Guiding Comprehension

Summarize • Critical

In two or three sentences, tell what you have learned about emperor penguins so far.

Responses will vary; check that
facts students list are from the
selection.

Compare and Contrast
• Critical

Text to World In what ways are emperor penguins different
from other birds you know
about? Use your summary to
help you answer the question.

Some facts students may
mention: It is the father penguin
and not the mother penguin that
sits on the egg to keep it warm;
penguins don't fly; father
penguins huddle together to
keep each other warm instead
of staying alone.

Use Graphic Organizers

• Critical

Add to your KWL chart for the selection. Think about what you already knew, what you
still want to know as you continue to read, and what you have already learned.

Information in charts will vary;
check that details in the L column come from the selection.

Recall and Predict

Have students recall the major points in the text. Discuss what these points have in common, and what other information the students may still want to know. Then, have them predict what information may come next in the selection.

STRATEGY SELF-CHECK

Use Graphic Organizers

Explain that graphic organizers help us organize information so that we can better understand it. Sometimes, the author or artist creates a graphic organizer for us to complete as we read; other times, we have to create our own.

Remind students that it is important to
be able to identify the main idea and supporting details if we want to understand the text. Often, a simple graphic organizer can help us do this.

Have students draw a long rectangle on a separate piece of paper and a line an inch or so from the top. Thinking about the selection title and what they have read, have them write the main idea of the selection in the top part of the box and any supporting details below it.

SELF-CHECK

Students can ask these questions to assess their ability to use the skill and strategy.

Do I know what the selection
is about?
Have I stated the most important idea of the selection?
Do the details I have listed
support the main idea?

then…
revisit the skill lesson on
p. 150–151. Reteach as necessary.

If… students have difficulty finding the main idea and supporting details,

Main Idea and Details

Check Predictions Provide the following prompt: Was your prediction accurate? Revise your old prediction or make a new prediction about the rest of the selection.

If you want to teach this selection in two sessions, stop here.

"Penguin Chick"
by Betty Tatham

Student Edition
Unit 2, pp. 154–167

Expository nonfiction gives information about the real world. Read for facts about emperor penguins that you might not know.

On a cold winter day in the frozen Antarctica, a female emperor penguin lays an egg. Now the father penguin takes over. The father rolls the egg onto his feet and into a brood patch. Here the egg will stay warm in a fold of skin covered by feathers. The father will care for the egg until the baby penguin hatches. Then he will care for the newly hatched chick. While caring for the egg and chick, the father does not eat. He lives off his body fat. He spends his time with other fathers. They stand close together to help keep each other warm.
As the father cares for the egg, the mother joins other female penguins that leave the rookery where they laid their eggs. They are hungry and must travel far to reach the sea. Once there each mother dives into the sea, using her flippers to swim in search of food. She feeds on sea creatures including krill, very small sea organisms that look like tiny shrimp.
While the mother is gone, the chick grows inside the egg. When it is time for it to hatch, the chick pecks at the inside of the egg. Soon the egg cracks and breaks apart, and the chick emerges wet and tired. The chick cannot survive in the cold, so it snuggles in the father's brood patch to stay warm.
After feeding, the mother makes the journey back to the rookery. On her return, she cuddles with her chick and begins to preen its down feathers. The soft down helps protect the chick from the cold. She also feeds the chick by bringing up food she had in her stomach and giving it to the chick.
Now she will stay with the chick and the father will go for food. He will feed himself and come back with food in his stomach for the chick.
The parents continue to take turns caring for the chick and going for food. All the time, the chick is growing. Soon it is big enough to leave the brood patch. It cuddles with other young penguins to stay warm, but it returns to its parents for food.
Over time, the chick grows waterproof feathers. Then the chick can go to the sea and hunt for food. In a few years, it will be old enough to find a mate and have its own egg.



	Close
	Activate Prior Knowledge Place students in groups according to their abilities in English and have them share and discuss what they know about the life cycle of birds in general and penguins in particular. Using what they have read so far, have them point out the ways in which penguins differ from other birds. PRACTICE LESSON VOCABULARY Have students provide oral responses to each question. *If something is frozen,* is it liquid or solid?** (solid) *If humans had flippers,* which body part would they replace?** (our arms) *What happens when the chick pecks* at the egg shell?** (The egg cracks open.) BUILD CONCEPT VOCABULARY Review previous concept words with students. Ask if students have met any words today in their reading or elsewhere that they would like to add to the Concept Web.

"Penguin Chick"by Betty Tatham

"Penguin Chick"
by Betty Tatham