Prepare for your visit with these free educator resources designed to enhance your students’ learning experience before, during, and after your trip.
Get an advance look at the exhibition’s major themes and what your class will encounter.
This four-page preview of the Educator’s Guide for K–12 teachers includes:
- Essential Questions to guide inquiry and discussion
- Background content about elephants and their relatives
- A Map of the Exhibition to help you plan your visit
Note: The map and some details in this guide are specific to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).
For questions or to book your field trip to the EcoTarium, click here.
Activities and Materials
Grades K–5
Students will observe a natural phenomenon—how elephants and their relatives vary in body size, shape, and amount of hair—to explore how animals’ physical traits help them survive in their habitats.
- Background for Educators: Grades K–2 | Grades 3–5
- Worksheet Answer Key: Grades K–2 | Grades 3–5
- Student Worksheets (Blank): Grades K–2 | Grades 3–5
Grades 6–12
Students will explore how elephants and their relatives differ in physical traits to investigate what these traits reveal about habitats and how environmental changes can drive species evolution.
- Background for Educators: Grades 6–8 | Grades 9–12
- Worksheet Answer Key: Grades 6–8 | Grades 9–12
- Student Worksheets (Blank): Grades 6–8 | Grades 9–12