WOOLLY MAMMOTH DISCOVERY ON COLLEGE CAMPUS BENEFITS K-12 PROGRAMS

The discovery of a woolly mammoth on the campus of Principia College has spawned a range of learning opportunities over a broadening region. Many school and other groups of all ages visit the excavation and bone preparation lab at the college, which is located on the bluffs of the Mississippi River at Elsah, Illinois. Prior to their visit, teachers prepare students by teaching them or having them research woolly mammoths, the Ice Age, and our mammoth discovery in particular through our web page (www.prin.edu/mammoth). During their visit the groups observe the college students participate in the excavation and bone preparation, which are part of a geology field course at this four-year liberal arts college. The college students also give part of the tour by explaining how the mammoth was found, our excavation and lab techniques, what we have found and learned about our mammoth, and questions yet remaining to be answered.

While most groups come from nearby communities and St. Louis, two teachers have visited the Principia mammoth site from Ohio. These teachers are also participating in the Mastodon Matrix Project (JGE v.51, n.1) in which their classes analyze matrix from a mastodon excavation in New York. Their students compare and contrast samples of the peat and marl matrix from the Dutchess County, New York, site with the highly leached loess matrix from the Principia site. This is an opportunity for students to participate in authentic research, doing analytical work that may not have been done due to lack of human resources. One teacher has developed a series of activities for 2^nd-4^th grade students that correlate to Ohio’s Academic Content Standards. Another has her 8^th graders doing their own research and then writing a scientifically accurate story hypothesizing the Principia mammoth’s demise. The 8^th graders have the opportunity to mentor and peer teach 5^th graders in their school. Students from most visiting schools compare mammoths to mastodons and other Ice Age fauna; they learn about glaciers and how they shaped the land, and they discuss the extinction of these megafauna.