2
3
4
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Daddy Day
Care
Paragraphs from this text are put into mini-assessments to test standards RI 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.7
Penguin
Perfection
What is
Antarctica?
Assesses standards RI 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.5
RI 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.5, 4.8

Name: ____________________________
Daddy Daycare
Passage 1A
Unit 2
Formative Assessment
When you think "tough," you may think of sharks, grizzly bears, or professional wrestlers, but you probably don't think of male penguins. Emperor penguins may not look it, but the males are tough enough to take on the deadly Antarctic winter and survive.
And they do it—without eating—while taking care of the eggs! When other animals head north in
March to avoid the Antarctic winter, emperor penguins head south.
Antarctica is surrounded by a huge mass of sea ice in the winter. This ice floats on the ocean in the southernmost part of the Earth. Harsh and frigid, it is here where emperor penguins choose to mate and lay their eggs.
All the other animals, even other penguins, leave months before the Antarctic winter sets in. The only living things left above the ice are the emperors and the humans watching them.
The article describes male emperor penguins as "tough.” What details does the author give to prove they are tough?
RI 4.1
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Why does the author include the map below? How does it help you better understand the article?
RI 4.7
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Unit 2
Formative Assessment
Daddy Daycare
When you think "tough," you may think of sharks, grizzly bears, or professional wrestlers, but you probably don't think of male penguins. Emperor penguins may not look it, but the males are tough enough to take on the deadly Antarctic winter and survive.
And they do it—without eating—while taking care of the eggs! When other animals head north in
March to avoid the Antarctic winter, emperor penguins head south.
Antarctica is surrounded by a huge mass of sea ice in the winter. This ice floats on the ocean in the southernmost part of the Earth. Harsh and frigid, it is here where emperor penguins choose to mate and lay their eggs.
All the other animals, even other penguins, leave months before the Antarctic winter sets in. The only living things left above the ice are the emperors and the humans watching them.
The article describes male emperor penguins as "tough.” What details does the author give to prove they are tough?
RI 4.1
The author says that they take on the deadly Antarctic winter, where it is harsh and frigid, and survive.
Why does the author include the map below? How does it help you better understand the article? RI 4.7
I think the author included it because he/she wanted to show where penguins live in relation to the rest of the world. It helps me understand because I can see how far
Antarctica is from where we live, so it makes sense that the weather would be so different.

Name: ____________________________
Daddy Daycare
Passage 1B
Warm-Up for Dads
Unit 2
Formative Assessment
The Antarctic weather wears on the male Emperor penguins with a viciousness that would seem unbearable to humans. Feathers, fat, and other adaptations are usually enough to keep adult penguins alive. But scientists who visit have to wear 22 pounds of clothing to stay warm!
''The penguins make it look so easy," says Gerald Kooyman, a biologist who has made more than 30 research trips to Antarctica. "After watching them awhile you almost forget how remarkable they are—until the weather changes and the wind slices right through you!"
One of the impressive ways emperors stay toasty when temperatures plummet or the wind blasts is to "huddle." A huddle forms when hundreds, even thousands, of males crowd together. The birds move constantly, slowly rotating from the cold outside rings to the warm, wind-free center.
One scientist who spent an entire winter observing these amazing birds says it is staggering to see
10,000 penguins in a single quiet huddle. The temperature inside can be 77°F. Standing nearby when a huddle breaks up, observers can feel, smell, even see the heat. It's like a wall of steam. The penguins are packed in so tightly that when one comes out, the bird is square-shaped for a few moments from the pressure of the other birds.
How do male Emperor penguins stay alive in the cold Antarctic conditions? RI 4.1
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RI 4.2
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Unit 2
Formative Assessment
Daddy Daycare
Warm-Up for Dads
The Antarctic weather wears on the male Emperor penguins with a viciousness that would seem unbearable to humans. Feathers, fat, and other adaptations are usually enough to keep adult penguins alive. But scientists who visit have to wear 22 pounds of clothing to stay warm!
''The penguins make it look so easy," says Gerald Kooyman, a biologist who has made more than 30 research trips to Antarctica. "After watching them awhile you almost forget how remarkable they are—until the weather changes and the wind slices right through you!"
One of the impressive ways emperors stay toasty when temperatures plummet or the wind blasts is to "huddle." A huddle forms when hundreds, even thousands, of males crowd together. The birds move constantly, slowly rotating from the cold outside rings to the warm, wind-free center.
One scientist who spent an entire winter observing these amazing birds says it is staggering to see
10,000 penguins in a single quiet huddle. The temperature inside can be 77°F. Standing nearby when a huddle breaks up, observers can feel, smell, even see the heat. It's like a wall of steam. The penguins are packed in so tightly that when one comes out, the bird is square-shaped for a few moments from the pressure of the other birds.
How do male Emperor penguins stay alive in the cold Antarctic conditions? RI 4.1
Emperor penguins have feathers, fat, and other adaptations that keep them alive.
Explain how Emperor penguins stay warm when they form huddles. RI 4.2
Hundreds to thousands of penguins crowd together in a huddle. They take turns being in the center of the group where it can get up to 77 degrees! They constantly rotate from the center of the huddle where it is very warm, to the outside of the huddle where it is cold.
What causes the penguins to come out of the huddle square-shaped? What information from the article supports your answer?
RI 4.3
Then penguins come out square-shaped because the article says that the birds are packed in the huddle very tightly. The pressure from this group creates the shape.

