PLANET EARTH: Pole to Pole
Writing Prompts
Grade Level: 3-12 Title: Teamwork
Grade Level: 3–5
Concept Focus: Emperor Penguins
Type: Descriptive
Male emperor penguins huddle together for four months without sun or water to protect their
eggs, which they are holding in the bulge under their stomachs. Without the body warmth of
each other, the penguins and their young will not survive the Arctic winter. Think back to a time
when you were challenged to complete a task on your own and became frustrated. Did you
ask for help or did you give up? Describe how you could approach the situation differently by
asking someone for help.
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Title: Here Comes the Sun
Grade Level: 6-8
Concept Focus: Change of Season
Type: Descriptive
In some regions across PLANET EARTH, there are twenty-four hours of sunlight when
the season changes from spring to summer. Imagine that for one week you were able to
experience complete sunlight all day and all night. Write a letter to a friend explaining what
your life would be like for that week. Be sure to include the ways that life around you would be
affected as well.
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Title: Agility versus Power
Grade Level: 9-12
Concept Focus: Predator-Prey
Type: Persuasive
This powerful image of a great white shark preying on fur seals demonstrates a marine
predator-prey relationship. While the great white has the power, the fur seal has the agility to
escape the shark. In our world outside of the ocean, which do you believe is more important,
skill and agility or power? Write a persuasive essay in which you take a position. Be sure to
provide real-world examples from past experiences that validate your opinion.
Published by Discovery Education, Inc., a division of Discovery Communications, LLC. © 2007. All rights reserved. Based on
PLANET EARTH © BBC. Distributed under exclusive license from Educational Publishers LLP.
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