Are your students ready to compete in March Mammal Madness?! Mine sure are – their older siblings have told them how much fun they’ll have and now they’re really excited to start!
What is March Mammal Madness?
March Mammal Madness (MMM), whose logo is “If you’re learning, you’re winning,” is a bracket-style competition modeled by Dr. Katie Hinde of Arizona State University after the NCAA basketball tournament. In this activity, students research 64 different species. Then Dr. Hinde and her team separate the 64 animals into four divisions and assign them seeds. The tournament begins in March with simulated “battles” that asks students to predict which of the two animals would win in a real life situation.
The simulated battles in MMM are based on the characteristics of the competing species. These battles are determined by some combination of:
- Overall survival strategy.
- Hunting and feeding habits;
- Reproductive strategies;
- Adaptation to different environments;
- Behavioral characteristics such as social behavior or communication methods.
Throughout the month of March, battles are live-tweeted (#2025MMM) and video recaps are produced 2-3 times per week. Students follow along on their brackets and earn points for each battle they correctly participated. We keep an advancing bracket in the back of our classroom and it becomes quite the subject of discussion.
Benefits of participating in March Mammal Madness
These battles in MMM are meant to be a fun and engaging way to teach students about different mammal species and the characteristics that make them unique. It also helps students develop critical thinking skills, teamwork, and collaboration among students.
The MMM activity is not just a fun and engaging way to teach students about different mammal species, but also helps students develop critical thinking skills. By having to consider multiple factors and make decisions based on evidence, students are forced to think critically about the information they are presented with.
Additionally, the activity helps to promote teamwork and collaboration among students. Often, students will work in small groups to research and make decisions about which species to advance. This allows students to share their knowledge and learn from one another, which can be especially helpful for students who may be struggling with the material.
One year, my kids love MMM so much that they created their own May Mammal Madness. They designed their own brackets, wrote the battles, and even made video recaps of each battle.
How can your class participate?
Participation is free – all of the materials are free online and a tremendous crowd sourced trove of goodies is collected and shared. Everything you need to know is on the official MMM website which can be found here.
A freebie to get your class excited
I kicked off this year’s MMM tournament with a rousing game of animal kingdom trivia. Kids were so excited, and they are ready for the battles to begin!
If you’d like to play trivia with your students, click here to download my game! Just be sure to comment below and let me know what you thought!
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