Name: ____________________________
Penguin Perfection
Passage 2
Unit 2
Formative Assessment
Chinstrap Penguins
Of all the penguins, these ones are probably the easiest to remember. Their name is "chinstrap" and they actually do have a chin strap. These penguins have unique characteristics. A thin, black line stretches from one side of their chin to the other.
These penguins are about 30 inches tall, and live on
Antarctic islands and Sub-Antarctic islands.
Chinstraps eat mainly krill, and sometimes have a little bit of fish, which make up 5 % of their diet.
Gentoo Penguin
Gentoo Penguins are black (like most other penguins) and have a white stripe leading from one eye to the other. They are around 35 inches tall and are the third tallest penguins in the world, after
Emperor and King. These penguins are the fastest underwater swimmers, reaching speeds of 17 miles per hour. They live in sub-Antarctic islands, including the Falkland islands.
Adelie Penguins
Adelie penguins are one of the smaller breeds. At maximum they reach about eighteen inches. These penguins live in Antarctica. Unlike the Emperors, which live on ice, Adelie's live on rockier parts of the
Ice-Continent. These penguins have nests made of stones, which they will steal form each other. These penguins have just black-and-white markings, which are around their backs, on their faces, and on their chins. Juvenile Adelie's have white chins.

Unit 2 RI 4.5
Formative Assessment
What is the text structure of
Penguin Perfection?
Explain how you know.
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RI 4.3
Based on the information in Penguin Perfection, how are the penguins different from each other? Support your answer with specific details from the text.
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KEY
What is the text structure of
Penguin Perfection?
Unit 2 RI 4.5
Formative Assessment
Explain how you know.
Unit 2 RI 4.3
Formative Assessment
Based on the information in Penguin Perfection, how are the penguins different from each other? Give at least 2 examples. Support your answer with specific details from the text.
While Chinstrap, Gentoo and Adelie penguins have some things in common, such as where they live, but they also have a lot of differences. All of the penguins are different sizes. Adelies are the shortest at 18 inches, which the Chinstrap can grow up to 30 inches, and the Gentoo up to 35 inches. Also, while the penguins are all black and white, each has special patterns which make them recognizable. Chinstraps have a thin black line that stretches from one side of their chin to the other side. The Gentoo penguins also have a special color marking. However, theirs is white and stretches from one eye to the other. Adelie penguins are the most plain, with black backs and a white stomach and no special markings. These two things makes the penguins different enough to identify if you ever venture to Antarctica.

