It takes more than 1,000 hamburger patties’ worth of meat to fill you up. (problem and solution)
  • Read the section “On the Hunt.” How do you try to hunt a Triceratops? You try to hunt a Triceratops by hiding in the shadows of the forest. You wait for the right moment to strike and then lunge forward. (key details)
  • Read the section “Amazing Dinosaurs.” What will happen to you and other dinosaurs in the future? In the future, a giant space rock will crash into Earth. It will cause dinosaurs to die out for good. Your bones will get buried under water, rocks, and mud, and will harden into fossils. These fossils will still be around millions of years later, when humans will uncover the fossils in the ground. (cause and effect) 
  • Look at the sidebar on page 22. What is one discovery scientists have made about T. rex? Answers will vary, but may include: Scientists have made a discovery that T. rex likely made a low rumbling noise, similar to the sound a crocodile makes, instead of a roar. (text features, key details)

Critical-Thinking Question

  • The following question can be shared in printable or interactive form from the Resources tab.
  • Would you want to travel to the time of the dinosaurs? Use details from the article to support your answer. Answers will vary. Sample responses: Yes, because it would be very exciting. I would see different types of dinosaurs that nobody has ever seen in person. Earth would look very different than it does today because there wouldn’t be any roads or buildings. 
  • No, because it would be very risky. Many of the dinosaurs are huge and dangerous. 
    A T. rex is about the size of a school bus. It has 60 giant teeth that are each the size of a banana. A Triceratops has three sharp horns poking from the top of its head. (supporting an opinion)

3. Skill Building and Writing

Featured Skill: Knowledge Building

  • Discuss and assign the writing assignment in the Think and Write box on page 22. 

  • Distribute our Where Should We Go Next? Skill Builder and have students complete it in class or for homework.

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