Allow me to introduce you to my Emperor Penguin. Her name is Penelope. I made her in one of those incredibly rare and much beloved moments in teacher time, twenty minutes spent student-less in the classroom.
I gathered my butcher paper, scissors, and heavy duty glue stick, looked at my inspiration picture from Pinterest (click HERE for the original pin), and began to cut. I had to give up my lunch for this... but it was worth it. Or so I thought.
When the students walked in after lunch, Penelope was attached to the cabinets in the back of the room. Immediate chaos ensued (they're eight years old and they get excited, which is part of why I love teaching), as all 26 students needed to see her and touch her. We have been studying about penguins for a few weeks, and she was to be a part of our culminating activity.
Finally, all the students were sitting down and quiet. We were preparing to do our math fluency test when a hand went up in the middle of the room. I called on this student, who said, "Teacher, your penguin is too fat!"
Now my signature way of dealing with kids who do not use my name is to smile and call them "Student". They usually smile back and use my name. Not this kid. It's November, and he still calls me teacher. But I digress.
So I said, "Student, why do you think Penelope is too fat?" He said, "Penelope is too fat because she should only weigh 66 pounds." Be still my heart! He can't remember my name, but he remembered what we read about penguins! AND he answered in a complete sentence! I asked one more question, "Student, what evidence do you have to support this statement?" He then opened his penguin folder and removed the research page he had filled out, showing me the average weight of an adult Emperor Penguin.
Well. I would have done the happy teacher dance if I were not hobbled by a bad knee. We went together to look at Penelope more closely. I asked the class whether they agreed that she was too fat to look as though she weighed 66 pounds. They all agreed (which third graders tend to do, no matter what question you are asking), so we put Penelope on a diet.
And here she is, newly svelte and waiting outside so that the younger students can see if they are taller than an Emperor Penguin. We looked up the meaning of svelte, and chose the first definition. Penelope is now slender, and while I doubt she is graceful while walking on the ice, we choose to believe that she is very graceful in the water!
Normally I do not recommend a diet that relies on scissors for results, but in this case, it worked out well. =)
Before I go I must share with you this picture of my cat. His name is Riley, and he looks a bit like a penguin. Riley loves to stand up on his back feet and be petted on the back of his neck. This is what I imagine might happen if a penguin came to visit. Can you tell which one is Riley?
One more quick penguin item... here's a freebie from my TpT store. It's the same multiplication game in color and black and white. Click on either picture to download.
I also have a Pinterest board with lots of links to penguin activities, freebies, art projects, and videos. You can find it HERE.
Happy teaching with penguins,
Can I assume that your class read at least a part of Mr. Popper's Penguins?
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