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Penguin Species

There are 18 species of penguins. Students will collaborate to learn about and sculpt them out of Model Magic.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

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  • Index Cards

Steps

  • Step 1

    Penguins live in diverse environments, from Antarctica's icy waters to the Atacama Desert in Chile and Peru. They also vary greatly in size and population numbers. Have students name as many species as they can think of. They might come up with ones that are more commonly known, such as emperor, Galápagos, Adélie, or African. Have them look up the names of the ones that weren't mentioned.

  • Step 2

    Have the class form nine teams, and assign each team two species of penguin. Ask them to learn about each species. Where does it live? What does it eat? How big does it grow? What is its current population, and are there any threats to its survival? They can label an index card for each and add a few facts to the cards.

  • Step 3

    Ask each team to create models of its two assigned penguin species out of Model Magic. Use paint to indicate the different-colored features on the penguin.

  • Step 4

    Have each team present their penguin models and some information about the species. When all teams have presented, display the penguins with their info cards in the classroom.

Standards

LA: Read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grade level text complexity band independently and proficiently.

LA: Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.

LA: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade level topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

MATH: Generate measurement data by measuring lengths of several objects to the nearest whole unit, or by making repeated measurements of the same object. Show the measurements by making a line plot, where the units.

SCI: Observe and compare the many kinds of living things that are found in different areas.

SCI: Analyze a representation of a particular habitat showing the locations and shapes of both land and water features of that habitat and communicate how the land and water support animals and plants.

SS: Use appropriate resources, data sources, and geographic tools to generate, manipulate, and interpret information.

VA: Use different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, experiences, and stories.

VA: Use visual structures of art to communicate ideas.

Adaptations

Encourage students to watch a live penguin webcam transmission, such as the one at Monterey Bay Aquarium (montereybayaquarium.org) or the New England Aquarium (neaq.org). Have them review some of the educational info about penguins on those websites.

Have students investigate some of the fossil species of penguins and their significance. For example, the Waimanu genus of penguin, which lived over 60 million years ago, is one of the most important bird fossils for understanding the origin and evolution of birds.