Guided Activities for Students

This page was written by Jen Aschoff as part of the DLESE Community Services Project: Integrating Research in Education.

A pyroclastic flow stretches from Mount St. Helens' crater to the valley floor below. Details

Compelling questions about the Cretaceous Period

Self-guided, inquiry-based exercises using open-ended questions allow students to explore a scientifically significant question in their own way focusing on their interests. In this section we have provided several broad, open-ended questions that are important to understanding an aspect of the Cretaceous. For each compelling question suggested exploration pathways are proposed to guide further questioning and discovery of information.

Questions Include:

• What is the nature of the K/T boundary, and how is it related to the extinction of the Dinosaurs?

• Coalbed methane: economic boon or environmental boondoggle?

• What was the Cretaceous superplume event, and what effects did it have on the Cretaceous world?

Also see the three-part activity Exploring the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation through the Eyes of a Stratigrapher.