Summary
Steve, an Adelie penguin, waddles through his first breeding season in Antarctica: building a stone nest, finding a mate, and raising chicks against wind, ice, and hungry predators. The huge colony shows how thousands of penguins survive together in one of Earth's harshest habitats. Ed Helms's funny narration keeps a tough environment approachable for younger classes.
Viewer safety
Leopard seals and skuas chase the penguins in a couple of tense scenes -- no graphic harm on screen.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
"Penguins" follows Steve the Adelie penguin through his first year as a parent.
- What steps does Steve go through to build a nest and raise chicks?
- How does living in a giant colony help the penguins survive?
- What makes Antarctica such a hard place to live, and how are penguins built for it?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: colony, Antarctica, predator, nest, survive.
Try it: List three things a penguin's body has that help it live in the cold. Circle the one you think helps most.