What's happening to the emperor penguins?
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/18/g35/
seaspenguin.html
A lesson plan for Grades 4–5 Science
About this resource
- Appropriate grades
- 4–5
- Subjects
- science (environmental science), thinking skills (information literacy, research skills)
- Provider
- National Geographic
Legal
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In this Xpeditions lesson, students learn about emperor penguins' habitat and behaviors through Web sites such as National Geographic “Creature Feature: Emperor Penguins” and will illustrate a map to show what they have learned.
Students will:
- view pictures of and sketch emperor penguins, leopard seals, and Antarctic ice;
- read and answer questions about emperor penguins;
- illustrate a map of the Antarctic coastline with features of emperor penguin habitat;
- discuss the consequences of increasing temperatures in the Antarctic;
- see pictures of icebergs changing position along the Antarctic coast;
- discuss the icebergs' potential and actual impacts on penguin colonies; and
- write paragraphs describing the maps that they have illustrated.
Xpeditions suggests extension activities and provides links to a variety of related educational web resources.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Science (2005)
Grade 4
- Goal 1: The learner will make observations and conduct investigations to build an understanding of animal behavior and adaptation.
- Objective 1.01: Observe and describe how all living and nonliving things affect the life of a particular animal including:
- Other animals.
- Plants.
- Weather.
- Climate.
- Objective 1.02: Observe and record how animals of the same kind differ in some of their characteristics and discuss possible advantages and disadvantages of this variation.
- Objective 1.03: Observe and discuss how behaviors and body structures help animals survive in a particular habitat.
- Objective 1.04: Explain and discuss how humans and other animals can adapt their behavior to live in changing habitats.
- Objective 1.05: Recognize that humans can understand themselves better by learning about other animals.
- Objective 1.01: Observe and describe how all living and nonliving things affect the life of a particular animal including:
Grade 5
- Goal 1: The learner will conduct investigations to build an understanding of the interdependence of plants and animals.
- Objective 1.01: Describe and compare several common ecosystems (communities of organisms and their interaction with the environment).
- Objective 1.03: Explain why an ecosystem can support a variety of organisms.
- Objective 1.05: Determine the interaction of organisms within an ecosystem.
- Objective 1.06: Explain and evaluate some ways that humans affect ecosystems.
- Habitat reduction due to development.
- Pollutants.
- Increased nutrients.
