3rd grade nonfiction passage about emperor penguin huddles: 158 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.
3rd gradenonfictionemperor penguin huddles158 words
Penguins Huddle Up for Warmth
Winter in Antarctica is one of the coldest times on Earth. The wind is strong and the ice is thick. Yet emperor penguins stay there all winter long. How do they keep warm?
Part of the answer is their bodies. A penguin has a thick layer of fat under its skin. It also has short, tight feathers that block the wind and keep body heat in.
The other part of the answer is teamwork. When the wind blows hard, the penguins stand close together in a big huddle. Each penguin stands snug against the others, so less cold air touches their bodies.
A huddle is always on the move. The penguins on the windy outside edge are the coldest. Slowly, they shuffle toward the middle, and warmer penguins take a turn on the outside. In this way, every penguin gets time in the warm middle.
Penguins show that sharing a hard job can make it easier for everyone.
Questions
Where do emperor penguins stay all winter? in the text
What do a penguin's short, tight feathers do? in the text
What do penguins do when the wind blows hard? in the text
Which penguins are the coldest? in the text
Why do the penguins take turns in the middle? think about it
What is the main idea of this passage? think about it
Words to know
Antarctica
the icy land around the South Pole
huddle
a tight group standing close together
layer
one thickness of something that lies over another
shuffle
to move along with small, slow steps
teamwork
people or animals working together
Name ____________________________ Date ______________
Penguins Huddle Up for Warmth
3rd grade reading passage
Winter in Antarctica is one of the coldest times on Earth. The wind is strong and the ice is thick. Yet emperor penguins stay there all winter long. How do they keep warm?
Part of the answer is their bodies. A penguin has a thick layer of fat under its skin. It also has short, tight feathers that block the wind and keep body heat in.
The other part of the answer is teamwork. When the wind blows hard, the penguins stand close together in a big huddle. Each penguin stands snug against the others, so less cold air touches their bodies.
A huddle is always on the move. The penguins on the windy outside edge are the coldest. Slowly, they shuffle toward the middle, and warmer penguins take a turn on the outside. In this way, every penguin gets time in the warm middle.
Penguins show that sharing a hard job can make it easier for everyone.
Questions
Where do emperor penguins stay all winter?
What do a penguin's short, tight feathers do?
What do penguins do when the wind blows hard?
Which penguins are the coldest?
Why do the penguins take turns in the middle?
What is the main idea of this passage?
Words to know
Antarctica: the icy land around the South Pole
huddle: a tight group standing close together
layer: one thickness of something that lies over another
shuffle: to move along with small, slow steps
teamwork: people or animals working together
Free at teach.peabody.kids/passages/3/penguins-huddle-up-for-warmth
Share
One passage, three levels
The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.
● Easier · 133 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.4
Winter in Antarctica is very cold. The wind is strong. The ice is thick. Yet emperor penguins stay there all winter. How do they keep warm?
Part of the answer is their bodies. A penguin has a thick layer of fat under its skin. It has short, tight feathers. They block the wind and keep body heat in.
The other part is teamwork. When the wind is strong, the penguins stand close in a big huddle. Each one stands snug against the others. Less cold air touches them.
The huddle keeps moving. The penguins on the windy edge are the coldest. Slowly, they shuffle to the middle. Warmer penguins take a turn on the edge. Every penguin gets time in the warm middle.
Penguins show that sharing a hard job makes it easier.
▲ This passage · 158 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.1
Winter in Antarctica is one of the coldest times on Earth. The wind is strong and the ice is thick. Yet emperor penguins stay there all winter long. How do they keep warm?
Part of the answer is their bodies. A penguin has a thick layer of fat under its skin. It also has short, tight feathers that block the wind and keep body heat in.
The other part of the answer is teamwork. When the wind blows hard, the penguins stand close together in a big huddle. Each penguin stands snug against the others, so less cold air touches their bodies.
A huddle is always on the move. The penguins on the windy outside edge are the coldest. Slowly, they shuffle toward the middle, and warmer penguins take a turn on the outside. In this way, every penguin gets time in the warm middle.
Penguins show that sharing a hard job can make it easier for everyone.
■ Harder · 177 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.3
Winter in Antarctica is among the coldest seasons found anywhere on Earth. The wind howls, and the ice is very thick. Even so, emperor penguins remain there throughout the entire winter. How do they manage to keep warm?
Part of the answer lies in their bodies. A penguin has a thick layer of fat beneath its skin, and it is covered with short, tightly packed feathers that block the wind and hold body heat close.
The rest of the answer is teamwork. When the wind blows fiercely, the penguins gather in a large huddle, and each one stands snug against its neighbors, so that much less cold air can touch their bodies.
