Dinosaurs of Moab, UT

Benjamin F Dattilo
,
Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne
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Summary

This activity was delegated to an expert (Rod Scheetz, BYU)
It is part of a flexible field course
Student experience varies widely in this course.

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Context

Audience

This activity was one day out of a 14 day senior-level field course "Regional Geology". The course is offered every 2 years and is open to majors of all levels and for honors students as a necessary component (lecture + lab + field) of their introductory geology course.

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

Minimal: all students were assumed to have had physical geology. Many students had already had a basic

How the activity is situated in the course

This activity occupied one day out of 14 in a wide-ranging field trip. The exercise stands alone.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

Terrestrial sedimentology
paleoecology
sedimentary context of dinosaur fossils
Excavation techniques for vertebrate fossils
Mesozoic stratigraphy of the Colorado Plateau

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

3D-visualization, evaluation of competing models, application of learning in real-world context

Other skills goals for this activity

knowledge of workers in this field, use of hand-excavation equipment, recognition of fossils in natural context.

Description of the activity/assignment

on prior fieldtrip stops (near Hoover Dam, in eastern nevada, etc), students learned to recognize debris flows.

Determining whether students have met the goals

Students are evaluated using 1) on site questioning and 2) students field notes turned in after activity..

More information about assessment tools and techniques.

Teaching materials and tips

Other Materials

Supporting references/URLs