Teaching About Penguins: Activities Kids Will Love
When to Teach a Penguin Unit
I absolutely LOVE themed units! They are so much fun, and the possibilities are practically endless. But when is the best time to introduce a Penguin Unit to students? The Winter Months are a great opportunity. Teaching about penguins is fun to look forward to after the busy holiday season subsides.
Students love to create while learning, so making an animal habitat and studying adaptations is the perfect activity.
Topics to Cover When Teaching About Penguins
There are so many facts to learn about Penguins, so where should you begin?! I like to start by first ensuring that my students fully understand what a penguin is and a few of its characteristics. Students LOVE talking about this animal and looking at photos of the seabird. Next, we discuss the life cycles of a penguin as well as its many-body covering and adaptations. We will discuss how its adaptations allow it to survive in the Southern Hemisphere. I also like to briefly cover additional arctic animals!
Books and Non-Fiction Readers
Visual images are so important for young learners to study as well. This is why I love incorporating picture books and non-fiction readers into my Penguin Unit. Students can explore and learn new information about arctic animals while enhancing their reading skills.
Some of my all-time favorite books include:
- National Geographic Readers: Penguins! Anne Schreiber
- Penguins! By Gail Gibbons
- Penguin Books: The Ultimate Penguin Book for Kids by Jenny Kellet
Teaching About Penguins: Life Cyles of a Penguin
While I love that this unit is snow much fun (see what I did there). However, it is still so important that students are learning important information related to penguins. I always like to review the life cycle of a penguin during our unit.
Teaching About Penguins: Fact Cards
Your kiddos will love cutting and sorting Penguin Fact Cards. They will explore even more about this fascinating seabird while practicing their fine motor skills. Students can either cut and sort again and again or cut and glue into their notebooks.
Penguin Adaptations and Characteristics
I love for students to practice labeling a penguin and exploring its characteristics at the end of the unit. This could be used as an end-of-the-unit assessment or even an exit ticket. You could also preassess students prior to the unit and test their knowledge of penguins.
Facts, Opinions, True, and False Activities
I don’t know about you, but I’ve yet to have a student who didn’t love sharing his or her opinions with the class! Another good practice for this unit is for students to indicate what is fact and what is an opinion in regards to penguins.
Free Science Curriculum Pacing Guide
Take back your time and grab your FREE pacing guide HERE. I know as a teacher, your time is so valuable. Take it back with a no-prep Science Pacing Guide.
No Prep All About Penguins Activities for Kids
The activities in this post are from my All About Penguins Worksheets pack.
Also, be sure to save this post by pinning this to your Pinterest account. That way, you can easily come back to these ideas when you are ready to teach your class about penguins.
Check Out These Other Blog Post for More Winter Activity Ideas:
QUICK AND SIMPLE POLAR BEAR ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
HOW TO REVIEW CLASSROOM PROCEDURES AFTER WINTER BREAK
