In this lesson students learn about the 17 types of penguins. They will be able to explain where penguins live and how they survive. Students learn that penguins cannot fly, but they are excellent swimmers. This science lesson is appropriate for students in kindergarten and 1st grade. It takes approximately 30 minutes of class time to complete. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to describe different types of penguins, their living environment, and their survival skills. The lesson begins by asking students if they have ever watched a movie about penguins. After reviewing a slideshow about penguin’s identifying characteristics, students watch a video that demonstrates what penguins look like when they swim. The presentation features a slideshow of images of the various types of penguins. It also provides students information about penguins’ environment, mostly in the southern part of the world and mostly in the cold parts of the world. The lesson provides the exception of the Galapagos penguin, which lives on the equator. Students pair up with a partner to look at pictures of penguins and talk about how the penguins survive. The presentation provides information about penguin’s layers of feathers and blubber to protect themselves and their eggs. It also discusses how many penguins are endangered due to pollution, predators, and humans taking land and food. The lesson provides a map of where penguins live and a review about their essential traits. The lesson concludes with a quiz and open-ended question asking what students learned.

This is a lesson plan to help students learn how to gather information from videos or books about penguins and then take notes and write sentences from their notes.