Photo of a man holding a penguin in water
João Paulo Krajewski
Nonfiction,

The Grandpa and the Penguin

Can a person and a penguin become true friends? 

By Janice Behrens
From the September 2023 Issue

Learning Objective: Children understand how to gain information and meaning from a narrative nonfiction text.

Lexiles: 480L
Guided Reading Level: H
Featured Skill: Main Idea, Key Details,
Vocabulary: disaster, oil, heavy heart, delighted, affection
Topic: Science,
Common Core Standards
  • Science (10) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms resemble their parents and have structures and processes that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to: (A) investigate how the external characteristics of an animal are related to where it lives, how it moves, and what it eats; (B) analyze and record examples of interdependence found in various situations such as terrariums and aquariums or pet and caregiver. Health (9) Personal/interpersonal skills. The student knows healthy and appropriate ways to communicate consideration and respect for self, family, friends, and others. The student is expected to: (E) describe ways to build and maintain friendships; (G) identify feelings and emotions expressed by others.
TEKS Standards
  • Science (10) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms resemble their parents and have structures and processes that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to: (A) investigate how the external characteristics of an animal are related to where it lives, how it moves, and what it eats; (B) analyze and record examples of interdependence found in various situations such as terrariums and aquariums or pet and caregiver. Health (9) Personal/interpersonal skills. The student knows healthy and appropriate ways to communicate consideration and respect for self, family, friends, and others. The student is expected to: (E) describe ways to build and maintain friendships; (G) identify feelings and emotions expressed by others.

Magazine View
See Student View

Jim McMahon/Mapman® 

João’s home is near the beach in Brazil. 

The little penguin was happily swimming through the warm water. It was hunting for fish to eat. Suddenly, disaster struck. 

The clear, blue water filled with thick, black oil. The penguin didn’t know it, but a ship had spilled oil into the sea. Now the sticky stuff covered the penguin’s body. The oil made it hard for the bird to swim.

Somehow the penguin got to a sandy beach. It was scared and all alone. Would anyone help the poor little penguin? 




PAUSE AND THINK: : What was happening to the penguin?

João Paulo Krajewski

Saving the Penguin




Luckily, help was nearby. A kind grandpa named João (juh-WOW) lived next to the beach, and he found the sick bird. It was a Magellanic penguin, the kind that swims in warm waters nearby. 

João carefully washed off the nasty black oil. Then he fed the penguin fish by hand.

After a few days, the bird got stronger. Soon it could move and eat on its own. João had saved the penguin’s life. But he knew he couldn’t keep it forever. It belonged in the wild with other penguins.

With a heavy heart, João said goodbye and set the penguin free in the sea. But surprise! It came right back to João’s yard. It didn’t want to go. 




PAUSE AND THINK: : How did the man take care of the penguin?

Georg Ismar/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images

Would the little penguin be gone forever?

Penguin in the Yard




 Jae C. Hong/AP Images 

Nom, nom, nom. Yummy fish!

João’s 2-year-old grandson named the penguin Dindim. 

Dindim stayed with João and seemed very happy. He let João hold him and pet him. He loved when João gave him showers. Dindim slept in the yard, but he was free to come and go through the fence. 

After almost a year, Dindim finally left and went back to the sea. There were no more cuddles and no more showers. João thought he would never see his penguin friend again.




PAUSE AND THINK: Do you think João will ever see Dindim again?

João Paulo Krajewski

Friends Forever




© Georg Ismar/dpa/AGE Fotostock

Dindim relaxes in the yard.

A few months later, João heard squeaking in the yard. Dindim had come back! The old man was delighted. Dindim wagged his tail and honked. 

After that, Dindim returned every year. He visited from June to February, when other Magellanic penguins go to another beach far away. What did João think about this? 

“I love the penguin like it’s my own child, and I believe the penguin loves me,” he said. 

People in the village got to know the grandpa and the penguin. The pair went for walks together and swam in the sea. Dindim liked to clean João with his beak. That’s how penguins show affection.

One of them was a person and one was a penguin. But they became true friends.




What Would You Do With a Penguin Pal?




Shutterstock.com

video (2)
video (2)
Slideshows (1)
Activities (2)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
video (2)
video (2)
Slideshows (1)
Activities (2) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)

More About the Article

English Language Arts Focus

Comprehension of a nonfiction narrative through speaking and listening

SEL Focus

Kindness

Relationship skills

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Implementation

Whole Group: Plan to read the article twice, first for comprehension and then for text- to-self connections.

Technology Time: Students can listen to the Video Read-Aloud of the article.

Pairings and Text Connections

  • In this issue: “Background Builder: A Peek at Penguins”
  • Suggested book: Can Cat and Bird Be Friends? by Coll Muir

Before-Reading Resources

  • Vocabulary Slideshow: (5 minutes) disaster, oil, heavy heart, delighted, affection

Suggested Reading Focus

Information from text and images (20 minutes)
  • On the first read-through, focus on listening comprehension. Guide students through the pictures. Point out the small text boxes near each picture and explain that captions help readers know what is happening in the picture.
  • As you read out loud, model stopping and asking questions at each Pause and Think. You can also ask students to give one- or two-sentence summaries of the section.
  • When you read the article a second time, make text-to-self connections. Prompt students to name the ways in which João showed kindness. Invite students to share times someone has been kind to them. (Possible text-to- self prompts: has anyone helped them, spent time with them, said something nice, or shown affection?) Students can share their ideas in think-pair-share format or as part of a group discussion.

After-Reading Skills Practice

  • Skills: Key details/friendship (15 minutes)

Extension: Kindness Agreement

Skills: Classroom community

  • Use this article to cultivate kindness in your classroom community. Have students gather on the rug and recap the ways in which João showed kindness. Ask students to think about moments in their day where someone has been kind to them. (See text-to-self prompts in Suggested Reading Focus above.) How did that feel? Give each student the sentence starter “I can be kind by _____”. Record and organize verbal student responses or arrange their writing into a chart or mosaic that can be referenced as part of your classroom agreements.

Text-to-Speech