The recent discovery of preserved cells and soft tissues in certain dinosaur bones seems incompatible with an age of millions of years, given the expectation that cells and soft tissues should have decayed away after millions of years. However, evidence from radiometric dating shows that dinosaur fossils are indeed millions of years old. Under…

How heavy is your pet "Tyrannosaurus rex"? Accurately ascertaining the mass of a large carnivorous dinosaur is a challenging task for most students. Here, a simple method using model dinosaurs and some straightforward mathematics is provided. This is considerably more practical and safer than weighing the living dinosaur itself.

"Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") three-dimensional learning is valuable for all students regardless of age. The "NGSS" integrate disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts, adding rigor to science teaching and learning. Though "NGSS" performance…

Igniting excitement for physics in our students is a goal of every instructor. In this paper, we discuss a unique example of the concept of density, a subject that is rarely viewed as intriguing by students. By combining a problem involving dinosaurs and an effective density, our students' interest is often captured through calculating an…

Open-ended problems are a very effective tool for engaging student interest. In this paper, we report a physics activity that provides insight into the lifestyle of theropod dinosaurs. This activity generates great enthusiasm among the students since virtually everyone is interested in dinosaurs. In the spirit of the "spherical cow"…

Evolutionary evidence is important scientific background for appreciating the theory of evolution. We describe a STEAM-based lesson plan that uses paleontological drawings and a modern evolutionary database to explore and understand fossil, morphological, and molecular evidence. Together, with a focus on arthropods and the Cambrian explosion,…

Many standards documents and learning progressions recommend evolution learning in elementary grades. Given young children's interest in dinosaurs and other fossils, fossil investigations can provide a rich entry into evolutionary biology for young learners. Educational psychology literature has addressed children's reasoning about foundational…

The use of fossils as a tool in the classroom provide the medium in which students enthusiastically and directly engage in scientific exploration and thinking, enhancing their interest in future science curricula, and provide an avenue to develop scientific literacy. The National Research Council stated that students should have authentic…

Inquiry methods have been successful in improving science literacy in students of all ages. Model-Based Inquiry (MBI) is an instructional model that engages students in the practices of science through the collaborative development of scientific models to explain an anchoring phenomenon. Student ideas are tested through engagement in content-rich…

The alleged "man tracks" beside dinosaur tracks near Glen Rose, Texas, are among the most enduring pieces of evidence used by young-Earth creationists to reject evolution. Despite the tracks' fame, their most persistent advocate--that is, Carl Baugh of the Creation Evidence Museum--has published neither (1) peer-reviewed papers in…

In the second paper of this series, the effect of transverse femoral stresses due to locomotion in theropod dinosaurs of different sizes was examined for the case of an unchanging leg geometry. Students are invariably thrilled to learn about theropod dinosaurs, and this activity applies the concepts of torque and stress to the issue of theropod…

In this study we introduce an infusion model to "inject" ammonites and ammonite fossils in current subjects of Greek primary curriculum. Paleontology and mainly fossils attract more and more elementary students and teachers, yet in Greece this trend is solely about dinosaurs, despite the fact that the most common Greek fossils are not…

Many young learners are fascinated with fossils, particularly charismatic forms such as dinosaurs and giant sharks. Fossils provide tangible, objective evidence of life that lived millions of years ago. They also provide a timescale of evolution not typically appreciated by young learners. Fossils and the science of paleontology can, therefore,…

Finding topics that inspire students is an important aspect of any physics course. Virtually everyone is fascinated by "Tyrannosaurus rex," and the excitement of the class is palpable when we explore scaling effects in "T. rex" and other bipedal theropod dinosaurs as part of our discussion of mechanics and elasticity. In this…

The new English Curriculum requiring not only the study of sedimentary and igneous rocks but also understanding of fossil formation, is a great opportunity to make this one of the most exciting units any science teacher can present. When an animal or plant dies, it "disappears" completely as it is degraded by a range of organisms. It may…