Student Connections: Penguin Unit

Wow! I have been so impressed by the connections that our students have been making during our Penguin Unit. So far, we have studied Rockhopper, King, Little Blue, and Gentoo Penguins. A giant 2 foot Penguin is also now sitting in a cooler in the back of our classroom. After students went home to survey parents and siblings about good names for our new friend. The end result was that they voted to name our penguin Spike. We've had a lot of fun welcoming Spike to the classroom by learning how to write friendly letters to him. We are also reading Mr. Popper's Penguins and the students are excited to find out each day what will happen next. I have been very impressed with their listening skills and comprehension skills during the story! Here are some pictures of great home to school learning connections that students have brought in to class. Way to go kiddos! Skyah and her sister went home and drew this picture of the southern hemisphere. She was so proud to bring it into class. On another day, Skyah also wrote a poem about penguin habits. You can read her special poem which is now hanging on our classroom wall. Jasper went home and made a food chain showing the hierarchy for antarctic animals. I love seeing how proud they look when they bring in their new discoveries to school, or tell about how they talked about their learning with families.