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Penguins Grade: Grade 4
Subject: English Language Arts
Created by: Jennifer Jones
Lesson Length: 1 hour
Keywords/Tags: Penguins Lesson Plan
Lesson Description: During this lesson students will learn reading skills, vocabulary, critical thinking, and reading comprehension. The students will read the short passage individually. Then the teacher will reread the passage out loud and discuss it. Students will then use classroom iPads to use a a research tool to find more facts about penguins. Students will be able to answer and ask questions regarding vocabulary and reading questions that the teacher will present.Students then individually will complete the following questions and will complete a discussion board with fellow peers.
Common Core Standards Covered with This Lesson
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.3: Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.1: Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.4: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
  • CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.4.4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
 
     
     
 
Lesson Content: Reading
Instructions: Please read the following reading passage as many times as needed (aloud and silent) before starting to go through other lesson pages. Understanding the content of this passage is very important since the lesson activities will be all about this content. Feel free to print the passage if needed.

Penguins

The penguin is a bird, but it does not fly. Penguins are not like other birds.They are unique birds, and although they do have feathers, even their feathers are unusual. Other birds have rows of feathers that grow in a specific pattern. A penguin’s feathers grow all over, like hair on a mammal. You will not see penguins in the air, and you will not see them in trees. You will see them in the water, in fact you will see them below the surface of the water if you have an underwater video camera.

The penguin is an ocean bird, living in and near the ocean. The penguin spends much time in the ocean, so much of its life is unknown. People only get to know penguins well when they are on land, and the penguin can be at sea for months at a time.

While the penguin is not a great flier as the eagle is, the penguin can out-swim most birds and probably out-swims some other aquatic animals. The penguin has thick strong wings and flippers instead of feet that it uses to push through the water. When the penguin is on land, it walks along slowly, and this limited mobility may be one reason the penguin spends more time in the water. The penguin’s food source is in the water, the fish it catches. They have solid bones, while other birds have bones that are not solid.
 
     
     
 
Task 1: Vocabulary Activity (20 points)
Instructions: Please complete the following vocabulary activity by choosing the correct meaning of each word selected from the passage and use of each word correctly in a sentence.
Vocabulary Questions
Word/Phrase: unusual | Tier: 2 | Points: 5
Q1 The author in our story says "...their feathers are unusual." What does the word "unuasual" mean in this sentence?
A. Different *
B. The Same
C. Colorful
D. Soft
Which one of the sentences below uses the word "unuasual" correctly?
A. I can not forget to take my unusual out for a walk today.
B. All dogs have unusual tails.
C. It was very unusual to find eggs in the cookie jar. *
D. The unusual car matched all the others on display.
Word/Phrase: mammal | Tier: 2 | Points: 5
Q2 The author in our story says, "A penguin’s feathers grow all over, like hair on a mammal." What does the word "mammal" mean in this sentence?
A. A make believe creature
B. An Animal with whiskers
C. Warm blooded animal with fur *
D. A reptile with scales
Which one of the sentence below uses the word "mammal" correctly?
A. A turtle is a slow moving mammal that lives in a hard shell.
B. A raccoon is a mammal that likes to dig in the trash at night. *
C. A mammal is usually cold blooded and lays eggs.
D. When I was a mammal I loved to play football.
Word/Phrase: aquatic | Tier: 3 | Points: 5
Q3 The author in our story says "How did he learn the deep principles of science and the love of it, what’s behind it...While the penguin is not a great flier as the eagle is, the penguin can out-swim most birds and probably out-swims some other aquatic animals." What does the word "acuatic" mean in this sentence?
A. Like to eat plants
B. Has wings and can fly
C. Is the color Aqua
D. Lives or plays in the water *
Which one of the sentence below uses the word "aquatic" correctly?
A. Kimberly loves to play aquatic sports in the Olympic pool. *
B. The aquatic monkey loves to swing in the trees.
C. Mom gave us and aquatic desert after our meals today.
D. Ants are aquatic insects who love to play in the water.
Word/Phrase: limited Mobility | Tier: 3 | Points: 5
Q4 The author in our story says "When the penguin is on land, it walks along slowly, and this limited mobility may be one reason the penguin spends more time in the water." What does the phrase "limited mobility" mean in this sentence?
A. Always sits still
B. Can not run
C. Fast Movements
D. Some or small movements *
Which one of the sentence below uses the word "limited movement" correctly?
A. The coach told all the students to have limited movement while playing sports.
B. Because of all the parked cars the my mom had limited movement driving in the parking garage. *
C. After the doctor put a cast on my arm my limited movement went away and I felt better.
D. The dog had limited movement running wild in a wide open field.
Standards Covered with This Lesson Activity: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.4, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.4,
 
     
     
 
Task 2: Discussion Activity (30 points)
Instructions: This discussion forum will have questions for students to respond. Read the posted questions, and respond to each. Students are responsible for posting one initial and and two peer responses for each topic.
  Topic Title Replies
Message Lets go underwater....
Lets go underwater and imagine the penguind swimming. What other underwater animals might we find underwater swimming with the penguins?
Sent on: Oct 7, 2019 by: Jennifer Jones		 0
Message Let's take a walk with the penguins
Now let's take a walk with the penguins. The author writes, "When the penguin is on land, it walks slowly, and this limited mobility may be one reason the penguin spends more time in the water." What could be another reason? And why would it going fast underwater be better or worse than going slow on the land?
Sent on: Oct 7, 2019 by: Jennifer Jones		 0
Message If you were a penguin....
If you were a penguin what kind of things would you do in the water? What would you do for fun? Would you wish you could fly? 
Sent on: Oct 7, 2019 by: Jennifer Jones		 0
Standards Covered with This Lesson Activity: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.1,
 
     
     
 
Task 3: Writing Activity (50 points)
Instructions: In 200 words write about what you like about the penguin. Talk about what you do not like about the penguin and how would you change the penguin if you could change some of its character traits. Then talk about how those traits are important to their everyday life. Would you still change the penguins traits? Trait example: it swims fast.
Standards Covered with This Lesson Activity: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.4.4,
 
     

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