Dinosaur Tracks at Glen Rose

Dinosaur Tracks at Glen Rose Worksheet: Dinosaur tracks and past environments (Grade 4 Science)

Students read about the dinosaur tracks at Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, use them to tell that the place was once a muddy shore by a shallow sea, and put the steps in order for how tracks become fossils. The page teaches the idea first, so no prior lesson is needed, and every answer is on the page.

What's Inside

• A teach box on what fossils are and how they are clues to past environments
• Part A: a short reading about the Glen Rose tracks with three circle questions
• Part B: put four steps in order to show how tracks become fossils
• A raccoon guide with a hint that matches the answer key
• An answer key with answers marked in red, plus a short teacher note with what to watch for

How Teachers Use It

Read the teach box and the worked example together, then let students try Part A and Part B. It takes 8 to 10 minutes and prints clearly in black and white. The focus skill is identifying past environments from fossil evidence. Standards: TEKS 4.12C: identify and describe past environments based on fossil evidence, including common Texas fossils.

Why It Works

A real Texas fossil site students can visit makes the idea concrete. Questions are short, mostly circle answers, and the reasoning is on the teacher key.