Emperor Penguins

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Emperor Penguins

Grade 3 RI.3.1 5 steps

Standard: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

Name:

Date:

Period:

What to Do

Read the passage carefully. You may underline or annotate as you read.
Review the vocabulary words.
Complete each writing step in order. Follow the instructions and hints.
Use the Self-Check Rubric and checklist to review your work.

Assignment Overview

Let's learn about emperor penguins! You will read about these
amazing birds, then find details that answer this question:
How do emperor penguins survive in the cold?

Emperor penguins live in Antarctica, one of the coldest places on Earth. The temperature can drop to sixty degrees below zero. Even in this freezing cold, emperor penguins find ways to survive.

Emperor penguins have special bodies that help them stay warm. They have a thick layer of fat called blubber under their skin. On top of that, they have tightly packed feathers that keep out wind and water. These feathers are so close together that cold air cannot get through.

Penguins also keep warm by huddling together in large groups. They stand very close to each other and take turns being on the outside of the group. The penguins in the middle stay the warmest. When the outside penguins get too cold, they move to the center to warm up.

Emperor penguins are also great swimmers. They dive into the icy ocean to catch fish and squid. They can hold their breath for over twenty minutes and dive deeper than any other bird. After eating, they come back to land to feed their chicks.

Vocabulary Bank

Word	Definition
Antarctica	A very cold continent at the bottom of the Earth, covered in ice and snow.
blubber	A thick layer of fat under the skin that helps animals stay warm.
huddling	Standing very close together in a group to share warmth.
survive	To stay alive, even when things are hard or dangerous.

Writing Steps

1 What Are We Looking For?

Tell us in your own words:
- What is this passage about?
- What do we need to find out about how penguins survive the cold?

You can use short sentences or bullet points. There is no wrong way to answer this!

Let us read the passage together! Read it carefully.

Now think about this question:

How do emperor penguins survive in the cold?

Before we look for answers, let us make sure we understand what the passage is about and what we need to find out.

Scoring Guidance — Step 1

Look for:

What is the passage mostly about?
What are we trying to find out?
If you told a friend what this passage was about, what would you say?

Main Idea

Detail / Evidence 1

Detail / Evidence 2

Detail / Evidence 3

2 Find a Detail in the Text

Find ONE detail from the passage that helps answer the question:

1. The detail: Write a detail from the passage that helps answer the question.
2. Where you found it: Tell us where in the passage you found it (at the beginning, middle, or end).

Try starting with:
- "The passage says..."
- "The author tells us..."
- "In the passage, it says..."

Now let us go back to the passage and find a detail that helps answer our question:

How do emperor penguins survive in the cold?

A detail is something the author wrote in the passage. You can point to the exact words!

Look carefully at the passage. Can you find a sentence or fact that helps answer the question?

Scoring Guidance — Step 2

Look for:

Look at the passage again. What does it SAY about this topic?
Can you find a sentence that helps answer the question?
Try pointing to exact words from the passage

Look at the passage again. What does it SAY about this topic?

Can you find a sentence that helps answer the question?

Try pointing to exact words from the passage

Sentence Starters

In the text, the author shows that ___.

The author writes, "___," which shows ___.

This is important because ___.

Overall, the text shows that ___.

3 Answer the Question

Write your answer to the question using the detail you found:

Try starting with:
- "Based on the passage..."
- "The text tells us that..."
- "According to the passage..."

Make sure your answer uses information from the text!

Great job finding a detail! Now let us use it to answer the question.

Remember our question:
How do emperor penguins survive in the cold?

Use the detail you found to help write your answer. Your answer should use information from the passage, not just what you think or feel.

Scoring Guidance — Step 3

Look for:

Use the detail you found to help answer the question
Make sure your answer comes from the passage, not just your opinion
Try to use some words from the text in your answer

Use the detail you found to help answer the question

Make sure your answer comes from the passage, not just your opinion

Try to use some words from the text in your answer

Sentence Starters

In the text, the author shows that ___.

The author writes, "___," which shows ___.

This is important because ___.

Overall, the text shows that ___.

4 Find More Details

Find ONE MORE detail from the passage that helps answer the question:

1. Another detail: Write a different detail from the passage.
2. How it helps: Tell us how this detail helps answer the question.

Try starting with:
- "The passage also says..."
- "Another detail is..."
- "The author also tells us..."

You are doing a great job! Now let us see if we can find even MORE details in the passage.

Good readers look for more than one detail to make their answer stronger.

Go back to the passage and look for another sentence or fact that helps answer:
How do emperor penguins survive in the cold?

Scoring Guidance — Step 4

Look for:

Look at a different part of the passage
What other facts does the author share?
Can you find another sentence that helps?

Look at a different part of the passage

What other facts does the author share?

Can you find another sentence that helps?

Sentence Starters

In the text, the author shows that ___.

The author writes, "___," which shows ___.

This is important because ___.

Overall, the text shows that ___.

5 Put It All Together

Write your complete answer in 2-4 sentences. Your answer should:

1. Answer the question about how penguins survive the cold
2. Use at least two details from the passage
3. Use your own words to explain what the text says

Try starting with:
- "The passage tells us that..."
- "Based on the text..."

Make sure your sentences connect to each other!

Amazing work! Now let us put everything together to write a complete answer.

You will answer our question using the details you found:
How do emperor penguins survive in the cold?

Use the details from the passage to write a complete answer in a few sentences.

Scoring Guidance — Step 5

Look for:

Start by answering the question
Include details from the passage
Make sure your sentences go together
Use your own words to explain what you learned

Start by answering the question

Include details from the passage

Make sure your sentences go together

Use your own words to explain what you learned

Sentence Starters

In the text, the author shows that ___.

The author writes, "___," which shows ___.

This is important because ___.

Overall, the text shows that ___.

Self-Check Rubric

Criteria	●●●●● 5 — Advanced	●●●●○ 4 — Proficient	●●●○○ 3 — Developing	●●○○○ 2 — Emerging	●○○○○ 1 — Beginning
Ideas	Original, well-developed ideas with depth	Clear ideas with good development	Ideas present with basic development	Ideas unclear or underdeveloped	Off-topic or missing
Evidence	Strong, specific text evidence with explanation	Relevant text evidence cited	Some evidence but vague	Little or no evidence	No text support
Organization	Logical flow with effective transitions	Clear structure with transitions	Basic structure, some transitions	Disorganized	No structure
Language	Precise vocabulary, varied sentences, few errors	Grade-appropriate language, minor errors	Basic language, some errors	Limited vocabulary, frequent errors	Difficult to understand

Before You Turn In

I completed the planning step

I completed Step 2: Find a Detail in the Text

I completed Step 3: Answer the Question

I completed Step 4: Find More Details

I completed Step 5: Put It All Together

I re-read my writing and fixed any spelling or grammar mistakes

I am proud of this work

Reflection

What was the hardest part of this assignment? What would you do differently next time?

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