School Age Storytime: Penguin Parade

 

This informative K-3rd grade storytime combines animal science, math and poetry
-- lots of fun facts and great vocabulary as well.

The Emperor Lays an Egg by Brenda Z. Guiberson (598.47 GUI) Delightful pictures and fact-packed story-text make this a great introduction to penguin life.  Used slightly-simpler, collage-illustrated A Penguin’s World by Caroline Arnold (598.47 ARNOLD) with kindergarten classes (check last page for fascinating penguin facts) .  The stunningly-illustrated Antarctica by Helen Cowcher is another good choice.

Mentioned the film March of the Penguins. Booktalk companion book (598.47 MAR)

Flora and the Penguin by Molly Idle Another delightful wordless friendship duet by last year’s author/illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Flora and Flamingo.

Antarctic Antics: A Book of Penguin Poems by Judy Sierra (811.54 SIE) A collection of informative and vocabulary-rich (regurgitate, procrastinate, predator) poems on penguin habits – also available as a delightful musical 32 minute DVD from Weston Woods (PPR) and Scholastic (home use version). (I skipped “Be My Penguin”)

Guessing Game Song / Movement Activity : “Look There Daddy, Do You See” (Used flannel pieces with kindergarten but had older classes figure it out with just words and action clues.)

Look There Daddy, Do You See? (also known as The Horse in Striped Pajamas) from the old TV show "Captain Kangaroo".  (Tune and various versions available on the internet by searching: "look there daddy do you see lyrics")

Look There Daddy, Do You See?
Look there Daddy do you see?
There's a horse in striped pajamas.
   No that's not what it is at all,
   That's an animal people call a zebra.
I see -- but it still looks like a horse in striped pajamas to me.
2. There's a bird in its tuxedo  …. penguin
3. There's a bird wearing a rainbow… parrot
4. There's a bird wearing eyeglasses….owl
5. There's a mouse with great big wings on…bat
6. There's a bird with his umbrella… peacock
7. There’s a teddy with two black eyes … panda

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell True story of how two male penguins in New York’s Central Park Zoo hatched and raised a baby penguin and/or Filbert Flies by Karl Ruhmann  Fantasy in which a seal reassures a penguin he can do anything he puts his mind to.

Learning extensions:

http://bedtimemath.org/?s=penguins

http://wonderopolis.org/?post_type=wonder&s=penguins&x=0&y=0

 

Other read-aloud possibilities:

365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental   Lots of great math possibilities here!
Here is Antarctica by Madeleine Dunphy (919.89 DUN) An Antarctic version of The House that Jack Built.
About Penguins by Cathryn Sill (598.47 SIL) Simply written non-fiction
A Mother’s Journey by Sandra Markle (598.47 MAR)
Whiteblack the Penguin Sees the World  by Margret Rey Clever but long.

Optional additional song for Kindergarten “Boom, Boom, Ain’t it Great to Be Crazy?” 

Other ideas here: http://www.susanmdailey.com/penguins.htm

 

Bedm 1/15

Flannel (for preschool?) Pippa’s Penguin