Penguin Post Office Lesson Plan

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Academic Standards

 

Reading Objective:

Students will discover what life is life for postal workers at one remote post office that is surrounded by penguins.

 

Science Focus:

polar animals, habitats

 

Social Studies Focus:

community workers

 

ELA Skills:

key details, vocabulary, opinion writing, punctuation

 

Page 4 Skill:

read a life cycle

 

Vocabulary:

colony, souvenirs, sightseeing

 

CCSS:

RI.2.1 key details; RI.2.4 determine meaning of words; RI.2.10 read informational texts; W.2.1 write opinion pieces; W.2.3 write narratives; W.2.8 recall and gather information; SL.2.1 participate in collaborative conversations; L.2.2 punctuation

 

Lexile level: 

520L

Download TEKS Standards
Download Common Core Standards

Provide students with some background on penguins.

Build background knowledge (10 min.)

Watch our video “5 Things to Know About Antarctica." After children have finished watching the video, discuss the following question:

  • What is one thing you know about Antarctica?

Set a purpose for reading (5 min.)

  • Pass out the issue, and discuss the cover. Would any students like to work at the penguin post office? Why or why not?
  • Next, read the As You Read prompt on page 2: “Think about if you would like to work at the penguin post office.” Encourage children to think about this prompt as they read.

 

Read together (20 min.)

Pass out the Read and Think printable. Use it to check comprehension as you read the issue together, pausing to ask the questions. 

 

Review vocabulary (3 min.)

Next, play the online vocabulary slideshow. This issue’s featured words are colony, souvenirs, and sightseeing.

 

Assessment: Reading Quiz

Pass out the Reading Quiz to review key concepts from the issue and assess students’ proficiency on key nonfiction reading skills.

If You Were a Penguin by Wendell and Florence Minor (20 min.)

Penguins don’t just live outside the post office. There are lots of things penguin can do! This nonfiction book will build you penguin background knowledge. Don’t skip the fun facts and photos at the back of the book.

With the “Penguin Punctuation” game, students will practice their punctuation skills. Each correct answer helps to feed the hungry penguins!

You can use our printable worksheets to focus on important ELA skills. Here's how.

ELA Focus: Vocabulary (15 min.)

  • Use the Word Work printable to deepen students’ understanding of the words colony, souvenirs, and sightseeing.

Editor’s Pick: Opinion Writing 15 min.)

  • The Write Your Opinion! skill sheet provides scaffolding that allow students to develop their opinion by providing reasons and illustrating their stance.

ELA Focus: Writing (15 min.)

  • Students can imagine they have traveled to Antarctica and did their very own sightseeing with the Penguin Postcard.
  • Make several copies of the postcard templates. Assign each student a “pen pal” and have them pick out a postcard to use. Have students cut out their postcard, fold it on the line, and glue or tape it together so the picture is on one side and the stamp is on the other. 
  • Have students imagine they visited Antarctica. Discuss what they might have seen, heard, and done. Then give students time to write about their imagined experiences, using their Scholastic News as a reference.
  • Finally, gather all the postcards in a “mailbag” and let kids find their mail!

Here are two past issues you can use to extend your lesson on penguins:

  • “Count Us If You Can!,” January 2023. Students will analyze the steps scientists had to take to count penguins in Antarctica.
  • “A Chick Grows Up,” January 2019. This issue sequences the penguin life cycle, from a little egg to an adult emperor penguin.

You can find a higher-Lexile-level and a lower-Lexile-level version of the article online here:

  • Higher Lexile level: 600L
  • Lower Lexile level: 440L