Discover Australian Dinosaurs!

Through a series of hands-on scientific investigations, students explore Australia’s unique and diverse range of dinosaurs, interpret fossils, including trace fossils (footprints). Given Australia’s geographic isolation many of Australia’s dinosaurs evolved as unique species adapted to extreme conditions.

Students will investigate the various Australian dinosaurs that once roamed millions of years ago. Working as young paleontologists, students solve challenges, identify various Australian dinosaurs, examine fossils, investigate dinosaur adaptations, build food webs and uncover how living things depend on one another for survival.

Throughout the day, students develop some of the skills and techniques paleontologists use to study and interpret fossils from animals that lived in the past, with a focus on Australian dinosaurs. They will investigate how to observe and infer some fossils and trace fossils which will give them greater insight into what these amazing creatures may have looked like and how they may have lived. The dinosaur footprints around Broome (Rubibi) are recognised as the most significant in the world with track ways stretching for about 80km along Broome’s sandstone coast line from south of Broome up along the Dampier Peninsula. These were laid down during the early cretaceous period; some 120 million years ago. There are potentially over 20 different types of tracks: those of theropods, three toed carnivorous dinosaurs that walked on two legs; sauropods, massive, long-necked four-legged herbivores and others.

How do scientists use evidence to make inferences about life in the past?

In this program students will:

• Discover Australia’s unique and diverse range of dinosaurs, their diet and adaptations
• Investigate, interpret and predict dinosaur footprints and trackways
• Explore the role of a palaeontologist and learn about dinosaur fossils
• Develop critical and higher order thinking skills
• Examine various fossils and what we can infer from these fossils
• Engage in a variety of hands-on activities to understand Australian dinosaurs
• Use scientific inquiry skills, including observation, classification, evidence-based reasoning, collaboration and problem-solving, to investigate Australian dinosaurs.

Throughout the day, students participate in a series of hands-on investigations as they discover Australia’s unique and diverse range of dinosaurs, including:

• Australian Dinosaur Escape Room – students work collaboratively in small groups to solve clues as they discover the adaptations, diet, classification, location of these incredible creatures
• Fossil Kit Amazing Race – students scan QR codes to interpret fossil evidence as they discover some of the adaptations of some of these dinosaurs
• Virtual Fossil Dig Site – students experience a Victorian fossil dig site using virtual reality technology
• Virtual Dinosaur Coast visit – students experience the footprints and dinosaurs who made them along the Dinosaur Coast in Broome, WA, using virtual reality technology
• Dinosaur trace fossils – students match the footprints with the dinosaur, interpret various dinosaur footprints and make a plaster mold footprint of an ornithopod dinosaur to take back to school.

Science – Science Understanding

• Organisms have evolved over time, as seen in fossils and scientific records; the structural features and behaviours of living organisms enable them to thrive in their environments VC2S6U02
• Geological processes including weathering, erosion, transportation and deposition can cause slow or rapid changes to Earth’s surface VC2S6U05

Science – Science Inquiry

• Data and information can be organised and processed to show patterns, trends and relationships by constructing representations including tables, graphs and visual or physical models VC2S6I04
• Methods and findings can be compared with those of others to identify sources of error, to select evidence in support of reasoned explanations and conclusions, and to develop further questions for investigation VC2S6I05