March Mammal Madness 2018!

Inspire. Challenge. Succeed. 

Every Student... Every Heart... Every Mind... Oi Grade 4! Are you ready to put your information reading strategies into action yet once again?! Use what you know about information reading and writing, in addition to your understanding of ecosystems and our interdependence vocabulary, to be inspired, to face challenges and to succeed at March Mammal Madness 2018!

Information Reading Strategies

   

Interdependence Vocabulary

6th Annual March Mammal Madness... What is it?

Let the madness begin! The 6th annual March Mammal Madness (MMM) is hosted by mammal specialists from a variety of North American universities. In collaboration with the High School Science Department, Grade 4 will embark in the MMM epic journey of animals from varying food webs and ecosystems fighting to the DEATH (and sometimes just getting distracted by food and walking away)!

*Check out the Rodent Recaps by MC Marmot and Friends on their YouTube Channel!*

The tournament begins March 12! Grade 4, we encourage you to put your information reading skills to the test! Research the different animals of each bracket in order to gather solid evidence that supports your selected winner for each round.  

Check out the different mammals in National Geographic Mammals!

Remember to take into consideration the different food webs (herbivore, omnivore, carnivore) and animal habitats before making your selection! Use what you know about text features and text structures to help make sense of the information!

Click here to see how to play!

The Bracket

Information from the MMM's Organizers...

Going beyond our imagination... Dr. Katie Hinde, Associate Professor from the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University, founded MMA in 2013. Through the use of scientific information, "participants are educated about inter-species interactions, the importance of ecological context, how natural selection has shaped adaptations, and conservation management of endangered species."

Parents and students, please take the time to closely read the information to increase your understanding of what is MMM!

LOGISTICS:

We have a FB page that will have some brief summaries of the outcome and how it happened. However, because the banter is such a key part of the tournament, we will be having "tweets of the day" and have top tweets for best reaction, best trash talk, and best student or teacher tweet. that will get announced on twitter the next night of battles and at the FB page.

BRACKET FAQ:

What do the numbers next to the Mammals mean?

These correspond to the relative rankings among the species. 1 is the highest/best ranked team in the division and 16 is the lowest/worst - the number assigned is referred to as "seeding", but its functionally interchangeable with ranking (seeded/ranked are therefore also interchangeable).

The single elimination bracket battle favors the strongest teams until you get out to the semi-finals: 1 plays (crushes) 16, 2 plays 15…

Oh and just like the military, or the hunger games - it’s up or out. As soon as a species loses, it’s out of the tournament.

What is an "upset"?

This is when a low ranked team beats a high ranked team. 9 beating 8 isn't a super impressive upset.  In the actual NCAA tournament, upsets happen when a 12 seed will beat a 5 seed, or an 11 seed will beat a 6 seed. Once every few years, a 15 seed will beat a 2 seed in the first round. 

For example: “Coming off its 11th national championship the season before, UCLA was ready to make another run through the 1996 NCAA tournament as a No. 4 seed. But in his final year as coach, Pete Carril and his 13 seeded Princeton offense got the best of the Bruins, stunning Jim Harrick’s squad in the first round with a last-second basket on a backdoor cut.”

What is a “Cinderella” team?

A "cinderella" team is a low-ranked team that progresses multiple rounds of the tournament systematically beating higher ranked teams.

So should I always pick the better-ranked mammal?

No! Real fans don’t abandon their favorite mammals just because they are pathetic at this kind of battle (although hopefully well-suited to their particular ecological niche). For example, my primate picks in 2013 performed dismally because my well-established monkey agenda was in direct opposition to reality that apes totally wiped the floor with them. People will clown you if your bracket is TOO conservative by always picking the better-ranked team.

Also the rankings are not infallible and there are upsets in nature too. Upsets are what make March Madness exciting. Like if the Sac-Wing Bat beat Spectacled Bear in Round 1- OMG NO ONE SAW THAT COMING!!!!! (but I think we can feel pretty certain that is very unlikely to happen) - ed. note - it did not happen.

Take a look at last year's MMM Battle Winners...

MMM 2017 Wild Card Battle!

CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE!

Check out the science behind the battle!

The Honey Badger (16 kg)

The Short Faced Bear (1000 kg)

ROUND 5

Final Roar:

• Short Faced Bear and Honey Badger ADVANCE! Check out the science behind the battle!

ROUND 4

Elite Trait:

• Short Faced Bear, Spider Monkey, Honey Badger and Spectacled Bear ADVANCE! Check out the science behind the battle!

ROUND 3

Sweet Sixteen:

• Neanderthal Hunting Party, Short Faced Bear, Spider Monkey, Clouded Leopard, Guanaco, Hog Deer, Honey Badger and Spectacled Bear ADVANCE! Check out the science behind the battle!

ROUND 2

Adjective Mammals and Desert Adapted:

• Spectacled Bear, Clouded Leopard, Maned Wolf, White-Headed Capuchin, Honey Badger, Aardwolf, Guanaco and Saiga ADVANCE! Check out the science behind the battle!

Coulda Shoulda and Two Animals, One Mammal: 

• Short Faced Bear, Greek Sphinx, Neanderthal Hunting Party, Hog Badger, Hog Deer, Leopard Seal, Spider Monkey and Bear Cat ADVANCE! Check out the science behind the battle!

ROUND 1

Adjective Mammals:

• Spectacled Bear, Clouded Leopard, Maned Wolf, Screaming Hairy Armadillo, Pouched Rat, Banded Linsang, White-Headed Capuchin, and Spotted Skunk ADVANCE! Check out the science behind the battle!

Desert Adapted: 

• Saiga, Guanaco, Ringtail, Gray Fox, Aardwolf, Sand Fox, Gila Monster and Honey Badger ADVANCE! Check out the science behind the battle!

Coulda Shoulda: 

• Pegasus, Sphinx, Tiger, Leopard Seal, Neanderthal Hunting Party, Giraffe, Short-Faced Bear and Sabertooth Cat ADVANCE! Check out the science behind the battle!

Two Animals, One Mammal: 

• Leopard Cat, Bearcat, Bear Cuscus, Antelope Squirrel, Tiger Quoll, Hog Badger, Hog Deer and Spider Monkey ADVANCE! Check out the science behind the battle!