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The Emperor’s Kingdom
Penguins on Ice
By Dr Roger Kirkwood
About the book
The Emperor’s Kingdom is an excellent class resource that can
be used across a range of age groups in primary school. The text
is accessible and engaging. The photographs will capture student
attention.
The DVD is a great way to introduce the topics of Antarctica and
Emperor Penguins. It’s also a great way to start discussions on the
impacts of climate change.
Genre
Written and visual information
Reading level
Lower and upper primary
Interest level
Lower and upper primary
*Notes may be downloaded and printed for
Information is provided on Emperor Penguin breeding patterns, life
cycle, habitat, food, relatives, predators and special features.
The ‘Fact Files’ located at the back of the book provide older
students with more information, while the main text is caters for
younger students.
The listed websites are fantastic resources. On these sites
students are able to do things such as check the current
temperatures of Antarctica, use webcams to observe, and click
links to hear recorded wildlife.
Topics
regular classroom use only.
•
Antarctica
•
Emperor Penguins
Walker Books Australia
•
Mating
•
Breeding
•
The Life Cycle
•
Feeding
•
Penguin calls
•
Moulting
•
Fasting
•
Features
•
Prey •
Predators
•
Relatives
Ph +61 2 9517 9577
Locked Bag 22
Fax +61 2 9517 9997
Newtown, N.S.W., 2042
These notes were created by Leonie Jordan.
For enquiries please contact Leonie Jordan:
[email protected]
Notes © Black Dog Books
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black dog books
W A L K E R1503 Gertrude
B OStreet
O Fitzroy
K SVictoriaE3065
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C l a s s Teacher
r o o m Notes
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Pre-reading Activities
The Emperor’s Kingdom DVD
Watch the DVD and complete the questions/activities below.
Seascapes
List some words to describe the climate in Antarctica.
Travelling on Ice
How do the penguins move across the ice?
Curious Penguins
How do the penguins look curious?
Thirsty Penguins
How do the penguins cure their thirst?
Walking on Eggs
List some words to describe how the penguins move.
Surviving the Cold
How do the penguins survive the cold?
New Babies
List some words to describe the new babies.
List some words to describe the parent penguins.
Growing Babies
How is a new baby different to a growing baby?
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W A L K E R1503 Gertrude
B OStreet
O Fitzroy
K SVictoriaE3065
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C l a s s Teacher
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Caring Parents
How do the parents care for their babies?
How are the babies similar to their parents?
Life in the Colony
What is one thing that you have learnt about life in a penguin
colony?
Student Questions
As a class, make a list of some things that you would like to learn
about Emperor Penguins.
Teacher note: If students need help thinking of questions, they
could use a question dice. For a template of this dice visit:
http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/support/tla/question.html#
Book Features and Format
The Emperor’s Kingdom has many features that are important in
factual texts:
•
A title and sub-title
•
Table of contents (note how the chapters are linked to photographs)
•
Clear headings
•
Photographs
•
Page numbers
•
A place to find more information about the topic
•
A place to find more information about the author
•
A blurb
1.
Locate each of the above features in the book.
2.
What is the book’s full title?
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W A L K E R1503 Gertrude
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3.
What is the book’s sub-title?
4.
Not all books have a sub-title. What do you like about this sub-title?
5.
What is one thing that you have learnt about the author?
6.
Read the blurb and study the photographs on the back of
the book. List three things that you learn about Emperor
Penguins.
Science
Breeding
Draw a timeline to show the stages of the Emperor Penguin
breeding period. You might like to use illustrations to represent the
stages.
Place a tick in the appropriate column to show how the male and
female Emperor Penguins divide the tasks related to breeding. The
first one has been completed as an example.
Task
Lays the egg
Male
Female
�
Caring for the egg
Feeding first meal
Caring for the chick
Does anything surprise you about the breeding patterns of the
Emperor Penguin?
Life cycle
Use the book and one other resource to draw the life cycle of the
Emperor Penguin.
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Communication
Why does each Emperor Penguin have a unique call?
You have already listened to the Emperor Penguins on the DVD. To
hear some more sounds of the Emperor Penguin visit:
http://www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid=229
Features
Choose three features of the male, female and chick Emperor
Penguins and complete the table below on features and functions.
Be sure to look in the ‘Fact Files’ for added information.
Adult Male Emperor Penguin
Feature
Function
Adult Female Emperor Penguin
Feature
Function
Chick Emperor Penguin
Feature
Function
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W A L K E R1503 Gertrude
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Chicks
In what ways are the chicks like their parents?
In what ways are they different?
Food
Look in the ‘Fact Files’ to find information on prey and predators.
Draw a poster to illustrate what you have learned.
Create an Emperor Penguin quiz to test your classmates’
knowledge.
