Explorations Through Time
Adventures at Dry Creek

The purpose of this adventure is to discover what life was like in Montana 60-70 million years ago. Students address research questions using real on-line data sets to investigate, ask questions, propose multiple hypotheses, access on-line resources, analyze, make inferences, and communicate their findings for review.

The module consists of three on-line sections and an off-line Special Assignment. Students proceed through the module at a self selected pace, and keep an on-line notebook to assess learning. Guided by science mentors Eddie Scope and Celeste Cruz, students journey to Montana to search for tiny vertebrate fossils (microfossils) from 60-70 million years ago, then return to the lab to study what they find.

In the field students discover, collect and separate fossils, make observations, learn about stratigraphy and and record ideas in their personal journals. Back in the lab, they learn some techniques of observing and identifying fossils, and study sketches and descriptions of each animal they have identified. Next, students organize, interpret, and begin to analyze fossil data. They view data in chart and graph formats and begin to make hypotheses to answer questions posed by the mentors. The questions guide students to look at different aspects of what the data can and cannot tell us, and lead to a discussion of direct evidence versus indirect evidence. As a summary of the module, students review the scientific process.

The Special Assignment assesses the student's ability to follow the scientific process. During the module, students have already gathered and organized the data and started to analyze it. In the Special Assignment, they continue that analysis and develop multiple hypotheses to answer the question: What was life like in Montana 60-70 million years ago? Working in teams, they present their findings to their peers for review.

   During this module students will:

• Gain an understanding of paleontological field work, stratigraphy, geologic time, and fossils.
• Conduct a scientific investigation by collecting, categorizing, identifying and analyzing fossils.
• Use a key to identify fossils.
• Read and analyze data presented in a chart and graph.
• Use fossil data to develop multiple hypotheses about life in the past.
• Make inferences about life in the past using direct and indirect evidence.
• Communicate findings with others for review.