Emperor penguins: skilled survivors

Discover the characteristics and behaviour of the emperor penguin

This primary resource introduces children to the resilience and survival tactics of the emperor penguin in its extreme environment. Discover how cold their Antarctica home can get in the ice-cold winter. What do penguins eat in the summer to help them keep warm? How much will their weight change before the winter sets in? How deep can emperor penguins dive to reach food?

Pupils will learn about the characteristics and behaviour of the emperor penguin, as well as the habitats they are found in, in our National Geographic Kids’ Science primary resource sheet.

The teaching resource can be used in study group tasks for comparing the emperor penguin to other ‘extreme animals’. It can be used as a printed handout for each pupil to review and annotate, or for display on the interactive whiteboard for class discussion.

Activity: Ask children to create a case study, comparing the emperor penguin to another species of penguin, or another species of bird, such as the African fish eagle. Pupils could draw a picture of an emperor penguin and use the information in the resource to label and annotate its features that have adapted for survival.

N.B. The following information for mapping the resource documents to the school curriculum is specifically tailored to the English National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. We are currently working to bring specifically tailored curriculum resource links for our other territories; including South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. If you have any queries about our upcoming curriculum resource links, please email: schools@ngkids.co.uk

This Animals primary resource assists with teaching the following Key Stage 1 Science (Year 1) objectives from the National Curriculum:

Pupils should be taught to:

identify and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals

identify and name a variety of common animals that are carnivores, herbivores and omnivores

describe and compare the structure of a variety of common animals (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, including pets)

Pupils might work scientifically by: using their observations to compare and contrast animals at first hand or through videos and photographs, describing how they identify and group them; grouping animals according to what they eat; and using their senses to compare different textures, sounds and smells.

National Curriculum Key Stage 1 Science (Year 2) objective:

Pupils should be taught to:

identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other

identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including micro- habitats

describe how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain, and identify and name different sources of food.

Pupils should be introduced to the idea that all living things have certain characteristics that are essential for keeping them alive and healthy. They should raise and answer questions that help them to become familiar with the life processes that are common to all living things. Pupils should be introduced to the terms ‘habitat’ (a natural environment or home of a variety of plants and animals) and ‘micro-habitat’ (a very small habitat, for example for woodlice under stones, logs or leaf litter).

Pupils should compare animals in familiar habitats with animals found in less familiar habitats, for example, on the seashore, in woodland, in the ocean, in the rainforest.

Pupils should be taught to:

notice that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults

find out about and describe the basic needs of animals, including humans, for survival (water, food and air)

Pupils should be introduced to the basic needs of animals for survival, as well as the importance of exercise and nutrition for humans. They should also be introduced to the processes of reproduction and growth in animals. The focus at this stage should be on questions that help pupils to recognise growth; they should not be expected to understand how reproduction occurs.

National Curriculum Lower Key Stage 2 Science (Year 3) objective:

Pupils should be taught to:

identify that animals, including humans, need the right types and amount of nutrition, and that they cannot make their own food; they get nutrition from what they eat

Compare and contrast the diets of different animals (including their pets) and decide ways of grouping them according to what they eat. They might research different food groups and how they keep us healthy and design meals based on what they find out.

National Curriculum Lower Key Stage 2 Science (Year 4) objective:

Pupils should be taught to:

recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways

explore and use classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment

recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things.

construct and interpret a variety of food chains, identifying producers, predators and prey

National Curriculum Upper Key Stage 2 Science (Year 5) objective:

Pupils should be taught to:

describe the differences in the life cycles of a mammal, an amphibian, an insect and a bird

This Animals primary resource assists with teaching the following Sciences Early level objectives from the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence:

I have observed living things in the environment over time and am becoming aware of how they depend on each other

Scottish Curriculum for Excellence First level Sciences objectives:

I can explore examples of food chains and show an appreciation of how animals and plants depend on each other for food.

Scottish Curriculum for Excellence Second level Sciences objectives:

I can identify and classify examples of living things, past and present, to help me appreciate their diversity. I can relate physical and behavioural characteristics to their survival or extinction.

I can use my knowledge of the interactions and energy flow between plants and animals in ecosystems, food chains and webs. I have contributed to the design or conservation of a wildlife area.

Scottish Curriculum for Excellence Third level Sciences objectives:

I can sample and identify living things from different habitats to compare their biodiversity and can suggest reasons for their distribution.

Scottish Curriculum for Excellence Fourth level Sciences objectives:

I understand how animal and plant species depend on each other and how living things are adapted for survival. I can predict the impact of population growth and natural hazards on biodiversity.