Life Cycle of Penguins

(Science and Language Arts)

LESSON PREPARATION:
List Common Core Standards
objective (specific
content/learning target)
List materials needed for
lesson
List vocabulary to be taught
Plan strategies for equal
participation of all students
throughout the lesson
Determine lesson length and
pacing

L.OL.01.13 Identify the needs of animals.

L.OL.01.21 Describe the life cycle of animals including the following stages:
egg, young, adult; egg, larva, pupa, adult.
R.NT.01.03 identify problem/solution, sequence of events, and sense of
story (beginning, middle, and end).

Vocabulary Words:
Predict
Accommodations:
Academic
Cultural

Materials: vocabulary sentence strip, I can statements on sentence strips,

One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo, Penguins! By Gail Gibbons, and paper to
draw a picture and reflection piece
Strategies for Equal Participation: Give time for students to discuss with a
partner, pull name sticks, call on students with hands raised and circulate the
room to keep students on task
Lesson Length: 40-45 minutes
Pacing: Moderate, children should have prior knowledge to relate to the text

OPENING:
I Can Statement posted and
taught
Determine and engage Prior
Knowledge
Pre-assessment
Review Behavioral
Expectations
Anticipatory Set relate to real
world

Time allotment: 5 minutes

I can describe the life cycle of penguins.
I can identify the needs of penguins.
I can identify the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
I can make predictions using what I already know.
Prior Knowledge & Pre-Assessment: What do we know about penguins?
I will write responses on the whiteboard for students to reference later.
Behavioral Expectations: I will ask students what is expected of them/how
they should behave during lessons. If it is not already mentioned, I will
remind students to raise their hands when they have something to say, and
to respect what their peers say.
Anticipatory Set: Who has seen a penguin on T.V. before? Who has seen
one in real life? Where?

PRESENTATION I DO:
Lesson aligns with objective
Material presented in small
steps
Modeling/Examples 4 or more
visual representations
provided
Check for Understanding

Time allotment: 10 minutes

1.
2.

3.
4.
STRUCTURED PRACTICE
WE DO
Teacher leads students
through step-by-step practice 3
or more examples
Use visual models
Check for understanding
Correct / clarify
misconceptions

I will call the students to the carpet so that I can read selected
pages from Penguins! By Gail Gibbons.
While reading these pages, I will ask students questions to have
them make text-to-self and text-to-world connections: What other
animals lay eggs?, What do penguins need to live?, You said
you had seen penguins at the zoo, where else do you think they
live?
For some of these questions, I will ask students to share what they
think with the person next to them.
I will later encourage text-to-text connections when students are
making predictions for the other text.

Time allotment: 5 minutes

1.
2.
3.

4.

I will show the students the cover to One Cool Friend by Toni
Buzzeo.
I will think out loud and ask What do I know about the book?
I will then ask questions similar to What do you think will happen in
the book? How do you know? Were you thinking of the other
penguin book we looked at?
I will then give students paper to take back to their seats to draw a
prediction and write 2-3 sentences on what they think will happen
in the book.

Check for
Understanding:
Individual Responses
Think, pair, share
Questions

Check for
Understanding:
Individual Responses
Questions

GUIDED PRACTICE YOU

DO
Goal is 90% accuracy
Monitor individual and/or small
group practice
Provide corrective feedback
(re-teach as needed)
Reinforce correct responses

Time allotment: 20 minutes

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

INDEPENDENT PRACTICE
YOU DO
Short individual practice
Provide practice for different
abilities below, on, above
grade level
CLOSING / TRANSITION:
Objective (I Can) reviewed
Students articulate learning
goal
Teacher determines next steps
Clean up / prepare for next
lesson

I will give students the topic: What do you predict will happen in
the book One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo?
As students are drawing and writing, I will come around and ask
individual questions.
I will ask students to keep their prediction on their desk as I call
quiet tables to sit back on the carpet.
I will then read One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo.
I will stop at marked pages to ask students to predict what will
happen next in the story.
If there is time, I will ask students to revisit their predictions and
write a sentence claiming whether their prediction was on the right
track or not.
(Example sentence: The story was different than I thought. Or
something along those lines)

Time allotment: N/A

This section is combined with the guided practice.

Time allotment: 2 minutes

1.

2.
3.

I will make the I can statements into questions: Did we describe

the life cycle of penguins?, Did we find the needs of penguins?,
Did we identify the beginning, middle and end of the story?, and
Did I make predictions using what I already knew?
I will ask students to write their names on all pages.
I will then give words of encouragement as turn in their finished
story reflections to me.

Check for
Understanding:
Individual Responses
Completed
Assignment

Check for
Understanding:
N/A

Check for
Understanding:
Completed
Assignment
Student Responses to
Writing Prompt