Cold Feet, No Heat!

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Introduction

Have you ever had cold feet?  Can you imagine how cold a penguin's feet might be in the severe Antarctic environment?  By completing this Webquest , students will  understand how living things interact with one another and how their environment affects them.

Task

I bet you didn't know how interesting life is in the world of a penguin!  By completing these activities you will learn how penguins adapt to their surroundings and extreme weather conditions.  You will be exploring websites to: hunt for answers to questions, collect data to create a bar graph,  create an informative and original slideshow to share with classmates, and participate in interactive activities.

Process

Read each task below and complete the activity.

Task 1: How much do you really know about penguins?  1. Click on the links to learn about the penguins habitat, babies, what they eat, and what eats them!     Penguins Around the World        Seaworld Penguins 2. Then answer the questions on your worksheet, and see how smart you are.

Task 2: Did you know it can get down to -127 degrees in Antarctica? Brrrr!!!  Let's compare the daily temperature in Vostok, Antarctica to our hometown temperatures to see the difference. 1. Visit the wunderground weather website. 2. Record temperature for Vostok and our hometown daily for two weeks. 3. Go into Microsoft Excel and enter your data to make a bar graph, then print them out for our hallway display.

Task 3: Create your very own slideshow!  Here's your chance to find out more about one specific type of penguin. 1. Select a type of penguin that you would like to learn more about.  As you explore these websites ( Terraquest, Kidzone, Arctic Penguins ), record your information on the Penguin Slideshow Worksheet(Slideshow Worksheet). 2. Now create your 4 slides.  Each slide should include: a title, interesting pictures, and a paragraph. 3. Be sure your slideshow is easy to read, spelled correctly and eye-catching because we will be sharing them with fellow classmates on our last day.

Task 4. Now that you've done your research and finished your slideshow, let's see if you're a penguin expert!   Watch these cool videos ( To see 3 more videos, type in Keyword: penguins.  To see a penguin go shopping click here!) and take the interactive quizzes and see how you do!!  Then color and label the penguin for our hallway.  Finally, follow these links to the fun Jigsaw puzzle and a penguin memory game!

Resources
             Websites:
                      Seaworld Penguins
                      The World of Penguins
                      Kidzone Penguins
                      Cool Antarctica
                      LiveScience: Antarctica
                      International Penguin Conservation Work Group
                      PBS: Penguins of the Antarctic
                     


                Books:
                     

                                   Wildlife in the Antarctic. Adrian, Mary. New York: J. Messner, 1978.

                            Little Penguin. Benson, Patrick. New York: Philomel Books, 1991.

                            Penelope Penguin: The Incredibly Good Baby. Bianchi, John. Ontario, Canada: Firefly Books, 1992 (fiction).

                            A Penguin Year. Bonners, Susan. New York: Delacorte Press, 1981 (fiction).

                            Antarctica. Cowcher, Helen. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1990.

                            Penguin. Davis, Lloyd Spencer. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1994.

                            Emperor Penguin. Deguine, Jean-Claude. Battleboro, Vermont: Stephen Greene Press, 1974.

                            Penguins Live Here. Eberle, Irmengarde. New York: Doubleday, 1975.

                            Hector Penguin. Fatio, Louise. New York: McGraw, 1973 (fiction).

                            Hector and Christina. Fatio, Louise. New York: McGraw, 1977 (fiction).

                        Peter the Penguin, Phil Whittinton, Avian Demography Unit (2001)                      

                                                Penguins Penguins, Dennis Traut, Penguin (1982)
                                    
                             The Penguins are Coming, R L Penney, Worlds Work Ltd. (1970)
                               
                             The Penguin Family Book, L Sømme & S Kallas, North South Books (1988)
                                    
                             The Pirate Penguin, Young World Productions (1972)
                           
                             The Penguin and the Vacuum Cleaner, C Sloane, Puffin Books (1974)

                             I Love Ten Little Penguins: A Pop-up Counting Book,  Jane Walker , Bantam Doubleday Dell/Transworld Publ. (1994).

                             Tacky the Penguin  Helen Lester; illus. by Lynn Munsinger Houghton Mifflin(1988).



                Videos/DVDs:
                             March of the Penguins
                                       Nature: Waddlers & Paddlers
                                       Once Upon a Time in Antarctica
                                       Penguins Under Siege
                                       Life in the Freezer
                                       National Geographic-Antarctic Wildlife Adventure
                                       Antarctic: An Adventure of a Different Nature


Evaluations
       Slideshow Rubric
           Penguin worksheet
           Graph Evaluation

Conclusion
    Through your reasearch and investigation into the fascinating world of penguins, you now have a greater feel for:
        - what it may be like living in the harsh cold of the Antarctic
        - the types of food a penguin eats and the predators it must look out for
        - how penguins have adapted for survival in their environment
        - penguin behavior and the family relationships between adult penguins and their young

Now you will share your slideshow with classmates, discuss the projects, and have the chance to give feedback to other students about their slideshows.  Using this comment sheet, write 2 things in response to your classmates slideshow that you would like to share with them.

Teacher's Page
    Click on this page for helpful hints, multimedia web links, and other materials.


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