Jacob's Penguin Project

Jacob was invited to do an Independent Study project this year. He and a few other first and second graders met twice a week throughout the school year. They learned how to do research, type, put together a bibliography, and write a report. It was so fun to see the end product! The night of the presentations was well attended. Each student had put together a questionnaire to be filled out by those coming around. Jacob had so much fun doing each "presentation." He had a little index card with prompts on it reminding him to say hello, state his name, and then the three major areas he studied. He did a great job, and we are so proud of him.

At one point I came over to check on him and he told me that I didn't need to hang around. He was busy and had people to talk to. He let me know that I could just go visit with my friends or go look at some art in the hallway. He makes me laugh.

He made the penguin and little fish by himself out of some Model Magic Clay. It is an Emperor Penguin.

These were some fun questions that you could lift up for an answer. He was especially pleased with how the "blubber penguin" turned out. He was sure to point it out to everyone.

Please bear with me, I am going to type his report here for the benefit of grandparents who live far away and would love to see it. He dictated and I typed it. I only gave him a few prompts, such as: "Jacob, let's do a sentence at the beginning of each paragraph that pertains to ALL penguins, and then list some specific examples." He flew right through it. It was really fun to watch his serious face as he looked over his notes and then worked out his grammar.

Penguins

This is my report on penguins. I had to study a lot to learn about these things. I will tell you where penguins live, what they look like, and how they live.

Penguins live in cold places. They swim in the water. They live in southern parts of the world. Some penguins live in the cool coasts of Africa. Some species of penguins live in South America. They live in Antarctica, too.

Penguins are birds that have feathers that are black or blue-ish gray. Underside feathers on penguins are white. Adult penguins look like they have white skin on their bellies, because their belly feathers are so flat. Even though they are birds, they do not fly. There are many different types of penguins. Emperor Penguins have yellowish orange feathers on their chins. Most of them are 4 feet tall. Fairy Penguins are the smallest type of penguins ever. They grow to be 16 to 17 inches tall. Rock Hopper Penguins get their name because they hop on rocks. Chin strap Penguins get their name because they have a line of black feathers starting at the top of their jaw bone, going under their chin, and ending at the other side of their jaw bone.

All penguins feed on fish. Some penguins may eat shrimp or other small animals in the ocean. Blubber, which is a thick layer of fat under their skin, keeps them warm. An extra layer of feathers acts like fur below their outside waterproof feathers. Raising baby penguins is a lot of hard work for the mom and dad penguin. The mom has to swim off with all the other moms to get food in the ocean. The baby stays at home with the dad. Usually penguins only lay one egg at a time. Adelie penguins have two babies at a time. Penguins may look clumsy on land, but they are graceful swimmers in the water.

Penguins are very neat animals. They are birds, but they do not fly. They live in very cold areas, but they do not get cold. I like penguins because they look so cute and cuddly.