Dinosaurs Before Dark Comprehension Questions & Reading Journal
4.6 out of 5, (16 ratings on Open Library)
Dinosaurs Before Dark has 10 chapters · Grades 1–2 · 80 pages
Book 1 of the Magic Tree House series
Eight-year-old Jack and his younger sister Annie find a magic treehouse, which whisks them back to an ancient time zone where they see live dinosaurs.
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Inside the journal: 10 chapter pages, one question each · 3 example answers · a cover for your reader’s name
Chapter by chapter Each question is about its own chapter.
Annie runs into the woods and Jack follows, even though he wants to go home. Why do you think Jack goes after her?See all 10 questions ↓
About the book
Eight-year-old Jack and his younger sister Annie find a magic treehouse, which whisks them back to an ancient time zone where they see live dinosaurs.
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Dinosaurs Before Dark questions by chapter
We know this book well. Every question asks about something that happens in its chapter, a moment, a choice or a character, without giving away what comes next. One question per chapter, across all 10 chapters, and every one is editable before you print. The example answers under 3 of the chapters are the ones printed at the front of the booklet.
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Chapter 1
Annie runs into the woods and Jack follows, even though he wants to go home. Why do you think Jack goes after her?
Example answer: I think Jack goes after Annie because he is her big brother and he wants to keep her safe. He says they should go home, but he doesn’t want to leave her alone in the woods. I would follow my sister too, even if I was a little annoyed.
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Chapter 2
Jack makes a wish while looking at a picture in a book. What happens right after he says it? How would you feel?
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Chapter 3
Annie climbs down to meet the Pteranodon while Jack stays in the tree house and reads. Which one are you more like, and why?
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Chapter 4
Jack checks his book before going near the Triceratops. Why is that a smart thing to do? What does he find out?
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Chapter 5
Jack finds something shiny in the grass. What is it, and what questions does it give you?
Example answer: Jack finds a gold medallion in the grass. It has the letter M on it. I wonder who lost it and how it got all the way back to dinosaur times. Maybe someone else used the tree house before Jack and Annie did.
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Chapter 6
The big duck-billed dinosaur seems scary at first. How does Annie handle it? What does Jack do?
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Chapter 7
Jack goes back for his pack instead of running straight to the tree house. Was that a good choice? Why or why not?
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Chapter 8
Jack is stuck and can’t get to the tree house. What does he do to stay safe? What would you have done?
Example answer: Jack hides in the tall grass and stays very still so the Tyrannosaurus won’t see him. He also thinks about what his book says. I would have hidden too, and I would try really hard not to make a sound.
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Chapter 9
Jack gets help from a surprising friend in this chapter. Who helps him, and how did Annie’s kindness earlier pay off?
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Chapter 10
Back home, hardly any time has passed. What do Jack and Annie decide to keep secret? What do you think the letter M means?
Discussion questions for after Dinosaurs Before Dark
Bigger questions for when the book is finished, each printed on its own ruled page at the end of the booklet.
- Jack likes to read and take notes, and Annie likes to jump right in. How did each of them help on this adventure? Give an example for each.
- If you could wish your way into any book, which book would you pick, and what would you want to see first?
Next in Magic Tree House
All 17 →-
Book 2
The Knight at Dawn
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Book 3
Mummies in the Morning
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Book 4
Magic Tree House #4
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Book 4
Pirates Past Noon
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Book 5
Night of the Ninjas
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Book 6
Afternoon on the Amazon
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How to use this Dinosaurs Before Dark reading journal
At home, as a discussion guide
After each chapter your reader writes a few lines on that chapter’s question. Read the answer together at bedtime: it shows what they understood and gives you something real to talk about, without a quiz.
In class, as a novel study
Print a class set (booklets fold from plain letter paper) and use one question per chapter as the reading-response or literature-circle prompt. The example answers at the front show what a full answer looks like.
Homeschool
One booklet covers the whole book, 10 chapters, so it doubles as the reading log for Dinosaurs Before Dark. Reword any question before printing to match your reader.
Printing
The booklet PDF prints on ordinary 8.5 × 11 paper: print double-sided (flip on the short edge) at 100%, fold the stack in half and staple on the fold. There is also a one-page-per-sheet PDF and A5 binder pages.
Where the questions come from
Each question is about its own chapter. We know this book well. Every question asks about something that happens in its chapter, a moment, a choice or a character, without giving away what comes next. The questions were drafted with AI from what is known about the book and checked before publishing; every one is editable before you print.
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