Penguins! by Gail Gibbons Interactive Read-Aloud Activities

This picture book companion is a complete supplemental resource for the book Penguins! by Gail Gibbons.

With 30 print-and-go reading activities to choose from, this resource is ideal for customizing learning to your student's specific needs and academic abilities. Students will apply listening and note-taking skills, investigate different species of penguins, compare & contrast, make inferences and connections, learn and apply new vocabulary, identify and gain information using text and graphic features, answer questions that require them to think beyond the text, and so much more!

Students will love the engaging and fun activities, and you will appreciate the time saved hunting for high-level resources to teach reading concepts that students frequently struggle with. The activities provided are designed to enable students to apply higher-level thinking skills, encourage them to provide text evidence to support their thinking, and challenge them to express their own thoughts and/or perspectives.

⭐️This Resource Includes:⭐️

• Making Predictions: Before reading, students will make predictions about the book.

• “Penguins” Student Notes Booklet: Students will take notes in their booklets while reading the story. A QR code is included if the students want to read the book independently in Epic. This activity includes 14 half-pages (ANSWER KEY included).

• Print the cover single-sided, print notes pages of the booklet double-sided and select the printing option Flip on the short side.

• Penguin Parts Diagram: Students will label the penguin diagram using the words in the word bank (ANSWER KEY INCLUDED).

• Word Scramble: Students use the details from the book to unscramble the words (ANSWER KEY INCLUDED).

• Who Am I?: Students will match the words in the word bank to the descriptions and draw & color a picture of each penguin (ANSWER KEY INCLUDED).

• Fact or Fiction: Students determine whether the details are facts from the story or made-up (ANSWER KEY INCLUDED).

• True or False (bubble answers ONLY): Students read the statements and determine whether they are true (ANSWER KEY INCLUDED).

• True or False (bubble answers & correct the false statement): Students determine if the statements are true or false, and rewrite the false statements to make them true (ANSWER KEY INCLUDED).

• Cause & Effect: Students match up the causes to the effects (ANSWER KEY INCLUDED).

• 3-2-1: Students describe three characteristics that help penguins survive in their environment, record two facts they learned about emperor penguins, and choose one word that best describes penguins and explain why.

• Compare & Contrast: Students compare and contrast penguins to other birds.

• Penguin Playing Cards: Students create playing cards that include one or two facts they learned about each penguin and include a colored illustration.

• Penguin ABCs: Students write words or phrases that begin with each letter of the alphabet to show what they learned about penguins.

• Acrostic Poem: Students create an acrostic poem to describe penguins.

• Penguin Poster: Students will create an informative poster about penguins including illustrations, key facts, and at least three new vocabulary words from the book.

• Word Search Puzzle: Students use the clues to fill in the puzzle. Words can go across or down. Letters are shared when the words intersect (ANSWER KEY INCLUDED).

• Crossword Puzzle: Students use the clues and the word bank to fill in the crossword puzzle (ANSWER KEYS INCLUDED).

Research Activities: Students or teachers choose from the following activities and graphic organizers to use while conducting research to learn more about penguins.

• KWL graphic organizer

• Penguins- CAN - HAVE -ARE

• Penguin - WHO - WHAT -WHERE - HOW

• Fun Facts about Penguins

• New Vocabulary

• Penguin Research Report: key points, picture, and summary

• Penguin Research One-Page Report: Students conduct research to learn more about penguins and complete a one-page report with facts regarding the habitat, features, diet, movement, and interesting facts.

• Penguin Roll & Research: Students roll a die to see what type of penguin they will learn more about. Then, they research using teacher-approved websites and informational texts to find information to answer the questions.

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY - Endangered Penguin Species Research Project: Students will research an endangered penguin species and create a final product (brochure, infographic, digital presentation, etc.)

• Teacher Notes: This includes instructions, final product options, and a list of linked websites that students can use to get started.

• List of endangered penguins

• Endangered Penguin Profile

• Infographic Planning Sheet: Students will complete the planning sheet and create an infographic for the endangered penguin species they researched.

• Informational Brochure: Two template options are included (with writing lines, & without writing lines).

This resource is for extension read-aloud activities only. The book is not included.