Reading Dinosaur Trackways
Use dinosaur trackways (fossilised footprints) to make inferences about a dinosaur's size, speed, and behaviour — widely spaced prints suggest running, closely spaced suggest walking
Teaching approaches
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1 approach
If your child saw a line of dinosaur footprints at a museum, could they figure out whether the dinosaur was walking or running based on how far apart the prints are?
Use dinosaur trackways (fossilised footprints) to make inferences about a dinosaur's size, speed, and behaviour — widely spaced prints suggest running, closely spaced suggest walking
Learning resources
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This concept
Check understanding
- Explain that larger footprints generally mean a larger dinosaur
- Compare spacing between prints to infer walking versus running
- Suggest what a set of parallel trackways might mean (e.g. dinosaurs travelling in a group)
“If your child saw a line of dinosaur footprints at a museum, could they figure out whether the dinosaur was walking or running based on how far apart the prints are?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Procedural
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Dinosaurs & Paleontology
- Age range
- Ages 7–9