The Elephant Learning Box
Welcome to the Elephant Learning Box. This project introduces Grade 5 students to the wonderful world of elephants and to the care provided them at the National Elephant Center in Fellsmere, Indian River County, Florida.
The project includes:
- An 82-page Educator’s Guide with eight lessons on important elephant topics: Geographic Distribution, Adaptations, Family Life, Communication, Ecology, Threats to Elephants in the Wild, Elephant Care and Conservation.
- Alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards;
- Teacher background information on elephants;
- Activities for each lesson including educational materials such as clue cards, posters, pictures of elephant adaptations, videos and call/response cards;
- Objects relevant to elephants including a molar tooth and dung sample.
- Videos to support elephant behavior, ecology and training topics;
- Positive actions that students can take to help elephants.
The Elephant Learning Box was developed as a collaborative partnership between the National Elephant Center, the Education Foundation of Indian River County, and the School District of Indian River County. Elephant relatives once roamed the Florida landscape during the Pleistocene, manatees, current day elephant relatives, swim the rivers near our homes, and the National Elephant Center welcomed elephants to the county in 2013. It’s the perfect place to teach about elephants.
We are excited to share the Elephant Learning Box with students so that they too will be inspired by the social, complex, intelligent and caring ways of elephants. In learning about elephants, we hope students will come to share our commitment to ensuring their future.
Kathy Lehnhardt, Elizabeth Callaghan and Cynthia Falardeau