Shutterstock.com
Some rabbits have ears that stick up. Some have ears that flop down. But most kinds of rabbits have super-long ears. Rabbit ears are pointy. They are soft and furry too.
iStockPhoto/Getty Images (Child); Shutterstock.com (All Other Images)
Which Are More Amazing? Rabbit Ears or Your Ears?
Your ears are pretty great. They let you hear. They can even hold up glasses. But are they as amazing as bunny ears?
By Laine Falk
From the March/April 2024 Issue
Learning Objective: Students will describe how human and rabbit ears are alike and different.
Lexile: 360L
Featured Skill:
Comparing Texts,
Vocabulary: predator, fleshy
Common Core Standards
TEKS Standards
Rabbit Ears
Two Long Ears
What They Do
Shutterstock.com
Those big ears can hear very well. Rabbits can hear a predator from almost 2 miles away! What does a rabbit do if it hears a hungry fox? It runs away! Its ears help keep it safe.
Twist and Turn
iStockPhoto/Getty Images (Droopy Ears, Left Rabbit); Shutterstock.com (All Other Images)
Rabbits can move their ears. They can twist and turn them. Rabbits can even move one ear at a time!
Your Ears
Two Bendy Ears
Shutterstock.com
Take a look at your own ears. You need a mirror to do it. They are small and shaped like the letter c. Do they feel soft and fleshy? Your ears can bend!
What They Do
Shutterstock.com
People don’t hear as well as rabbits. But your ears help you out too. You can hear music. You can hear people talk. If you hear a car honk,you stay out of the way. That keeps you safe.
Can They Wiggle?
JGI/Jamie Grill/Tetra images RF/Getty Images
Not many people can wiggle their ears. But some people can do it! Can you?
video
(3)
video
(3)
video
(3)
Activities
(2)
Skills Activities
Answer Key
(1)
video
(3)
video
(3)
video
(3)
Activities
(2)
Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key
(1)
More About the Article
English Language Arts Focus
Compare and contrast
Science Focus
Animal adaptations
Vocabulary
predator, fleshy
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Implementation
Small Group
Pairings and Text Connections
- From the Storyworks archive: “Alike and Different: Big Dino and Little Dino” (Sept. 2022)
- Suggested books: What If You Had Animal Ears? by Sandra Markle; Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems; The Ear Book by Al Perkins
Before-Reading Resources
- Video: Skill Power: Compare and Contrast (7 minutes) A fun video on how and why we compare and contrast.
- Video: What’s That Sound? (7 minutes) Build background knowledge on sound.
- Video: Rabbit Roundup (7 minutes) Build background knowledge on rabbits.
- Vocabulary Slideshow: (5 minutes) extreme, prey, strides, forages
Suggested Reading Focus
Compare and contrast (20 minutes)
- Tell children that they will be comparing rabbit ears and human ears. They will find out information about these similar-but-different body parts.
- Starting with the first category (Two Long Ears/Two Bendy Ears), discuss how each body part is the same and different.
- Compare the rabbit ear and human ear photos. What information can you learn by looking at the photos?
- To finish, ask students to turn and talk to a partner to recall some ways rabbit ears and human ears are the same. Have volunteers share their answers. Then ask ways that rabbit ears and human ears are different.
After-Reading Skills Practice
- Skills: Gathering information/compare/contrast; main idea (15 minutes)
Extension Activity
Skills: Compare and contrast (10 minutes)
- Search for pictures online of the African elephant. Draw a triple Venn diagram on chart paper or a whiteboard. Use the pictures of the African elephant to compare and contrast with rabbit ears and human ears.
Text-to-Speech