Exploring the Elk of Cataloochee Worksheet for 11-Year-Olds

Instructions

1. Read the passage about elk in Cataloochee Valley.
2. Complete the questions in order. The questions begin with basic facts and become more challenging.
3. Use evidence from the passage when asked to explain your thinking.
4. For the field-journal activities, imagine that you are a wildlife scientist observing elk safely from a distance.
5. Complete the Challenge Quest if you want an extra challenge.

Learning goals: I can describe elk adaptations, explain how elk fit into an ecosystem, use evidence from a text, and interpret simple wildlife data.

Reading: Elk Return to Cataloochee

Cataloochee Valley is a quiet mountain valley in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Forests, grassy fields, streams, and steep mountains make it a suitable home for many kinds of wildlife. One of the most noticeable animals in the valley is the elk.

Elk once lived throughout much of what is now the eastern United States. Over time, hunting and the loss of open land caused elk numbers to decline. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, wildlife managers worked to bring elk back to parts of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Elk were reintroduced to Cataloochee Valley beginning in 2001.

An adult male elk is called a bull. A female is called a cow, and a young elk is called a calf. Bulls grow antlers, which are made of bone. Antlers usually grow during spring and summer and are covered by a soft layer called velvet while they develop. After the breeding season, bulls shed their antlers. New antlers grow the following year.

Elk are herbivores, which means they eat plants. They may graze on grasses and other plants in open fields. They may also browse on leaves, twigs, and shrubs. Elk often rest or stay in forested areas, where trees can provide shade and cover.

In autumn, bulls may make a loud call called a bugle. This is part of the breeding season, also called the rut. During this time, elk may behave more actively or aggressively. Visitors should never approach, feed, or surround elk. Elk are wild animals, and even a calm-looking elk can move quickly. Watching from a safe distance protects both people and animals.

The return of elk has changed Cataloochee Valley. Elk help move seeds through the environment and become food for predators and scavengers after they die. Their grazing can also affect which plants grow in open areas. Scientists observe elk to learn about their health, behavior, habitat, and effects on the ecosystem.

Part 1: Check Your Understanding

Circle the best answer.

1. Where is Cataloochee Valley located?

   a. In a desert in Arizona
   b. In Great Smoky Mountains National Park
   c. On a beach in Florida
   d. In a city park in New York

2. When did elk reintroduction to Cataloochee begin?

   a. 1801
   b. 1901
   c. 2001
   d. 2021

3. What kind of animal is an elk based on what it eats?

   a. Herbivore
   b. Carnivore
   c. Omnivore
   d. Decomposer

4. What is a young elk called?

   a. Bull
   b. Cow
   c. Calf
   d. Fawn

5. What is a bull elk most likely doing when it bugles in autumn?

   a. Searching for a hidden nest
   b. Taking part in the breeding season
   c. Building a dam
   d. Preparing to fly south

Part 2: Vocabulary Match

Write the correct letter beside each word.

Part 3: Elk Body and Behavior

Complete each sentence using the word bank.

Word bank: antlers, velvet, shade, calf, grasses

1. A young elk is called a ____.
2. Elk may eat ____ in open fields.
3. A soft covering called ____ protects growing antlers.
4. Bulls grow ____ made of bone.
5. Forests can provide ____ for elk on warm days.

Part 4: Habitat Detective

Use the reading to connect each habitat feature with a reason it helps elk. The first row is an example.

Hint: Think about food, water, shade, cover, and space to move.

Part 5: Food Web Thinking

Elk are part of a food web. Complete the chain below with organisms or materials from the passage.

Plants → ____ → ____

1. What role do plants play in this chain?

2. What might happen to the amount of grass in an open field if many more elk began grazing there? Explain one possible effect.

3. The passage says elk can help move seeds. How might an animal help move a seed from one place to another?

Part 6: Safe Wildlife Observation

Read each situation. Write safe or unsafe, then explain your answer when needed.

1. A visitor watches elk quietly through binoculars from far away.

   Safe or unsafe: ____

2. A visitor walks toward a bull elk to take a close-up photograph.

   Safe or unsafe: ____

3. A visitor tries to feed an elk a snack.

   Safe or unsafe: ____

4. A visitor keeps a safe distance and does not block the elk's path.

   Safe or unsafe: ____

5. Why can approaching an elk be dangerous for both the visitor and the animal?

Part 7: Wildlife Scientist's Data Table

Imagine that scientists observed elk in Cataloochee Valley during four seasons. Complete the table by adding a reasonable observation or question for each season. The first row is an example.

Part 8: Evidence-Based Answers

Answer in complete sentences. Include details from the passage.

1. Give two reasons Cataloochee Valley is a suitable habitat for elk.

2. Why do scientists continue to observe elk after reintroduction?

3. Explain how elk can affect plants in the valley.

4. What evidence shows that elk are adapted to different parts of their habitat?

Part 9: Field-Journal Challenge

Pretend you are observing elk from a safe distance. Create a field note using the prompts below.

• Location: _____
• Weather: _____
• Number of elk seen: __
• What the elk are doing: __
• What the elk might be eating: _____
• One question I still have: _____

Draw a simple diagram of the habitat you observed. Label at least four features, such as forest, grass, stream, mountain, shrubs, or open field.

Challenge Quest

A scientist counts elk in one open field.

• Monday: 8 elk
• Tuesday: 12 elk
• Wednesday: 10 elk
• Thursday: 14 elk
• Friday: 6 elk

1. On which day were the most elk counted? ____
2. On which day were the fewest elk counted? ____
3. How many more elk were counted on Thursday than Friday? ____
4. What was the total number of elk counted during the five days? ____
5. Give one possible reason the number of elk seen changed from day to day.

Answer Key

Part 1

1. b. In Great Smoky Mountains National Park
2. c. 2001
3. a. Herbivore
4. c. Calf
5. b. Taking part in the breeding season

Part 2

1. c
2. d
3. a
4. b

Part 3

1. calf
2. grasses
3. velvet
4. antlers
5. shade

Part 4

Answers may vary. Possible answers include:

Part 5

Plants → elk → predators or scavengers

1. Plants are producers and provide food for elk.
2. The amount of grass might decrease because more elk would eat it. Some plants might become less common, while other plants that elk do not eat might increase.
3. Elk may carry seeds on their bodies or eat fruits and later deposit the seeds in another location.

Part 6

1. Safe
2. Unsafe; the elk may feel threatened and move quickly or act aggressively.
3. Unsafe; wild animals should not be fed because feeding can change their behavior and may harm them.
4. Safe
5. An elk can move quickly and may act defensively. Approaching can also cause the animal stress or make it more likely to approach people later.

Part 7

Answers will vary. Possible answers include:

Part 8

1. Cataloochee Valley has forests, grassy fields, streams, and mountains. These features provide food, water, shade, cover, and space.
2. Scientists observe elk to learn about their health, behavior, habitat, population, and effects on the ecosystem.
3. Elk graze on grasses and browse on leaves, twigs, and shrubs. Their feeding can change which plants grow in open areas.
4. Elk use open fields for grazing and forests for shade and cover. They also eat different kinds of plants, showing that they can use several parts of the habitat.

Challenge Quest

1. Thursday
2. Friday
3. 8 elk
4. 50 elk
5. Answers may vary. Possible reasons include weather, time of day, food availability, noise, visitors, or elk moving to another part of the valley.