Conservation
In pairs, use a range of other resources to find answers to the
questions listed below.
•
What is global warming?
•
How is it affecting Antarctica?
•
What things can you do to protect the wildlife of Antarctica?
•
Display your information on a poster.
Penguin Game
To play a save the penguin egg visit:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/marchofthepenguins/game/
Geography
Antarctica Climate
Use information from this book and at least one other source to find
some facts about Antarctica. You might like to organise your notes
under the headings listed below.
•
Location
•
Terrain
•
Temperature
•
Wildlife
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•
Plants
•
Threats to the area
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To find out the current temperature on Antarctica visit:
http://www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid=27
On a map of the world label the continents. Draw symbols on
Antarctica to represent what you know about the terrain and climate
of the land.
History
Independent research
Exploration
Humans only discovered Antarctica 200 years ago. In the early
days most came to hunt but some came to explore. Draw an
exploration time line, showing the people who have sighted or
landed on Antarctica.
Research one of these early explorers. Present your timeline and
findings in the form of a PowerPoint.
English
Reading and Writing
Imagine that you are a scientist working in Antarctica. Write a
journal entry describing what this place is like. Include in your
description what you see, hear, taste, touch and smell. Remember,
your aim is to bring the scene alive for the reader, so make your
descriptions as real as you can.
Use your knowledge about Emperor Penguins to write and illustrate
a picture book that has an Emperor Penguin as the lead character.
You might like to write a story about the adventures of an Emperor
Penguin chick.
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W A L K E R1503 Gertrude
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Watch the DVD again. The Emperor Penguins live in a harsh but
beautiful place. Make a list of words to describe this place. Be sure
to describe it using the five senses.
Use the words from the activity above to write some poetry about
the Emperor Penguins and their home. Some types of poems that
you might write are listed below.
•
Haiku
•
Acrostic (or name poem)
•
Cinquain
•
Free verse
•
Rhyming poem
•
Couplet
Watch the DVD The March of the Penguins, National Geographic
Society, 2006. After you have watched the DVD, write a review for
the film section of a major newspaper.
Teacher note: for a full list of film resources for this topic visit:
http://www.classroom.antarctica.gov.au/introduction/references-andresources#music
Speaking and Listening
Perform one of your poems for the class.
Listen to the Penguin calls and noises again. In pairs, make a list of
five things you think they might be saying. Share your list with the
class.
In pairs, give a PowerPoint presentation on one aspect of Antarctica
to the class. Follow the steps below to help with the organisation of
this task.
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W A L K E R1503 Gertrude
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Step 1
Choose a research topic from the list below. You might like to
choose your own topic. If this is the case, check with your teacher
before you start to research.
•
Whales
•
King Penguins
•
Adelie Penguins
•
Antarctic Seals
•
Plants in Antarctica
•
Southern Ocean Sea Birds
•
Human impact on Antarctica
•
A day in the life of a scientist living in Antarctica
Step 2
Use a question matrix or another graphic organiser to help you
form your research questions. Start by brainstorming. Write down
any questions that come into your head. After you have finished
brainstorming, choose five questions to answer. Make sure that you
choose the five that are the most interesting!
Step 3
Complete a gantt chart to help you organise your time for this task.
Teacher note: to view a template of this chart visit: http://vels.vcaa.
vic.edu.au/support/graphic/other.html#
Step 4
Begin your research. Make sure that you use at least four sources
to find your information. You must include a bibliography in your
presentation.
The Arts
Create a model of Antarctica. This could be done on cardboard.
Cotton wool could be used for the ice and blue paint or paper for
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the ocean. Red glitter could represent the krill swarms. Cut out
pictures of the animals and glue them on.
Listen to music that has been composed with Antarctica in mind.
You will find some on the website below. Do these songs remind
you of the climate, terrain, animals or plants in any way? Why or
why not? Find one song that you think sounds ‘cold’. Explain your
choice.
http://classroomantarctica.aad.gov.au/textversion/Resources_txt.
html#music
Visual Literacy
Photographs
•
Choose one photograph and list three things you have learnt
from it.
•
Choose the photograph that you felt gave the most
information. Explain your choice.
•
What is your favourite photograph? Explain your choice.
•
The front cover heading uses a clever technique to draw the
reader’s attention to the subject of the book. What is it?
•
Does the cover make you want to read the book? Why or
why not?
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black dog books
W A L K E R1503 Gertrude
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About the author
Roger Kirkwood spent a year living with Emperor Penguins on
the Mawson Coast of Antarctica. He has participated in numerous
research trips to study penguins and seals. When not venturing
south, Roger works as a marine biologist for the Philip Island
Penguin Parade in Victoria, Australia.
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