Penguin Unit

Penguins.....Just typing the word reminds me of the cute little birds that act like a fish. Their little legs and their little waddle....just so stinking cute! I mean, who doesn't love penguins.  They are interesting little creatures that provide entertainment and learning for all ages.

I decided that the kids would enjoy a penguin unit during the winter months of January.  Plus, I could find or create activities that address both preschool and second grade.

For Micah, I used the penguin unit as a way to introduce the letter P.  The penguins were also used as a way for continued exposure to numbers, shapes, and colors.  I created this packet for the preschool age.
This packet includes a letter maze, a color matching game, pattern play, shape tracing, letter tracing, and more all with the penguin theme throughout.

Preschool Penguin Pack

In addition to the Penguin Preschool Pack, I also used the following activities:

Color by Number
Penguin Number Dot-to-Dot
Penguin Letter Dot-to-Dot
Other Fun Penguin Activities



For Abby, my second grader, the penguin theme was used to teach math, literacy, geography, and science (habitat, predator/prey).  So I turned to the Internet for sources that I could use for instruction at the second grade level.  And here is what I found:

Math
Mathwire --  This site offers a TON of penguin themed math activities.  The area that I liked the most for Abby was the problem solving section.  In addition to math activities for Abby,  this site could be utilized for preschool as well, although some activities may require some minor modification.

Penguin Grid Activity -- A fun coloring activity that also focuses on plotting points.

Literacy
I found several different short passages with comprehension questions for Abby.  Since reading is an area of concern for her, we generally spend 3-5 days on a passage to ensure comprehension and to improve reading skills through repetition.  However, there were a couple of these that she just read 2-3 times in one day and then answered the questions.

Penguin Passages --  Read Works is a great website that has reading passages for all different reading levels. They offer fiction and non-fiction choices as well as a wide variety of topics.  PLUS each passage has corresponding questions.  You do have to be a member to download the passages and activities, but it is a FREE membership...and what's better than getting something for free.

Peter the Penguin --  Another great website for reading passages is Have Fun Teaching.  The reading is divided into grade levels and each come with comprehension questions as well.

Penguins Reading Passage

After reading the passages, Abby would generally complete a journal entry as well.  With several of the passages, she simply summarized the passage.  However, we also made a deliberate attempt to identify the who, what, when, where, why, and how of each passage as well as discussing the differences in fiction and non-fiction.

Science

Playful Penguins -- This is a great free packet that highlights six species of penguins.  The habitat, food, predators, appearance, and facts about each species is covered.  There is also a neat graphic organizer for each species as well.  Also, when we studied each penguin, we used a map to highlight where each species lived.  It was a great way to discuss Northern and Southern Hemispheres, continents, the equator, and other geographical facts.

In addition to the provided activities, we did a measuring and comparison activity, which the kids loved.  I cut out a strip of paper (actually it was three that I pieced together) that measured to 48 inches and marked off inches and feet.  Next, I cut out nine read arrows (six for the penguins, three for my kids.)  I wrote the names of the kids on three of the arrows.  Abby cut out the little circle images of the six penguin species discussed in the Play Penguins unit.  So using the measuring strip, we marked the height of each penguin and the kids. They LOVED seeing how tall they were in comparison to the penguins and thought it was so funny to learn that emperor penguins are pretty much the same size as Micah (who is five.)  We referred to this activity several times throughout the unit.

Books

Once Jude is down for his afternoon nap, we have story time, just me and the older two.  It is such a fun time for me because everything is calm and I can simply enjoy my kids without having a 22 month requiring CONSTANT supervision.  These are a few books that we read that correlated with this unit.  Judging from the questions and discussions that stemmed from story time, I would say the kids LOVED these books.

Antarctica by: Helen Cowcher

Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester

Penguin Chick by Betty Tatham


In addition to the activities above, we also finished some fun art projects:

Penguin Glyph
How To Draw a Penguin
Penguin Paper Plate Craft

All in all, this was a really fun unit for everyone.....including me.  Happy learning!!