Penguins at The Virtual Vine

Penguin Pete - Marcus Pfister

The Emperor's Egg - Martin Jenkins

Five Little Penguins Slipping on the Ice - Steve Metzger

Penguins - Gail Gibbons

Mr. Popper's Penguins

Tacky the Penguin - Helen Lester

March of the Penguins - National Geographic

Penguins Through the Year - Robin Bernard

Information provided on this page is for classroom use only; not for publication.

thevirtualvine.com 2007

Penguin Facts:

Penguins are flightless sea birds.

They have feathers.

They can swim but not fly.

They use their wings like flippers.

There are 18 species of penguins.

The smallest penguins are the 16 inch tall Little Blue penguins of Australia.

The largest penguin is the 3 and a half foot tall Emperor penguin of the Antarctic.

Penguins live in colonies.

They return to the rookery where they were born to breed.

Penguins are eaten by leopard seals, sea lions and whales.

Chicks and eggs are eaten by gulls.

Penguins eat fish, squid and krill (small shrimp).

Penguin Vocabulary
bird	swim	fly	small	large
colony	rookery	leopard seals	sea lions	whales
chicks	eggs	gulls	fish	squid
krill	feathers	dive	black	white
waddle	ice	cold	slippery	slide
tummy	male	female	mother	father
trumpet	call	whistle

The Emperor's Egg:

This book is one of the selections used in the 2nd grade Harcourt Trophies series that our school uses. So I created these materials to use with my students.

Vocabulary Matching Cards

adapted workbook page 34

adapted workbook page 39

Sara Tomon, Wahneta Elem., in Winter Haven, FL created these vocabulary cards to share as well:

Vocabulary Matching Cards

Thanks, Sara, for sharing your great work! :)

Short A Words:

As a SPED teacher teaching K-2 students, my units have to cover at least three grade levels of skills sometimes. That's why you see a little bit of everything at The Virtual Vine. :) One of my kindergarten students is ready to start decoding short "a" words, so I created these cards for him. If I have time (since Dakota is due in less than 2 weeks), I'd also like to do a whole set of short vowel word cards.

I'm going to use these cards by simply having him practice decoding the words orally with me. Later I'd also like to make cards where he can match pictures to the words on his own.

short a cards 1

short a cards 2

short a cards 3

Penguin Treat:

I haven't actually tried this idea, but I think it will work. :) I'm going to try it out though before I try it with my students. To create a penguin look-alike, you'll need a half of a large Oreo with the white filling for the body. You'll need a half of a mini Oreo with the filling for the head. Place the mini cookie slightly overlapping the larger Oreo at the top. If we need something to stick it with I may use a touch of white icing or peanut butter that won't show. Now to make the face of the penguin use white icing to make two white dots or we might be able to cut a mini marshmallow in half and use them for the eyes. But I think they'll be too large. Now use a piece of orange candy corn for the beak. If you want, you can create wings using the other half of the mini Oreo by cutting it in half and placing each half on each side of the body to create the wings. Last, you can break the sharp points off two more pieces of candy corn and stand them on end to create the feet. Voila, a penguin! :) I hope this works and I can't wait to try it! :)

Fine Motor Activity:

Use the link below to print a pattern to create a Push Pin Penguin activity. Students can lay the pattern and a piece of colored paper on top of a piece of carpeting or rug that has been turned to the back and use a push pin to go around the black lines. When finished, they can remove the pattern page to see the penguin on the colored sheet of paper and then turn it over for an extra surprise to FEEL the back of it! :) Then last, hold it up to the light to SEE the pattern through all the tiny holes. What fun and they've strengthened those fine muscles at the same time! :)

http://www.kidsrcrafty.com/penguin.htm