| So, Rosie and Martin, |
| let's look at what you've got for your presentation on woolly mammoths. |
| OK, we've got a short outline here. |
| Thanks. |
| So it's about a research project in North America? |
| Yes. |
| But we thought we needed something general about woolly mammoths in our introduction, |
| to establish that they were related to our modern elephant, |
| and they lived thousands of years ago in the last ice age. |
| Maybe we could show a video clip of a cartoon about mammoths. |
| But that'd be a bit childish. |
| Or we could have a diagram, |
| it could be a timeline to show when they lived, with illustrations? |
| Or we could just show a drawing of them walking in the ice? |
| No, let's go with your last suggestion. |
| Good. |
| Then you're describing the discovery of the mammoth tooth on St Paul's Island in Alaska, |
| and why it was significant. |
| Yes. |
| The tooth was found by a man called Russell Graham. |
| He picked it up from under a rock in a cave. |
| He knew it was special - |
| for a start it was in really good condition, |
| as if it had been just extracted from the animal's jawbone. |
| Anyway, they found it was 6,500 years old. |
| So why was that significant? |
| Well the mammoth bones previously found on the North American mainland were much less recent than that. |
| So this was really amazing. |
| Then we're making an animated diagram to show the geography of the area in prehistoric times. |
| So originally, St Paul's Island wasn't an island, |
| it was connected to the mainland, |
| and mammoths and other animals like bears were able to roam around the whole area. |
| Then the climate warmed up and the sea level began to rise, |
| and the island got cut off from the mainland. |
| So those mammoths on the island couldn't escape; |
| they had to stay on the island. |
| And in fact the species survived there for thousands of years |
| after they'd become extinct on the mainland. |
| So why do you think they died out on the mainland? |
| No one's sure. |
| Anyway, next we'll explain how Graham and his team identified the date when the mammoths became extinct on the island. |
| They concluded that the extinction happened 5,600 years ago, |
| which is a very precise time for a prehistoric extinction. |
| It's based on samples they took from mud at the bottom of a lake on the island. |
| They analysed it to find out what had fallen in over time - |
| bits of plants, volcanic ash and even DNA from the mammoths themselves. |
| It's standard procedure, but it took nearly two years to do. |
| So why don't you quickly go through the main sections of your presentation |
| and discuss what action's needed for each part? |
| OK. |
| So for the introduction, we're using a visual, |
| so once we've prepared that we're done. |
| I'm not sure. |
| I think we need to write down all the ideas we want to include here, |
| not just rely on memory. |
| How we begin the presentation is so important... |
| Umm, you're right. |
| The discovery of the mammoth tooth is probably the most dramatic part, |
| but we don't have that much information, |
| only what we got from the online article. |
| I thought maybe we could get in touch with the researcher who led the team |
| and ask him to tell us a bit more. |
| Great idea. |
| What about the section with the initial questions asked by the researchers? |
| We've got a lot on that but we need to make it interesting. |
| We could ask the audience to suggest some questions about it |
| and then see how many of them we can answer. |
| I don't think it would take too long. |
| Yes that would add a bit of variety. |
| Then the section on further research carried out on the island - analysing the mud in the lake. |
| I wonder if we've actually got too much information here, |
| should we cut some? |
| I don't think so, |
| but it's all a bit muddled at present. |
| Yes, maybe it would be better if it followed a chronological pattern. |
| I think so. |
| The findings and possible explanations section is just about ready, |
| but we need to practice it so we're sure it won't overrun. |
| I think it should be OK, |
| but yes, let's make sure. |
| In the last section, relevance to the present day, |
| you've got some good ideas but... |
| this is where you need to move away from the ideas of others and give your own viewpoint. |
| OK, we'll think about that. |
| Now shall we... |