Penguin Palooza

The month of February has been all about penguins in first grade! First grade scientists have been working on their nonfiction reading and note-taking skills this month as they research, write, and illustrate books about penguins. In the CC&D, they constructed model penguins from cardboard rolls and worked in teams to design penguin slides. During the last week of term, students will cap off their study of penguins with a field trip to Boston and a penguin-themed publishing party! 

Using graphic organizers to support their note-taking, students have been diving into various penguin-themed books this month. They have been gathering information about what penguins eat, the different varieties of penguin species, where they live, and the adaptations that help them live in their environment. After identifying the most essential and exciting pieces of penguin information, students spent several weeks writing out the information and creating illustrations to accompany each fact. The writing and illustration process required complete focus and concentration. Once students completed their pages and created a book cover, they gave them to teachers Kelly Porter and Jill Gibbons to be officially bound and ready to share with families on March 6. 

In a design thinking tie-in, first graders have also worked in the CC&D this month to design and build penguin slides. The first graders created model penguins for their slides out of paper rolls and painted and decorated them with orange beaks and googly eyes. To build the slide, students worked in teams of three. They were given various slide construction materials, including cardboard, popsicle sticks, cardstock, playdough, foam sheets, string, pipe cleaners, and glue. Students were encouraged to consider the properties of different materials in their design to determine which might be strong enough to support their slide and which would make the best sliding surface for Flip-Flop, the penguin. After agreeing on a design and sketching a plan, students got to work on building the slides. Students encountered challenges along the way, including slides that kept falling over and design features that wouldn’t stick, but as they tested their slides, they made improvements. When they met in the CC&D to test their slides, each team discussed their design ideas, any setbacks they encountered, and what worked well for their team. They also shared what they noticed as the important elements of a successful project: cooperation and compromise with teammates, the height and angle of successful slides, and the starting speed and momentum of the penguin. As each penguin emerged from the bottom of the slide, the students cheered their classmates’ success.

During the last week of term, first grade students will head into Boston to see the penguins and learn from the New England Aquarium’s penguin experts. They will also be able to celebrate and share all they have learned with their families, who will join them in the classrooms for a Penguin Book Publishing Party!