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ARTICLE DISSECTION

In this activity, students analyze popular magazine articles on dinosaurs, focusing on evidence vs. interpretation. Suitable for non-science majors to enhance discussion skills and critical thinking.

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ARTICLE DISSECTION

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  1. ARTICLE DISSECTION David Varricchio Earth Sciences Montana State U. Bozeman, MT djv@montana.edu

  2. SUMMARY • Students breakdown an article from a popular magazine or scientific journal, separating evidence and observations from interpretations. Follow up discussion focuses on the strength of the evidence.

  3. AUDIENCE • 100-level dinosaur class. • Largely freshmen and sophomores. • Primarily non-science majors.

  4. LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Practice with taphonomic concepts of preservation and post-mortem processes. • Understanding limitations of the fossil record. • Distinguishing evidence from interpretation. • Exploring alternative viewpoints • Discussion skills.

  5. STUDENT PREPARATION • Students have had some coursework (lecture and exercises) on taphonomy and the stratigraphic record. • Discussions on pertinent terms: hypothesis, test, prediction, etc.

  6. MECHANICS • Students independently and outside of class read and answer a series of questions concerning the article. • The follow up in class discussion focuses on the strength of the evidence and potential alternative hypotheses.

  7. ARTICLE CHOICE Three articles used through the semester: • “Dinosaur Family Values”from Discover, an article about the work of R. Bakker. • “Ground-breakers of Patagonia”from Natural History, an article by the researchers involved. • “The Metabolic Status of some Late Cretaceous Dinosaurs” by Ruben et al. (1996) from Science.

  8. ARTICLE CHOICE • Bakker as innovative “idea man”. • Relate to lecture topics on reproduction, parental care, physiology. • Present novel ideas about dinosaur behavior and physiology. • Interpretations based upon variety of evidence, including fossil assemblages, sedimentary context, and/or anatomy. • Set of three includes variety of writing styles: 3rd person - popular, 1st person - popular, 1st person - scientific. • Writing style of popular magazine likely to be encountered by students in future.

  9. RECOMMENDATIONS • Students advised to read article once through, then reread and highlight separately evidence and interpretation. • A short glossary is provided for the Science article.

  10. TYPICAL QUESTIONS • What are the main conclusions/interpretations that Bob Bakker makes for the dinosaur Allosaurus? • List all the physical evidence (both fossils and rocks) that these interpretations are based upon. Be as specific as you can. • Which interpretations are the best supported and which are the least supported by the physical evidence?

  11. TYPICAL QUESTIONS • What physical features of either the rocks or bones, characterize ‘turf’ sites? List any additional features not mentioned in the article, that you would predict for these localities given Bakker’s environmental interpretation of these sites. • Provide one alternative hypothesis concerning some aspect of Allosaurus behavior that would be compatible with the fossil evidence.

  12. TYPICAL QUESTIONS • What additional physical features (rocks or bones), would you like to see that would provide convincing evidence in support of Bakker’s ideas?

  13. DISCUSSION • Reviews the assigned questions. • Explores relationship between evidence and interpretation. • Weighs alternative interpretations. • Needs work!

  14. ADVANTAGES • Simple, few materials (and no specimens) required. • Promotes lively and focused discussion. • Set of three articles provides analytical practice (repetition of skill).

  15. DISADVANTAGES • Dissection part can become tedious. • Students struggle over jargon in Science article.

  16. APPLICATION ELSEWHERE • Suitable for any taxonomic group or paleontology subject. Just need a suitable article. • Suitable as an introductory exercise in a more advanced paleontology class where journal articles are to be read/discussed.

  17. SUGGESTIONS?QUESTIONS?

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