Teacher Support

Research Quest: "How did Triceratops evolve?"

Instructional Guide
This teacher resource includes lesson objectives, instructional strategies, and a guided outline for the successful facilitation of Research Quest in the classroom.
(Print for classroom use)

Research Assistant Notebook
This notebook uses structured documentation as a strategy to support students as they work through their investigation. It includes guiding questions, organizers and prompts to help them record and evaluate their evidence, track their thinking, and use all of this to develop an evidence-based response to their research question: "How did Triceratops evolve?". This process helps make student critical thinking visible which helps you and your students reflect on their learning and where they can use additional support and practice.

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PDF Form

Google Doc

Teacher Documents

Level 1 Teacher Key: Traits Tracking Activity

(Print optional)

Level 2 Teacher Key: Phylogenetic Tree Activity

(Print optional)

Level 3 Teacher Key: Ceratopsian Diversity

(Print optional)

Level 4 Teacher Key: Paleogeography Activity

(Print optional)

Paleo Prep Guide

(Print optional)

Vocabulary Guide

(Print optional)

Student Documents

Level 1 - Traits Observation Chart

(Print optional)

Level 3 - Graphing Diversity

(Print optional)

Ceratopsian Profile Cards (x4)

(Print optional)

Ceratopsian Profile Cards (x2)

(Print optional)

Resources for Assessment

Student Learning Assessment Tool
This document is designed to assist teachers as they monitor and record evidence of critical thinking skills in students. It includes a rubric with definitions and examples of target behaviors as well as a chart to document critical thinking skills in individual students.

Student Rubric for Assessing Learning Outcomes
This is a tool that students can use to self-assess their competency at behaviors targeted in Research Quest investigations— gathering data, making inferences, building a hypothesis, and verbal communication.

Student Rubric for Presenting Arguments
This rubric is designed to guide students as they prepare to present their hypotheses to the class. The document also includes a chart for students to evaluate the presentations of their peers.