Scott Foresman Reading Street

Penguin Chick
Group Time

for Fluency

Use Decodable Reader 6.

Word Study/Phonics

LESSON VOCABULARY Use p. 152b to review the meanings of cuddles, flippers, frozen, hatch, pecks, preen, and snuggles. Students can blend all of the words. Have individuals practice reading the words from word cards.

DECODING MULTISYLLABIC WORDS Write toboggan and model how to decode when there are no meaningful word parts. I see a chunk at the beginning of the word: to. I'll split the rest of the word into two chunks, between the two g's. In the middle I see bog. At the end I see gan. I say each chunk slowly: to bog gan. I say the chunk fast to make a whole word: toboggan. If I change the vowel sound in the first and last chunks a little, I can see the word is toboggan.

Use the Multisyllabic Word routine on p. DI•1 to help students read these other words from Penguin Chick: webbed, rookery, shuffles, nursery, slippery, waterproof, and headfirst. Be sure students understand the meanings of words such as rookery and shuffles.

Penguin Chick, pp. 154–161

BEFORE READING Yesterday we read about Antarctica and learned about the animals that live there. Today we will read about how the emperor penguins are able to live in the coldest place on earth.

Using the Picture Walk routine on p. DI•1, guide students through the text, asking questions such as those listed below. Then read the question on
p. 155. Together, set a purpose for reading.

p. 157 What is the penguin doing with the egg? (putting it under its body on top of its feet) Why do you think it is doing that?

p. 160 What are the penguins doing? (standing close together in a large group) They are huddling together to keep warm. As we read, let's pay attention to other ways the penguins have of surviving.

DURING READING Follow the Guiding Comprehension routine on
pp. 156–161. Have students read along with you while tracking the print or do a choral reading. Stop every two pages to ask what students have learned so far. Prompt as necessary.

What was p. 157 about?
What does the mother penguin do after she leaves the rookery?

AFTER READING What have you learned so far? What do you think you will learn about tomorrow? Reread passages as needed.

Extend Vocabulary

CONTEXT CLUES Choose and read a sentence or passage containing a difficult word with a synonym as a context clue, such as this sentence from p. 11 of Penguins on Parade: “All penguin tongues have tiny barbs or spines for keeping a firm grip on prey they have caught.” What does the word barbs mean? (spines, or sharp things) How did you figure out the word’s meaning? (I looked at the words around it and saw “or spines,” so I thought that spines must be a synonym for barbs.) A context clue that is a synonym can help you figure out the meaning of an unknown word. Remind students to use the strategy as they read Penguin Chick.

Penguin Chick, pp. 154–161

BEFORE READING In “Penguins on Parade,” you read about many different kinds of penguins. Today you will read a selection that explains the life cycle of one particular penguin—the emperor penguin. As you read, think about how emperor penguins manage to survive in the cold Antarctic environment.

Have students write their predictions about what topics or ideas they think the selection will cover in their Strategy Response Logs (p. 154). Have them revise their predictions as they read.

CRITICAL THINKING/PROBLEM SOLVING Have students read
pp. 154–161 independently. Encourage them to think critically and creatively. For example, ask:

What special ways of behaving do the mother and father penguins have that help them protect their eggs?
How is the emperor penguin different from birds you might see near your home?
What sort of environment would you need to make for emperor penguins in a zoo?

AFTER READING Meet with students to discuss the selection and have them share their Strategy Response Log entries. Then have them imagine they are zookeepers expecting several emperor penguins and write a description of the environment they would create for the birds.