Rocks and Fossils activity 10: Ice Age Mammoth Hunt!

Overview

Investigate the megafauna (large animals) that lived in the Folkestone area in the last Ice Age, including the giant woolly mammoth!

Imagine your class are a tribe of Mesolithic hunters living near where Folkestone is today. Research what your life was like and how you hunted and used nearly every part of the mammoth.

Recreate a woolly mammoth hunt as a short piece of drama.

Learning Objectives

Increased knowledge and understanding of prehistoric people and how they hunted, what they hunted, their tools and weapons.

Curriculum Links
KS1-2 History (prehistoric people - the Stone Age)

KS1-2 Prehistoric animals, extinction

KS1-2 Drama (acting, creating a short piece of drama)

KS1-2 Literacy (speaking and listening)

Image copyright: Wikimedia Commons

Create a drama called Ice Age Mammoth Hunt in six scenes.

Divide children up into groups to develop contents, props and costumes for each two minute scene.

Scenes can be divided as follows:

• Hunters wake, sharpen weapons and prepare to set off
• The herd of mammoths are spotted. Hunters fan out, and drive them with loud shouts towards the cliff/or other hunters who have moved ahead of the herd to ambush them. Some of the class play the part of the mammoths.
• Mammoths are attacked with spears and bows and arrows. One is injured and then killed. The others escape. The hunters celebrate.
• The mammoth is cut up with tranchet axes into giant joints of meat, which are carried home (slung on poles between two people)
• Arrival of successful hunting party back at camp to wild celebrations.
• Making fire. Roasting the meat. Feasting, dancing and singing.

Learn with Objects links
Use Learn with Objects, Rocks and Fossils 9: Mammoth and 11: Bayle Bone Bed. Stone Age to Iron Age 10 tranchet axe.