South Carolina ETV

South Carolina ETV
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29201-4761
Phone: 803-737-3545

Grounded for Life (Grade 2)

Master Teacher

Bobbie Huntsinger

Time Allotment

Two 30-minute class periods

Overview

This lesson is designed to familiarize students with the lives of penguins including their life cycles, habitats and basic needs. Students will experience the lives of penguins through stories and video.

Subject Matter

Science

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

name the three stages in the life cycles of penguins
explain the diet and general habits of the penguin

South Carolina Standards

These Standards can be found online at Office of Curriculum Standards.

Second Grade Science

II. A. 1. Organisms have basic needs. Animals need air, water, and food.

a. Identify the basic needs of animals, including shelter and living space.

2. Organisms can survive only in environ- ments in which their needs can be met.

a. Describe the relationship between animals and their habitats.

b. Group animals based on their habits.

B. 1. Animals have life cycles that include being born, developing into adults, reproducing, and eventually dying.

a. Observe and describe the growth and development of animals throughout their life cycles.

b. Investigate and understand that animals go through a series of orderly changes in their life cycles.

c. Observe growth in animals over time.

Third Grade Science

II. A. Characteristics of Organisms

1. b. Select and describe an appropriate habitat for a plant or animal.

Fourth Grade Science

II. A. 1. a. Identify the characteristics of different environments, such as forests, wetlands, grasslands, deserts, and in polar, temperate and tropical regions.

Second Grade Language Arts

II. A. The student will participate and respond to read alouds through listening atten- tively, asking questions to elicit informa- tion, and responding appropriately.

I. E. The student will demonstrate comprehen- sion of fiction and nonfiction selections.

Media Components

Video

Zoom Minutes, Lesson 8: African Penguins (Length: 1:15 min.)

Web Sites

The National Geographic Site gives some great information about the lives and mating habits of penguins. It also contains a video of Emperor penguins out in their natural habit. Requires the Shockwave plug-in. (Note to Teacher: If you have trouble reaching it directly, go to the Marco Polo search engine and do a search on Penguins. It will come up as a site on Emperor Penguins.)

Materials

computer
VCR
videotape
overhead of Brainstorm Activity (Activity Sheet 1)

Per student:

The Life Cycle of Penguins (Activity Sheet 2)
pencils/crayons

Prep for Teachers

Prior to teaching this lesson, bookmark the Web sites used in the lesson on each computer in your classroom. Load the Shockwave plug-in (available free at macromedia.com) onto each computer as well.

Cue video to the eighth Zoom Minutes lesson on the tape, which immediately follows the Diamond Rattlesnake segment. Cue to immediately after the title page for African Penguins. The segment will continue until the end of the lesson on Penguins. Stop at the end of the short program.

Prepare the hands on element of the lesson by making copies of the handouts, one per student. When using media, provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites, or other multimedia elements.

Make an overhead of the Brainstorm Activity worksheet.

Introductory Activity

Step 1: Begin by using Activity Sheet 1 (as a poster or overhead) to brainstorm on all that the students know about penguins.

Step 2: Read The Little Penguin's Tale by Audrey Wood. After reading the story, discuss ideas from the story such as: Where do penguins live? Can penguins run away from home? Where do penguins go to party? What do penguins look like?

Learning Activities

Step 1: Explain to your students that there are 17 different kinds of penguins. The largest kind of penguin is the Emperor penguin. Penguins are hatched from eggs. Each mother lays only 1 egg at a time. The penguin's eggs are kept warm by the father penguin while the mother penguin travels across the ice to feed. After the eggs hatch, she returns and regurgitates to feed her young. After they hatch, the baby penguins are called chicks.

Vocabulary

chicks

Step 2: Insert the video and use the following statements as your Focus for Media Interaction:

1. Look for one place penguins are found in the world.

2. Look for one thing that penguins eat.

3. Look for where they nest. FAST FORWARD the tape until you see the title page for African penguins. PLAY the tape until the end of the lesson. After showing the clip discuss the above statements.

Step 3: Explain that penguins also live in areas of the world such as Antarctica.

Culminating Activity

Step 1: Show students the digital clip from the National Geographic Web site. Provide a Focus for Media Interaction by asking students: What do you notice about where the penguins are? Do penguins live alone or in groups? Did you see any other things about penguins that we have already learned? Discuss these questions after viewing the clip.

Step 2: Complete the diagram "The Life Cycle of Penguins" (Activity Sheet 2). This can also be used for assessment.

Cross-Curricular Extensions

Science: Explore the weather conditions that penguins live in. What is the temperature? How does the water supply affect the lives of the penguins?

Language Arts: In a paragraph or more, answer the following questions: Do you think the penguin should be considered a bird? Explain why or why not.

Social Studies/Technology: Return to The National Geographic Site. Use the maps section to locate places where Emperor penguins live. What elements do penguins need to survive?

Visual Arts: Build a model of the habitat of the penguin.

Community Connections

Visit a zoo and investigate the penguins there. What type of habitat have the zookeepers created there so that the penguins will feel at home?

Student Materials

Student copies of The Little Penguin's Tale by Audrey Wood (if possible)
Activity Sheets
crayons or pencils for each student