My UPD8

Login to download activities, post reviews and discuss breaking science. To sign up click on join UPD8 below.

Login

New, revised! Mammoths extinct

  • Key Stage 3
  • SciQ Sequences

Type: Activity
Learning Strategy: Imaginative inquiry
Topic: Atmosphere & climate change

This activity is a sample from version 2 of the Extinction unit, part of the upd8 wikid course. Find out more about the course

Introduction to the Extinction unit
As the Arctic ice melts away, polar bears are sliding towards extinction. Climate change is radically altering many of the Earth's environments. Will other species be able to adapt? Earth's history also shows there have been many extinctions in the past. So should we be worried that species are dying out today? And which should we be trying to save? Students are trainee reporters for environmental awareness channel Planet TV. As part of their assignments they learn about the changing atmosphere, adaptation, variation and classification, behaviour, collaboration, developing argument and scientific communication.

Download the Extinction unit guide to see the How Science Works and content coverage

About this activity
The students are on their first assignment as trainee reporters for Planet TV. They have been sent to Siberia where they helped Lauren, an experienced reporter, produce an 'on the spot' news report on the discovery of a frozen baby mammoth. They learned what Europe was like 15,000 years ago when mammoths were alive and suggested what might have changed to make Mammoths become extinct.
Now their editor thinks there's a bigger story so they are sent to Yakutsk to cover a Mammoth conference. They collect evidence from an international panel of experts to find out what changed when the mammoths became extinct. The experience shows scientists from different disciplines collaborating to gather evidence and come up with explanations.

Download the PowerPoint presentation to see the sample activity

11-14 How Science Works:
The unit focusses on 'Scientific Communication': (PoS 2.3, strategy 1.1a2)

Good communication captures attention, keeps the audience interested, and gets the message across with clarity and impact.

Published: 3rd June 2008
Reviews & Comments: 1

Send to a Friend

Learning objectives

- The composition of the atmosphere has changed continuously since Earth formed and so has the climate.

Try the activity


You will need Acrobat Reader installed to open the activity sheets.

Changing atmosphere (PoS 3.4c, strategy 5.3)

Running the activity

Download the lesson plan for full details.

Reviews & Comments

Write your online review to share your feedback and classroom tips with other teachers. How well does it work, how engaging is it, how did you use it, and how could it be improved?

New, revised! Mammoths extinct review

Dec 9th, 2008

3 Star

Good resource to use as part of the evolution topic in year 10

Reviewer: Sarah Brookes

Visit our forums

Related Activities

Earth Science / Atmosphere & climate change

Biology / Feeding relationships

Hot Topics / Disaster

QCA / 7C Environment & feeding relationships

Ideas about Science / Interpreting evidence

Ideas about Science / Data collection & analysis

Learning Strategy / Imaginative inquiry