Exploring the Elk of Cataloochee: A Field Trip Adventure for Olivia

Materials Needed

• Notebook or field journal
• Pencils and colored pencils
• Binoculars, if available
• Camera or tablet, if permitted
• Printed or hand-drawn elk observation checklist
• Map of Cataloochee Valley and the surrounding Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Water, snacks, sunscreen, insect repellent, and weather-appropriate clothing
• Comfortable walking shoes
• First-aid supplies
• Optional: field guide to mammals, measuring tape, voice recorder, or phone timer

Lesson Overview

Learner: Olivia, age 11

Setting: Homeschool field trip to Cataloochee Valley

Suggested time: 2–3 hours outdoors, plus 30–45 minutes of preparation and follow-up

Big question: How do elk live, communicate, and fit into the ecosystem of Cataloochee?

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, Olivia will be able to:

• Identify at least three physical features or behaviors of elk.
• Explain, in her own words, why elk are important to the Cataloochee ecosystem.
• Record at least five careful observations using words, drawings, or numbers.
• Use evidence from the field trip to make one reasonable claim about elk behavior.
• Describe at least three ways to observe wildlife safely and respectfully.

Success Criteria

Olivia’s field investigation is successful when she:

• Uses binoculars or quiet observation instead of moving close to wildlife.
• Records specific details rather than writing only “I saw an elk.”
• Separates what she actually observed from what she guesses.
• Supports one conclusion with at least two observations.
• Follows park rules and leaves plants, animals, and historical objects undisturbed.

Important Safety and Wildlife Rules

• Check the current Great Smoky Mountains National Park rules, road conditions, closures, and weather before leaving.
• Stay in or near the vehicle when appropriate and use designated roads, trails, and viewing areas.
• Keep a safe distance from elk. Do not approach, chase, surround, touch, or feed them. A common park guideline is to stay at least 50 yards away; follow the most current posted rule.
• Never stand between an adult elk and a calf.
• Elk can be especially unpredictable during the fall mating season, called the rut. Watch for warning signs such as stamping, ears laid back, or an elk facing you.
• Keep food and snacks packed away, and never offer food to wildlife.
• Do not play elk sounds or try to make an elk respond.
• Tell an adult immediately if the animal moves toward you. Slowly increase the distance without running.
• Follow Leave No Trace habits: take pictures, leave only footprints, and carry out all trash.

Introduction: Hook and Preparation

Hook: “You Are the Wildlife Detective”

Ask Olivia:

“Imagine you are a wildlife detective. You spot a huge animal with antlers across a valley. What clues could help you figure out what it is doing without getting close?”

Invite Olivia to make a quick prediction. She might suggest watching the animal’s:

• Body position
• Direction of movement
• Sounds
• Relationship with other elk
• Use of the grass, trees, or water

Tell Olivia What She Will Learn

Explain:

“Today you will investigate elk like a scientist. You will learn how to recognize elk, observe their behavior, collect evidence, and explain how elk are connected to their habitat. Our goal is not simply to see an elk. Our goal is to understand it.”

Background Knowledge: Meet the Elk

I Do: Mini-Lesson

Share these talking points in an informal conversation:

• Elk are large members of the deer family.
• Male elk are called bulls. Female elk are called cows. Young elk are called calves.
• Bulls grow and shed a new set of antlers each year. Antlers are made of bone.
• Elk eat plants such as grasses, leaves, and other vegetation. Animals that eat plants are called herbivores.
• Elk often gather in groups, but the size and makeup of a group can change.
• During the fall rut, bulls may bugle, or make a loud, high-pitched call, to attract cows and communicate with other bulls.
• Cataloochee Valley is part of the Great Smoky Mountains region. Its mix of open fields, forests, streams, and mountain slopes provides places for elk to feed, rest, and move.
• Elk were reintroduced to the Cataloochee area in the early 2000s. Their return gives scientists and visitors a chance to study how a large native animal interacts with its environment.

Quick Check

Ask Olivia to answer without looking back:

1. What is a male elk called?
2. What do elk eat?
3. What is one reason an elk might make a sound?
4. Why should people observe elk from a distance?

Field Investigation

We Do: Practice Observation Skills

Before searching for elk, practice with an ordinary object such as a tree, bird, or fence post. Model the difference between an observation and an inference:

• Observation: “The bird is standing on one leg.”
• Inference: “The bird may be resting.”

Explain that scientists record what they can see or hear first. Then they use evidence to make careful guesses.

Field Journal Page

Have Olivia copy or use the following chart:

You Do: Elk Observation Mission

Give Olivia the following mission:

1. Find a safe viewing location approved by the adult and park rules.
2. Remain quiet for two minutes and scan the area with her eyes or binoculars.
3. Record the time, weather, and habitat. For example: “Cloudy, cool, open grassy field beside forest.”
4. Look for elk without approaching them.
5. Record at least five details. Details may include color, size, antlers, group size, movement, sounds, feeding, resting, or interactions.
6. Make a sketch of one elk or the habitat. The sketch should show details such as body shape, legs, antlers, grass, trees, or mountains.
7. Choose one observation and write a possible explanation beginning with “I think this may be because…”

Observation Checklist

Olivia may check any features she notices. She should not try to find every item.

