Small EL: Understanding the past through fossil evidence

Life-size fossil activity helps students appreciate the scale of dinosaurs

Faculty

Faculty of Science

Course title

ERTH305: Earth, Energy, and Environment

Class size

Large (>75)

Year of program

2nd year course

Through this Small EL activity, students investigate life-sized dinosaur footprints to estimate dinosaur size, determine whether the animals were walking or running, and reconstruct the events that produced the trackway using fossil evidence. Designed to move beyond paper-based exercises, the activity gives students a physical sense of the scale of dinosaurs and the evidence used in paleontological research. Working collaboratively in a field setting, students interpret limited evidence, construct evidence-based explanations, and reflect on the assumptions underlying their interpretations. The activity develops critical thinking by demonstrating how scientific knowledge is built from incomplete evidence.

Activity Setting: Field Trip
Time for activity: 1-2 Classes
Assessment Approach: Graded
Assessment Type: Collaborative Assignment
Weight in Final Grade: 2% (approximately)

Learning outcomes

Students will calculate the height of a dinosaur at the hip and determine whether it was walking or running based on footprint size and stride length.
Students will use collected data to construct a story about a past event involving the dinosaurs that made the footprints.
Students will reflect on the assumptions made during their calculations and story development that allowed them to carry out the procedures.

Course description

Biology, evolution, and extinction of dinosaurs; geographic and temporal distribution, habitats, and ecology of the various dinosaur groups; preservation, exploration, collection, preparation, and identification of dinosaur fossils.

This is a course description from the UCalgary Academic Calendar.

What worked well?

The life-size dinosaur footprints and taking students outside to conduct their observations worked particularly well, as they made the experience more engaging and helped students better understand scale and movement.

What challenges did you encounter?

A key challenge was encouraging students to work collaboratively rather than cooperatively. Although I wanted them to engage in all aspects of the task together, they tended to divide responsibilities and complete separate parts individually.

How might students redo/try out or apply these skills in future opportunities?

Students can apply these skills in any historical science—such as geology, paleontology, archaeology, or cosmology—where they must construct evidence-based explanations of past events by determining what most likely occurred from limited available evidence.

Format for reflection: Written reflection
Graded: Yes

Sample reflection prompt

"Reflect on the order of thinking while developing the history of the field site."

This is a great activity to get students moving from their traditional education format (the classroom) to the outdoors and engaging them in measurement making and recording observation for interpretation. You can do this with any size class. Bigger classes will take a bit more to manage, but if I can do it, anyone can. This type of activity goes a long way in helping students understand how science works, how data are collected, the grey that exists in interpreting those data (something we often seem to ignore in science courses. Students have always reflected positively about this activity as one of their most memorable in university.

Not many might actually want to deal with dinosaurs. It’s kind of a niche topic, but the bigger picture of breaking out of the 2x4 instruction (what is between the two covers of the book and within the four walls of the classroom) is well worth your time in implementing.

Advice for those seeking to try this activity

Those wanting to do this activity can get the footprints by contacting me. Those wanting to do an activity like this (i.e., getting students out and doing), I would suggest planning, planning, and more planning. Know the weather as best as you can. Build in possible alternatives if necessary. Build it up ahead of time so students are anticipating it. Good luck!