Penguin Shared Research and Writing Project
The Kindergarten Core Standards, task students the opportunity to participate in shared research and writing projects through exploration of topics using books, authors and media. This meshed with the core standard of attention to key details in text, makes for a fun learning experience for your students. (Common Core Standards W.K.2 W.K.7 W.K.8).
After introducing the topic of penguins, I ask students what they already know about penguins and invite them to learn more about those fascinating birds by completing a research project together.
To begin the research, I go for one of my favorite non fiction titles on Penguins, published by National Geographic. Before reading the title, I instruct students to listen carefully to the information and be ready, at the end of each page, to identify key details in the text.
With a pad of sticky notes close at hand, I begin reading page one of the text. At the end of the page, I ask about two or three students to tell me details, write them on the sticky notes, and then add them to a poster of a penguin that I have hanging in full view of the students. Page-by-page, I read and then record the details until the book is completed.
Next, we review all of the information that we have gathered and then move those sticky notes to a “Have - Can- Are” graphic organizer (much like this dinosaur one). At this completion, we then review all the gathered facts in each category — referring back to the anchor word each time.
Students then write about penguins using the gathered information and create an illustrated drawing of a penguin. We staple all of these individual creations together to create a shared research book! Kids love to read the book over and over again.
If you want to take the topic of penguins further, check out our thematic unit and book study products below.
