African Penguins:

Science, Stories, Special Friends

Grades K-2: Livestream series in three parts

Overview

We are diving into our favorite subject, our beloved African penguins. What makes them suited for water and walk funny on land? How do scientists work together to help keep penguins healthy? And why do we care so much about these unique creatures?

  • Week 1 – Superpower Penguin Bodies

  • Week 2 – Pierre the Penguin

  • Week 3 – Penguin Friends

Extension activities have been designed for class group work or can be completed with family member support.

3-part series: February 2022

This program is designed for grades K-2, but all are welcome. Pick the language option that works best for your class:

  • 10 am PT on Tuesdays (February 1, 8, & 15) for presentation in English (ELL supported)

  • 10 am PT on Wednesdays (February 2, 9, & 16) for presentation primarily in Spanish

  • 11 am PT on Wednesdays (February 2, 9, & 16) for presentation primarily in Cantonese

Registration is now closed, but don't fret! We'll post the recording here within 48 hours of each live session.

How does it work?

This interactive series consists of three weekly consecutive sessions in one month. Each live session lasts approximately 30 minutes, is a lesson taught by a team of professional educators, and is broadcast to multiple classes at the same time via YouTube Live. Students will interact with the educators through browser-based polls and hands-on activities.

Educators may also use the recordings on your own schedule; the student polls remain open for asynchronous use.

NGSS connections

This unit supports the following standards:

Crosscutting Concepts

  • Structure and Function

  • Patterns

Related Performance Expectation

K-LS1-1 Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

Disciplinary Core Idea

ETS1.A Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems: A situation that people want to change or create can be approached as a problem to be solved through engineering.

Connections to Nature of Science

  • Scientists look for patterns and order when making observations about the world.

Connection & technology information

A week before the session, registered parties will receive an email containing the unique YouTube Live destination for the broadcast. If you registered on behalf of multiple classes, forward this along to your buddy teachers.

We highly recommend testing—in advance of the program date—whether the device you plan to use can access YouTube Live. If you can see our Live Penguin Cam, you should also be able to watch other Academy livestreams.

Sorry! The Academy cannot control your district’s security settings.

  • If you or your students cannot access the Students | Estudiantes | 同學們 tab above, you must contact your IT department to whitelist this website.

  • If you or your students’ district devices cannot access YouTube Live or YouTube videos, you can instead play the embedded Recordings, which we will post within 48 hours of the broadcast.

  • Our programs are designed so that students can participate asynchronously; all interactive aspects such as Mentimeter polls and Padlet student submissions remain active through the semester.

If you have questions or need us to resend the email (check your junk folder first!), please contact us at distancelearning@calacademy.org. We recommend adding that email address to your contacts to help ensure our messages are accepted by your district's email domain.