Place and Location are two of the five themes of geography and a natural starting point for a study of the Arctic and Antarctica. Location answers the question, "Where am I?" while the study of place asks, "What kind of a place is it?" and, "How does this place connect to my hometown?" This issue of Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears examines how you can introduce the Arctic and Antarctica and use science, geography, literacy, and technology to help your students compare and contrast these two dramatically different areas as well as their own home. Get ready for an adventure as you and your students develop your polar sense of place!

Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears is an online professional development magazine for elementary teachers which focuses on preparing teachers to teach polar science concepts in an already congested curriculum by integrating inquiry-based science with literacy teaching. Such an integrated approach can increase students' science knowledge, academic language, reading comprehension, and written and oral discourse abilities.

This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, examines how elementary teachers can introduce the Arctic and Antarctica and use science, geography, literacy, and technology to help students compare and contrast these two dramatically different areas as well as their own home.

This article provides a list of children's literature relating to the geography and characteristics of the Arctic and Antarctica.

This article describes glaciologist Lonnie Thompson's discovery of an ancient plant in Peru. It also illustrates some important characteristics of good science that can be seen even in a serendipitous discovery.

This article, written for students in grades 4-5, introduces the concept of albedo and describes the shrinking of Arctic sea ice. Modified versions are available for students in younger grades.

This informational text introduces students to solar energy's role in warming the Earth's land and water and to the fact that dark-colored surfaces absorb more of the Sun's energy than do light-colored ones. Students also read about how the decline in Arctic sea ice is changing Earth's energy balance. This version is a full-color PDF that can be printed, cut and folded to form a book. Each book contains color photographs and illustrations. The text is written at a grade four through grade five reading level.

This informational text introduces students to solar energy's role in warming the Earth's land and water and to the fact that dark-colored surfaces absorb more of the Sun's energy than do light-colored ones. Students also read about how the decline in Arctic sea ice is changing Earth's energy balance. This is a PDF containing the informational text and a glossary. The text is written at a grade four through grade five reading level.

A middle school teacher uses class projects to introduce students to the principles of insulation.

This article describes the work of Dr. Jason Box, a researcher studying summer melt ponds on Greenland's ice sheets and the response of glaciers to try to explain the changes in climate that are being observed in the polar regions.

This article provides an overview of social bookmarking and how educators can use Diigo, a free social bookmarking tool, to organize, annotate, and share web sites.

This article describes the energy that radiates from the sun, the concept of albedo, Earth's radiation budget, and the effect of decreasing albedo on Earth's climate.

This article includes ideas for effectively teaching students with autism spectrum disorders, including the visual presentation of information and teaching social skills.

This article provides summaries and links to nonfiction science articles for students in grades K-5.

This article discusses how to use digital storytelling in the classroom while keeping the focus on the story itself, not the technology.

In this podcast, listen to a traditional Inuit tale about the seasonal light and darkness of the Arctic.

This article details an investigation designed and carried out by fourth-grade students about bird behavior in cold weather.

This article describes early studies of the auroras, including techniques used from 1960 when Henry Brecher first spent the winter at Byrd Station in Antarctica.

Beginning with examples from the polar regions, this article examines the question Š—“Why do we have seasons?Š— Included are links to lesson plans, a list of childrenŠ—Čs books, and suggested alignments with science, literacy, geography, and climate instruction in K-5 classrooms. The article appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears.

This article provides ideas, lessons and resources on how elementary teachers can integrate map skills, math, and art into lessons about the geography of the Arctic and Antarctica.