The huddle never stays still. The penguins along the windy outside edge are the coldest of all, so they slowly shuffle toward the middle, while warmer penguins move out to take a turn at the edge. In this way, every single penguin gets a chance to rest in the warm center.
Penguins demonstrate that when a difficult job is shared, it becomes easier for everyone.
Winter in Antarctica is very cold. The wind is strong. The ice is thick. Yet emperor penguins stay there all winter. How do they keep warm?
Part of the answer is their bodies. A penguin has a thick layer of fat under its skin. It has short, tight feathers. They block the wind and keep body heat in.
The other part is teamwork. When the wind is strong, the penguins stand close in a big huddle. Each one stands snug against the others. Less cold air touches them.
The huddle keeps moving. The penguins on the windy edge are the coldest. Slowly, they shuffle to the middle. Warmer penguins take a turn on the edge. Every penguin gets time in the warm middle.
Penguins show that sharing a hard job makes it easier.
Questions
Where do emperor penguins stay all winter?
What do a penguin's short, tight feathers do?
What do penguins do when the wind is strong?
Which penguins are the coldest?
Why do the penguins take turns in the middle?
What is the main idea of this passage?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________▲
Penguins Huddle Up for Warmth
Winter in Antarctica is one of the coldest times on Earth. The wind is strong and the ice is thick. Yet emperor penguins stay there all winter long. How do they keep warm?
Part of the answer is their bodies. A penguin has a thick layer of fat under its skin. It also has short, tight feathers that block the wind and keep body heat in.
The other part of the answer is teamwork. When the wind blows hard, the penguins stand close together in a big huddle. Each penguin stands snug against the others, so less cold air touches their bodies.
A huddle is always on the move. The penguins on the windy outside edge are the coldest. Slowly, they shuffle toward the middle, and warmer penguins take a turn on the outside. In this way, every penguin gets time in the warm middle.
Penguins show that sharing a hard job can make it easier for everyone.
Questions
Where do emperor penguins stay all winter?
What do a penguin's short, tight feathers do?
What do penguins do when the wind blows hard?
Which penguins are the coldest?
Why do the penguins take turns in the middle?
What is the main idea of this passage?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Name ____________________■
Penguins Huddle Up for Warmth
Winter in Antarctica is among the coldest seasons found anywhere on Earth. The wind howls, and the ice is very thick. Even so, emperor penguins remain there throughout the entire winter. How do they manage to keep warm?
Part of the answer lies in their bodies. A penguin has a thick layer of fat beneath its skin, and it is covered with short, tightly packed feathers that block the wind and hold body heat close.
The rest of the answer is teamwork. When the wind blows fiercely, the penguins gather in a large huddle, and each one stands snug against its neighbors, so that much less cold air can touch their bodies.
The huddle never stays still. The penguins along the windy outside edge are the coldest of all, so they slowly shuffle toward the middle, while warmer penguins move out to take a turn at the edge. In this way, every single penguin gets a chance to rest in the warm center.
Penguins demonstrate that when a difficult job is shared, it becomes easier for everyone.
Questions
Where do emperor penguins spend the entire winter?
What do the penguin's short, tightly packed feathers do?
What do the penguins do when the wind blows fiercely?
Which penguins are the coldest of all?
Why do the penguins take turns in the middle of the huddle?
What is the main idea of this passage?
Free at teach.peabody.kids
Answer key: Penguins Huddle Up for Warmth
● Easier (Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.4)
In Antarctica.
They block the wind and keep body heat in.
They stand close together in a huddle.
The ones on the windy edge.
So every penguin gets time in the warm middle.
Penguins stay warm with their bodies and by working together.
▲ This passage (Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.1)
In Antarctica.
They block the wind and keep body heat in.
They stand close together in a huddle.
The ones on the windy outside edge.
So every penguin gets time in the warm middle, not just a few.
Penguins stay warm with their bodies and by working together.
■ Harder (Flesch-Kincaid grade 6.3)
In Antarctica.
They block the wind and hold body heat close.
They gather in a large huddle.
The ones along the windy outside edge.
So every penguin gets a chance to rest in the warm center.
Penguins survive the cold through their bodies and by working together.
Free at teach.peabody.kids
How to use it
Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.
Ideas for class
Before reading, put Antarctica, huddle, layer, shuffle and teamwork on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 2 minutes to read aloud.
Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
Question 5 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.
What reading level is "Penguins Huddle Up for Warmth"?
It was written for 3rd grade. It has 158 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.0. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.
What do the questions ask?
There are six. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.
How long does it take to read?
About 2 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.
Can I print it?
Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.
Is this passage from a published book?
No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.
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