Animal Tracks Can Illuminate Many Things: A Detective Exercise | CEEE

Animal Tracks Can Illuminate Many Things: A Detective Exercise Having students follow animal tracks (even just people, dogs, or squirrels) and investigating how tracks are made is a fun and exciting way to develop critical thinking, measurement, and graphing skills. Context for Use Project EXTREMES lessons were intended to be stand alone lessons. Human footprints and wildlife tracks converge at Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Photo: Greg Weiler/USFWS   Program Project EXTREMES Resource Type Lesson Topics Nature of science Ecosystem Middle School Instructional Time 170 minutes NGSS Disciplinary Core Idea(s) LS4A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity Published Date January 1, 2014 Funding Information Animal Tracks Can Illuminate Many Things: A Detective Exercise Funding Information × This project is funded by the  National Science Foundation  under  Award Number DGE – 0742544 . Close Goals Header What Students Will Do Learn how measurements in combination with observation can reveal information about the speed, size, and condition of the animal from its tracks. Learn how to use inferential skills along with data answer questions with limited information available.   Teaching Materials User note: To make an editable copy of the teaching materials in Google Drive, select File > "Make a copy". This will make a copy for you to save to your own drive and edit as you see fit.   Animal Tracks - Teacher Guide File Animal Tracks_ Teacher Guide.pdf Animal Tracks - Teacher Guide (Google Doc) Animal Tracks - Student Handout File Animal Tracks_ Student Handout.pdf Animal Tracks - Student Handout (Google Doc) Description Activity 1 – Engage (20 minutes) Inferring from Evidence Working like scientists do, students use the information available to fill in missing pieces of the puzzle. Activity 2 – Explore (90 minutes) Unraveling the Mysteries Found in Tracks Students collect data to answer questions with graphs and come up with evidence that describes motions recorded in tracks. Activity 3 – Explain (20 minutes) Graphs as Models Students analyze and interpret their data and two graphs to determine if the data collected on humans would be similar to animals. Activity 4 – Elaborate (30 minutes) From Observations to Inferences Students determine what an animal was doing based on evidence in the snow.  Activity 5 – Evaluate (10 minutes) What do Animal, Fossil, and Car Tracks all have in Common?  Students consider how they could use the skills they learned to analyze other events.   Similar Resources Population Estimates: Bringing Math and Science Together Introduction to the MOSAiC Expedition