Image of student thinking about elephant, king penguin, and red panda
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Infographic,

If I Were an Animal, I Would Be...

Which animal is most like you? Take the quiz to find out!

By Gabby Bing
From the September 2025 Issue
Complexity Factors
  • Purpose
    This infographic is formatted as a knowledge-building flowchart quiz. It offers a set of questions (example, “Do you have more fun hanging out with a group or one good friend?”) that guide each reader to one of three animals that share some of the reader’s traits (determined by the reader’s answers). Informational sections about each of the three animals—African elephants, king penguins, and red panda—describe the animals’ social behavior, adaptations, and habitats.
  • Structure
    The infographic is set up as a flowchart quiz with nine questions. The reader’s answers determine their path to one of three animals—and information about that animal.
  • Language
    The language is mostly familiar and straightforward.
  • Knowledge Demands
    No prior knowledge is required. Antarctica and Asia are mentioned.
Featured Skill: Main Idea and Supporting Details,
Topics: Animals,
Standards
  • Common Core
    Anchor Standards: R.1, R.2, R.7, W.3 Grade 4: RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.7, W.4.3 Grade 5: RI.5.1, RI.5.2, RI.5.7, W.5.3 Grade 6: RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.7, W.6.3
  • TEKS
    Grade 4: 4.6; 4.7; 4.9d; 4.12a, b Grade 5: 5.6; 5.7; 5.9d, f; 5.12a, b Grade 6: 6.5; 6.6; 6.8d, f; 6.11a, b
  • NGSS
    LS1.A: Structure and Function LS1.D: Information Processing

Presentation View
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African Elephant

These animals are the strongest in the world, but they are also gentle and loving. They live in groups of up to 70 family members and friends and communicate by making trumpet sounds. The animals travel up to 100 miles a day in hot weather for water and tasty plants—but they need only about 2 hours of sleep! 

King Penguin

These friendly birds are found on icy islands around Antarctica, where they live in groups of up to 120,000. They huddle together to stay warm and greet each other with trumpetlike calls. When it’s time to eat, they dive deep underwater for fish. Their black and white feathers help them blend into ocean water, keeping them safe from hungry predators like seals. 

Red Panda

These shy, cat-sized animals live in the cool, rainy forests of Asia. Their soft reddish fur keeps them hidden at the tops of trees that are covered in red-brown moss. Red pandas are excellent climbers and love to relax for hours by themselves. But if they have something to say, they’ll squeak!

Collins

Write to Win

Which animal would you be? Write a paragraph explaining how you are similar to and different from your animal match. Include details from the infographic. Entries must be submitted to “Animal Quiz Contest” by a teacher, parent, or legal guardian.* Three winners will each receive a copy of Would You Rather? Animals by National Geographic.Visit the Storyworks Contests page for more information.


Contest Deadline: November 1, 2025

*Entries must be written by a student in grades 2-8 and submitted by their teacher, parent, or legal guardian, who will be the entrant and must be a legal resident of the U.S. age 18 or older. See the Teacher’s Guide or visit storyworks.scholastic.com/contests for details.

This infographic was originally published in the September 2025 issue.

video (1)
Activities (2)
Skills Activities
video (1)
Activities (2) Download All Activities
Skills Activities
Table of Contents
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

1. Preparing to Read

  • Have students preview the infographic, including the headline, subhead, images, and the “Write to Win” box.
  • Ask: Is the purpose of the infographic to:
    • explain something to you?
    • convince you of something?
    • tell you how to do something?
  • If a video is included with the infographic, show it to the class.

2. Reading and Discussing the Infographic

  • Break students into groups to read each section of the infographic and discuss what they find interesting, surprising, convincing, or confusing.
  • Come back together as a class and ask volunteers to summarize the main idea and supporting details from the infographic.

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Distribute the Guided Writing skill builder, which will help students identify key details in the infographic and respond to the writing prompt in the “Write to Win” box. If you’d like, you, a parent, or legal guardian can submit students’ entries to the writing contest. Find more details at storyworks.scholastic.com/pages/storyworks-contests.
  • Optional: Distribute the Make Your Own Infographic activity, which guides students to choose a topic, research it, and create an infographic to share information.
Can't-Miss Teaching Extras
Explore the Storyworks Archive

For another engaging infographic that asks readers to make a connection with an animal’s special characteristics, invite your students to read “Pick Your (Animal) Superpower.”

 

Watch a Video

Encourage and support your students’ self-reflection skills by sharing a 4-minute video, “What is Self-Awareness + 5 Reasons It's Important,” from RocketKids. (Note: The video starts after a short ad.)

Text-to-Speech