First student, my artist in residence, sketch a life-sized, four-foot tall picture of the Emperor Penguin. It is hard for young students to imagine how big this is, and they took turns standing next to it and comparing themselves to it. We talked how the penguin is a bird even though it does not fly. We also talked about the fact that it does have feathers and wings.
Students learn about the emperor penguin, its body structure, its cold home of ice and water, how it keeps warm, what it eats, and how parents care for their young. A life-size poster, included with the guide, invites students to compare their heights and body structures to those of this four-foot tall bird. They experience a penguin’s icy home by playing with cork penguins in a tub of “icebergs” and water. Using paper-bag penguins, children create dramas on a paper-ocean scene. Important math concepts and skills are developed as children pretend to be hungry penguins and “catch” fish crackers in multi-sensory math games. They top off their explorations with ice investigations and tasty ice treats. Throughout the unit, life science, mathematics, and physical science are integrated with language activities.