• ☐ Bull elk with antlers
• ☐ Cow elk without antlers
• ☐ Calf
• ☐ Elk eating
• ☐ Elk walking or running
• ☐ Elk resting
• ☐ Elk standing alone
• ☐ Elk standing with other elk
• ☐ Elk making a sound
• ☐ Elk near grass, trees, water, or a mountain slope
• ☐ Evidence of another animal, such as tracks, scat, or a bird call

Interactive Activity: Habitat Detective

We Do: Discuss the Habitat

Ask Olivia to look around the valley and identify places elk might use. Discuss:

• Food: Where might elk find grass, leaves, or other plants?
• Water: Where might they drink?
• Shelter: Where could they rest or find shade?
• Safety: Where could they watch for danger?
• Movement: What paths might help them travel through the valley?

You Do: Design an Elk-Friendly Valley

Olivia chooses one option:

• Drawing option: Draw a map showing food, water, shelter, and safe movement areas.
• Model option: Use sticks, leaves, rocks, or recycled materials later at home to build a small habitat model.
• Writing option: Write a short explanation titled “Why Cataloochee Works for Elk.”

Require her to label at least four habitat features and explain how each one helps elk.

Discussion and Real-World Connection

Use a think-pair-share format. Olivia first thinks silently, then explains her ideas to the adult or a partner.

1. How is watching elk different from watching animals at a zoo?
2. Why might a national park protect large open areas as well as forests?
3. What could happen if visitors fed the elk?
4. How can wildlife watchers collect information without disturbing animals?
5. Why might different people—visitors, scientists, park rangers, and nearby residents—care about elk?

Real-world connection: Explain that park rangers and wildlife biologists use observations, photographs, maps, and reports to learn about animal populations and make decisions that protect wildlife and visitors.

Formative Assessment

Pause during the field trip and ask Olivia to complete these quick checks:

• Point to one observation in your journal. How do you know it is an observation?
• What evidence supports your guess about what the elk is doing?
• What is one safety rule you are following right now?
• What part of the habitat is the elk using?

Give specific feedback such as:

• “You recorded the time and the animal’s action. That makes your observation easier to compare later.”
• “You made a prediction, and you also included evidence. That is how scientists reason.”
• “Your sketch includes the habitat, not just the elk. That helps show the animal’s environment.”

Summative Assessment: Wildlife Scientist Report

After returning home, Olivia creates a one-page report, short video, audio recording, or presentation titled “What I Discovered About the Elk of Cataloochee.”

Her project must include:

1. At least five field observations
2. One labeled sketch, map, photograph, or habitat model
3. Two facts about elk
4. One claim about elk behavior
5. At least two pieces of evidence supporting the claim
6. Three wildlife safety rules
7. One question she still has about elk

Simple Rubric

Differentiation and Choice

Support for a Learner Who Needs More Help

• Provide sentence starters: “I noticed…,” “I think…,” and “My evidence is…”
• Allow Olivia to dictate observations to an adult or record them as audio notes.
• Use a picture-based checklist instead of requiring long written descriptions.
• Focus on three strong observations rather than five, then add more if possible.
• Review elk vocabulary before the trip using a simple matching game.

Extension for an Advanced Learner

• Compare elk behavior in open fields with behavior near the forest edge.
• Calculate the average number of elk seen during several observation periods.
• Research how antlers grow and why bulls shed them each year.
• Investigate how reintroduced animals can affect plants and other animals.
• Write a park-ranger recommendation about protecting elk and visitors.

Flexible Learning Formats

• At the field site: Use binoculars, sketching, and a paper journal.
• At home: Use park maps, videos from trustworthy sources, photographs, and a habitat model.
• With a group: Assign roles such as map reader, timekeeper, sketch artist, and observation recorder.
• With limited mobility: Choose an accessible viewing location or complete the investigation from a safe overlook or vehicle.

Conclusion: Closure and Recap

Tell Olivia What She Learned

Review the main ideas:

• Elk are large herbivores in the deer family.
• Bulls, cows, and calves may look and behave differently.
• Elk depend on a habitat that provides food, water, shelter, and space to move.
• Scientists learn by making careful observations and supporting claims with evidence.
• Respectful wildlife watching means keeping a safe distance and never feeding or disturbing animals.

Three-Two-One Reflection

Ask Olivia to complete:

• Three: Three things I learned about elk
• Two: Two observations that surprised me
• One: One question I still have

Finish with this prompt:

“If you could give one piece of advice to another person visiting Cataloochee to see elk, what would you tell them?”

Optional Follow-Up Activities

• Create an “Elk of Cataloochee” field guide page.
• Write a first-person journal entry from the point of view of a young elk.
• Make a food-web diagram that includes grasses, elk, predators, decomposers, and sunlight.
• Research another animal that lives in the Great Smoky Mountains and compare it with elk.
• Prepare a short presentation for family members explaining how to observe wildlife safely.