The Penguin Who Wanted to Find Out

The Penguin Who Wanted to Find Out by Jill Tomlinson

Otto is a penguin chick, that much he knows, but other than this he has a lot to learn. Life at the bottom of the world is a curious thing and life can change at a moment’s notice. The next blizzard, the next meal and the threat of being orphaned are all challenges that must be faced. But how will Otto and his friends manage? The only way that penguins can do – by looking after each other.

Main Focus: Character Study - Pages 1-22

After reading pages 1-23 of The Penguin Who Wanted to Find out, your Year 1 / Year 2 class will reflect on what they have learned about the characters in the beginning of the story.

We have created a range of sentences about certain characters and your class can categorise them. Alternatively, your KS1 class can write their own facts about the characters using our other template.

You can also complete this activity orally with your class or a team challenge too using our sentences and, ‘Who is it?’ style activity.

Main Focus: Speech - Pages 23 and 24

This resource is linked to pages 23 to 34 of the story and focuses on speech.

We have differentiated this resources so your class can focus on…

• Identifying who is speaking by colouring
• Adding in speech marks to the places underlines.
• Adding in speech without lines.
• Adding in speech to the speech bubbles

Main Focus: Contractions - Pages 42 & 43

This resource focuses on identifying or creating contractions. A contraction is when two words have been combined to make one words using an apostrophe.

Your Year 1 | Year 2 class will identify and highlight the contractions in the passage, create contractions from the two words underlined, or read through the passage and independently insert contractions where possible.

This resource covers contractions: you’ve, we’ll, I’ll, there’ll, I’ve, that’s, you’re, you’ll, won’t & he’d.

Main Focus: Comprehension - Pages 44-52

This is a comprehension linked to pages 44-52 of the book. This chapter is called Pup and is when Otto meet the seal for the first time.

Your class must answer the questions as best as they can using their knowledge an understanding.

We have differentiated this resource five ways to cater for Y1 and Y2 KS1 classes.

Main Focus: Adjectives - Pages 53 and 54

In this activity linked to The Penguin Who Wanted to Find Out by Jill Tomlinson, your class will focus on identifying adjectives or inserting adjectives to complete passages/ sentences.

We have differentiated this resource four ways for your KS1 class so you can choose which would best suit.

Main Focus: Contractions Pages 63-69

This is another resource linked to contractions. Your class will read the sentences and highlight the contractions or replace the two words with contractions where possible.

Main Focus: Apostrophes to show possession

Your class will read the sentences and add in the apostrophe to show possession. We have kept things simple. E.g. Otto’s father, Leo’s feathers etc. All names are at the beginning of the sentence.

We have also add an image of Otto for your class to label and get practice using apostrophes. E.g. Otto’s bill, Otto’s webbed feet, Otto’s flippers etc.

We have differentiated this resource to cater for your Y2 class.

Main Focus: Homophones

This resource linked to The Penguin Who Wanted to Find Out focuses on pages 71-79 and homophones.

Your KS1 class will read the sentences and decide which is the correct spelling within the context of the story.

The resource covers word: blue & blew, be & bee, write & right, sea & see, passed & past, new & knew, two, too & to and by & buy.

Main Focus: Capital Letters and Full Stops

In this resource your class will look at underlining letters that should be capitals and adding in full stops.

We have differentiated this resource to cater for different abilities, with the first resource being quite a challenge for Y2 children, and the final resource looking at capitals for names only and places underlined that should have full stops.

Main Focus: Replacing 'said'

Your class will read the sentences taken from pages 68 – 77 in the book. They will then complete the sentences by adding in words that have been used instead of said or circling the correct words to complete the sentences.

They can then write a few sentences of their own using the new words used instead of ‘said’.