Penguins
By: Marylynn Crary
Literature Selections
Fiction Non-fiction
The Emperor’s Egg 100 things you should know about Penguins
By: Martin Jenkins
Without You The Penguin
By: Sarah Weeks and Suzanne Duranceau By: Beatrice Fontanel
Tacky the Penguin What Makes a Bird a Bird?
By: Helen Lester By: May Garelick
The Important Book Antarctica
By: Margaret Wise Brown By: Helen Cowcher
Penguins
By: JoAnn Early Macken
Non Fiction Continued
Growing Up Wild: Penguins.
By: Sandra Markle
Penguin Chick
By: Betty Tatham
Cross Curricular Ideas Web
Sing 10 Little Measuring Penguin story
Play “Get Authors
Penguins penguins Math problems
Along Little Chair
Penguins” as Make graph with
Reader’s
a large group comparing poems
Theater with
penguin sizes
Listening Compose Tacky the
game with word wall Penguin
Music and
Penguin
language
Movement Lang. Arts
Acrostic Poetry with
peer writing workshop
100 Things to
Penguins know about
Penguins
Take Home
Journal with
activities Penny the
Reading
Penguin
Penguin bulletin Art
puppets for board
Reader’s Science
Food Chain
Theater Create a perky Central Park
study
penguin zoo cam web View March
quest of the
At end of Social Penguins
unit, class will
have a Look at Studies
where Study Thermometer
Penguin Party Venn
penguins climate diagram and
and construct
live and temperature
igloos and comparing
habitat differences
Penguins with National Emperor and
marshmallows King KWL
Geographic Adopt a
penguins chart in
Web Quest penguin
journals
project
Language Arts Strategies Web
Climate/habitat Reading
Measurement/ Word wall
overhead size graphs Read Penguin
Books Journal
Viewing entries Word wall
Students
create a
Writing
word wall KWL journal Acrostic
chart poetry
Penguins
KWL chart Visually Compare
Representing Talking penguins
Students make Word wall Reader’s
graphs of Sing penguin
Listening Listening Theater
penguin size song
comparisons Take Venn with “eek,
home diagram aak, ook” Eek, Aak
journal game game Share
Perky penguins Listen/watch penguin
Penguins for March of the poems in
Tacky reader’s Penguins authors chair
theater
Unit Plan
Students will gain knowledge about penguins
through text.
Students will use web resources.
Students will view videos to help further
knowledge.
Students will do a “take-home” journal along
with “Penny” the penguin discussing activities
they did with Penny that night.
Students will create a word wall.
Literacy Strategies
Organizing ideas-making Venn diagrams to compare penguins,
KWL chart, and working in a take home journal.
Visualizing-watch March of the Penguins, listening to stories, art
activities.
Making Connections-game that involves penguin “language”,
singing songs, penguin graph.
Revising Meaning-read “The Important Book” and create “The
Important Thing About Penguins” story.
Language Arts Skills
Print-consult a dictionary and thesaurus when writing penguin
stories. Sound out words using phonics when creating the word
wall.
Comprehension-note details of penguins. Compare and
contrast different climates and areas of where birds live.
Reference-locate information in an encyclopedia.
Study-make outlines and clusters with information about
penguins.
Technology
Web sites
www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/cpzoo
www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/creature_feature/0101/penguins.htm
Video
“March of the Penguins”
Overhead projector
Transparency of locations of penguin habitats
Audio
Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester
Grouping Activities
Whole Group Small Group
Class discussion of what they already know Peer writing workshops
about penguins 100 Things to Know about Penguins
Read aloud Tacky the Penguin activities from book
Play “Get Along Little Penguin” Creating penguin puppets for reader’s
Listening game with penguin language “eek, theater.
aak, ook” Independent
Sing “10 Little Penguins” Take home journal with Penny the Penguin
Reading bulletin board with igloos and Penguin story problems
penguins Perky Penguins
Tacky the Penguin Reader’s Theater Study of climate and habitat
Graph comparing sizes of penguins Acrostic poetry
Word Wall Web quest
Watching videos Thermometer and temperature differences
Authors chair Venn diagrams
KWL chart KWL chart in journal
Time Schedule for the week
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
L.A.-Introduce L.A.-Students are L.A.-Students will start SCIENCE-View L.A.-Spelling test
Penguins. Discuss introduced to peer conferencing with March of the L.A.-Authors chain with
Penguins as group. Acrostic poetry and their poems Penguins poetry
L.A.-Introduce word have them begin MATH-Make graphs L.A.-Finish KWL MOVEMENT-Play
A.M. wall plan with
spelling words of the
rough drafts.
L.A.-Read Tacky
comparing penguin sizes
using the measurements
charts in journals.
Combine all charts
“Get Along Little
Penguin”
week. the Penguin to the taken before into one big chart for ART-Finish puppets for
MOVEMENT-Play class and divide story SCIENCE-Do Venn the room. reader’s theater
“Eek, Aak, Ook” into parts for diagram comparing MATH-Start story
game to introduce students Emperor and King book problems with
different types of MUSIC-Sing “10 penguins penguin measurements
penguins. Little Penguins” S.S.-Climate and habitat
study
S.S.-Students study MATH-Students S.S.-National S.S.-Finish “Adopt a L.A.-Reader’s theater
where penguins live. measure different Geographic web quest Penguin” and have all presentation to parents
Introduce “Adopt a sizes of penguins L.A.-Break into groups to information together and other students
P.M. Penguin” activity
SCIENCE-Students
SCIENCE-Central
Park Zoo web
work on activities from
100 Things to know
SCIENCE-Food chain
diagram and study.
ART-Construct igloos
and penguins with
study thermometers quest about Penguins L.A.-Final peer marshmallows.
and temperature ART-Start working ART-Finish working on conferencing for PARTY-Watch Surf ’s
differences. on puppets for penguin puppets. Start poems. Get poems Up and have a class
ART-Bulletin board Tacky reader’s perky penguin art into presentable format discussion on what the
project theater L.A.-Continue take home “Rhyming Penguins” students have learned
L.A.-Introduce L.A.-Continue take journals L.A.-Continue take throughout the week
Penny the Penguin home journals home journals
and take home
journal
Assessment
Observation of cooperation during group work.
Teacher questioning during whole group
activities.
6+1 writing traits- acrostic poetry
Take home journal (checklist)
Reader’s Theater of Tacky the Penguin
(rubric)
Science Venn diagram (checklist)
Social Studies location of penguins (Quiz on
where they are located)
Math measuring (worksheets on measuring)
Graph completion from math
Videos and web quests (teacher observation and
questioning in large group)
Food Chain quiz
LESSON PLAN
GRADE LEVEL-K-2
SUBJECT AREA-Language Arts
MATERIALS NEEDED-Journal, stuffed penguin
STANDARDS
2.2.7-Recall, retell events and sequence.
2.3.15-Share final copy with peers, teacher, and/or family memebers
OBJECTIVES
TLW take the penguin home with them each night
TLW journal about what he/she did with the penguin that night
LEARNING ACTIVITIEIS
Introduce the journal and penguin- teacher has written a letter from the penguin to the students and the teacher has written
the first entry about the penguin going home with him/her
Students will be assigned what night they get to take the penguin home
Students will take the penguin home on their night. Be creative about what he/she did with the penguin
Students will bring the penguin and journal back to school the next day
At end of week, class will discuss activities they did with the penguin
ASSESSMENT
A checklist will be used to make sure the students have written in the journal each night and have brought the penguin back
to school on time
REFLECTION