Emperors of Ice
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Quick answers
1. Fill in the blanks.
a. Penguins use their wings to move forward in the water.
b. When penguins want to move fast, they slide on their bellies.
c. Penguins live in groups called colonies or rookery.
d. Blubber is a thick layer of fat that helps the penguins to keep warm.
e. After she lays an egg, the mother penguin goes on a long hunting trip.
Reference to context
2. "It is extremely cold in the Antarctic regions, so penguins have ways to keep warm. When the cold winds blow, penguins huddle together to keep warm."
a. Where do the penguins live?
= The penguins live in the Antarctic regions.
b. What is a 'huddle'?
= A 'huddle' is the gathering of the penguins together because of the cold.
c. What happens when a penguin feels warm and comfortable in the centre of a 'huddle'?
= When a penguin feels warm and comfortable in the centre of a 'huddle', it will move to the edge of the group so that others get a turn to be in the centre.
3. "Emperor penguins do not build nests like most other birds do. The mother penguin lays a single egg and then leaves it behind to go on a long hunting trip that lasts almost two months!"
a. Where do most birds lay their eggs?
= Emperor penguins do not build nests like most other birds. The mother penguin lays a single egg on the ground.
b. Why does the mother penguin go on a long hunting trip?
= The mother penguin goes on a long hunting trip to bring a bellyful of food for the newly hatched chick.
c. How is the penguin egg kept warm while the mother is away?
= The father penguin keeps the newly laid egg warm, but does not sit on it, as many other birds do. The father stands and protects his egg from the cold, the wind and animals, by balancing the egg on his feet and covering it with his feathered skin. During this two-month period of babysitting, the father eats nothing and bravely faces the bitter cold.
Read, reflect and write
4. How are the wings of a penguin useful?
= Penguins cannot fly but they can swim very well and spend most of their lives in the sea. These birds use their wings to move forward in the water. They can take very short flights, like hens, to come out of the water on to land.
5. What does the father do as soon as the chick is with the mother? How do you think the father feels at this time?
= As soon as the chick is with the mother, the father penguin hurries off to get himself something to eat.
It think the father feels sad at this time. He was keeping the chick with him for so long, he had affection for the chick.
6. In what ways do you think penguins are like us?
= I think penguins are like us in the ways of keeping children safe. As the human take good care for their babies, penguins also take good care for their babies. They keep the egg safe. The mother penguin goes to collect food for the new born chick. The father penguin keeps the egg protected from cold and the wind. He balances the egg on his feet covering it with his feathered skin. During this two-months period of babysitting, the father eats nothing and bravely faces the bitter cold. Then the mother comes with food and takes the responsibilities of the chick. The father then goes to get something to eat.