Elephant adaptations worksheet
An elephant adaptations lesson plan on one page. Students match five structures to the jobs they do, then write one argument. It fits NGSS 4-LS1-1: animals have structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
Match the part to the job
Draw a line from each structure to the job it does. Each job is used once.
| Structure | Job |
|---|---|
| 1. Trunk | A. Spread wide, these make an elephant look bigger to a rival. |
| 2. Tusks | B. A pad under the toes absorbs the shock of each step. |
| 3. Ears | C. Holds about 7.5 liters of water (Asian elephant, Smithsonian), then pours it into the mouth. |
| 4. Wrinkled skin | D. Dig for water and roots, strip bark and move heavy objects. |
| 5. Feet | E. Traps a little water so it evaporates slowly, which helps cooling. |
Write
Pick one structure. Write two or three sentences arguing that it helps an elephant survive. Name the structure, say what it does, and say what would go wrong without it.
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Go further
African savanna elephants have much larger ears than Asian elephants. Both species use their ears to cool down. Why might the savanna elephant's ears be bigger? (Hint: think about where each one lives.)
Answer key (for the teacher)
1C, 2D, 3A, 4E, 5B. Ears also cool the blood; the sentence in row A is the signaling job, so accept a student who argues for cooling if they can point to the text.
Go further: savanna elephants are larger and many live in hot, open country with little shade, so more ear surface helps them shed heat. Asian elephants and forest elephants live in shadier forest. This is the widely accepted explanation; it is not something a single experiment has proven.