Elementary Shenanigans: Penguin Research Unit

We have been loving some penguin research in 2nd grade. I think they were completely disappointed when we finished our final essays on Friday.

Here are some highlights!

As we worked our way through our research, we created anchor charts to post as a visual reminder of the steps “great” researchers follow throughout their study.

Although I do not have any pictures of this step, during this study I really…REALLY…emphasized the importance or organization in research. The students planned their topics and subtopics prior to searching for appropriate books and websites. I have to say, the thing that impressed me most during this writing unit was my students ability to locate websites independently. HOLY COW! We {LOVIN’ this whole having a student teacher thing!!!!} helped them out to begin with and then by the end of the week, they had websites up and ready to go in no time.

After a week filled with research, we finished up our final papers on Friday. My kiddos blew my socks off. :)

After our writing was finished, the students put together a little penguin friend to display along with their writing.

I found this little piece of cuteness on pinterest from the Glyph Girls. They have some darling creations. You can check them out on Teachers Pay Teachers. Click on the picture below to see all of their wonderful glyph projects.

We made something a little similar and the kiddos loved them. AND…they were GIGANTIC! AND…super fun! My super creator {a.k.a. one of my students super precious grandmothers} really outdid herself preparing this for us. I love how they all had identical pieces to create their penguin, yet they all take on their own little personality.

I have compiled the resources that we used throughout our research and made a little writing mini. Whether you are writing simple paragraphs or five paragraph essays, this unit will provide you with all of the necessary resources to guide your instruction and create a purpose for your research. As a fun bonus, at the conclusion of your research, the students will create a fun little penguin craft.

My kids have created this penguin for a few years. My students will be creating this little guy on Monday to display with our connection to research. All of the tracers are included in the unit and ready to go!