Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
Imprinted dinosaur trackways from the Cretaceous provide insight into dinosaurs' movement, diet, and social behavior. This study develops a 40-minute lab for eighth-grade students to incorporate inquiry-based learning, promoting insight into the history of Earth. Using trackway data from Dinosaur Valley State Park, Texas, from Google Earth Pro, students examine footprints cut to scale to collect data on dinosaur diet, speed, and behavior. Based on the provided models and background information within the attached lesson plan, students will be asked to determine that theropods had narrow, three-toed prints, while sauropods had wider, rounded impressions. Students will count that bipedal dinosaurs left one set of tracks, whereas quadrupedal ones left two. Quadruped dinosaurs were larger to accommodate the long digestive tracts needed to process plant material. Herding behavior and parental care tendencies were inferred from trackway clustering. Students measure the size of rear footprints and calculate stride lengths by determining the distance between footprints. After conducting calculations involving both human and dinosaur dimensionless speed and relative stride lengths, students estimate the actual speed of both. By comparing this data to the movement of modern animals, students plotted a graph of relative stride length vs. dimensionless speed, revealing a linear relationship between the way that dinosaurs moved and modern species. The lab packet includes guided notes and scaffolding techniques to support student learning, encouraging inquiry-based exploration as they analyze trackway data and make evidence-based conclusions about dinosaur behavior and movement.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Ashley and DiLaura, Renee, "021 - Inquiry-Based Dinosaur Trackway Lab for Eighth-Grade Students Focused on Identification, Diet, and Speed" (2025). GREAT Day Posters. 6.
https://knightscholar.geneseo.edu/great-day-symposium/great-day-2025/posters-2025/6
021 - Inquiry-Based Dinosaur Trackway Lab for Eighth-Grade Students Focused on Identification, Diet, and Speed
Imprinted dinosaur trackways from the Cretaceous provide insight into dinosaurs' movement, diet, and social behavior. This study develops a 40-minute lab for eighth-grade students to incorporate inquiry-based learning, promoting insight into the history of Earth. Using trackway data from Dinosaur Valley State Park, Texas, from Google Earth Pro, students examine footprints cut to scale to collect data on dinosaur diet, speed, and behavior. Based on the provided models and background information within the attached lesson plan, students will be asked to determine that theropods had narrow, three-toed prints, while sauropods had wider, rounded impressions. Students will count that bipedal dinosaurs left one set of tracks, whereas quadrupedal ones left two. Quadruped dinosaurs were larger to accommodate the long digestive tracts needed to process plant material. Herding behavior and parental care tendencies were inferred from trackway clustering. Students measure the size of rear footprints and calculate stride lengths by determining the distance between footprints. After conducting calculations involving both human and dinosaur dimensionless speed and relative stride lengths, students estimate the actual speed of both. By comparing this data to the movement of modern animals, students plotted a graph of relative stride length vs. dimensionless speed, revealing a linear relationship between the way that dinosaurs moved and modern species. The lab packet includes guided notes and scaffolding techniques to support student learning, encouraging inquiry-based exploration as they analyze trackway data and make evidence-based conclusions about dinosaur behavior and movement.
Comments
Sponsored by Jeffrey Over