Unit 2 RI 4.2
Formative Assessment
Create a graphic organizer on the back of this page to organize the key ideas and details from the passage. Then, using the space below, summarize the text.
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What is Antarctica?
Passage 3
Unit 2
Formative Assessment
What is Antarctica?
Antarctica is a continent. It is Earth’s fifth largest continent. Antarctica is covered in ice. Antarctica covers Earth’s South Pole.
What is Antarctica Like?
Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth. The temperature in the winter is cold enough to freeze water all the time. The temperature in the middle of Antarctica is much colder than the temperature on the coasts.
Antarctica has two seasons: summer and winter. Earth is tilted in space and the direction of tilt never changes. During summer, Antarctica is on the side of Earth tilted toward the sun. It is always sunny. In winter, Antarctica is on the side of the Earth tilted away from the sun. Then, the continent is always dark.
Antarctica is a desert. It does not rain or snow a lot there. When it snows, the snow does not melt and builds up over many years to make large, thick sheets of ice, called ice sheets. Antarctica is made up of lots of ice in the form of glaciers, ice shelves and icebergs.
Antarctica has no trees or bushes. The only plants that can live in a place that cold are moss and algae.
Who Lives in Antarctica?
Antarctica is too cold for people to live there for a long time. Scientists take turns going there to study the ice. Tourists visit Antarctica in the summers. The oceans around Antarctica are home to many types of whales. Antarctica is also home to seals and penguins.
What Can NASA Learn About Earth From Studying Antarctica?
NASA = National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA uses satellites to study Antarctica. NASA wants to know how Antarctica is changing. Scientists want to know what the changes in Earth’s climate are doing to Antarctica’s ice sheets. They also want to know what changes in Antarctica’s ice might do to Earth’s climate.
One tool that NASA uses is ICESat. That stands for the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite. Using
ICESat, NASA can measure changes in the size of Antarctica’s ice sheets. ICESat also helps NASA understand how changing polar ice may affect the rest of the planet. Melting ice sheets in Antarctica may change sea levels all over the world.
NASA instruments have also helped scientists create detailed maps of Antarctica. These maps help researchers when planning trips to Antarctica. They also give people a clearer view of the continent.
What Can NASA Learn About Space From Studying Antarctica?
Antarctica is a good place to find meteorites that are easier to see on the white ice. Also, meteorites that fall to Antarctica are protected by the ice for a long time.
NASA sends teams to Antarctica to learn more about the planet Mars. Antarctica and Mars have a lot in common. Both places are cold. Both places are dry like a desert. NASA tested robots in Antarctica that later landed on Mars.
NASA also goes to Antarctica to study astronaut nutrition. Like people who are in Antarctica in the winter, astronauts in space are not in the sunlight. The sun helps the human body make vitamins.
Scientists study people who visit Antarctica to learn how to help astronauts in space get enough vitamins. www.nasa.gov

What is Antarctica?
Name:
1. According to the article, NASA studies
Antarctica for all of the following reasons except
2. Read these sentences from paragraph 3: a.
b.
In winter, Antarctica is on the side of the
Earth titled away from the sun. Then, the continent is always dark.
c.
d.
Antarctica helps us understand ice.
Antarctica helps us understand important plants.
Antarctica is a good place to find meteorites.
Antarctica is a good place to test robots.
Which statement describes the relationship between these two sentences? a.
phrases and stanzas b.
meter and rhyme c.
sentences and paragraphs d.
dialogue and state directions
3. What can NASA learn from studying people living in Antarctica that would help astronauts? a.
the nutritional effects of a long-term lack of sunlight.
b.
the extra vitamins the body had to make during the winter.
c.
the seasons when astronauts would have the best nutrition in space. d.
the type of vitamins the body needs when it is exposed to the sun.
5. Which heading in the article would you look under to find out about the weather in
Antarctica? a.
What is Antarctica Like? b.
Who Lives in Antarctica?
c.
What Can NASA Learn About Earth From
Studying Antarctica?
d.
What can NASA Learn About Space
From Studying Antarctica?
4. According to the passage, the changing size of Antarctica’s ice sheets has an effect on a.
living conditions on the continent b.
the temperature of the air and clouds c.
the amount of wildlife that can survive there d.
sea levels all around the world

c.
a.
What is Antarctica
KEY
RI 4.2
1. According to the article, NASA studies
Antarctica for all of the following reasons except
RI 4.8
2. Read these sentences from paragraph 3:
Antarctica helps us understand ice.
In winter, Antarctica is on the side of the
Earth titled away from the sun. Then, the continent is always dark.
b.
d.
Antarctica helps us understand important plants.
Antarctica is a good place to find meteorites.
Antarctica is a good place to test robots.
Which statement describes the relationship between these two sentences? a.
phrases and stanzas b.
meter and rhyme c.
sentences and paragraphs d.
dialogue and state directions
RI 4.3
3. What can NASA learn from studying people living in Antarctica that would help astronauts?
RI 4.1
4. According to the passage, the changing size of Antarctica’s ice sheets has an effect on a.
the nutritional effects of a long-term lack of sunlight.
b.
the extra vitamins the body had to make during the winter.
c.
the seasons when astronauts would have the best nutrition in space. d.
the type of vitamins the body needs when it is exposed to the sun.
RI 4.5
5. Which heading in the article would you look under to find out about the weather in
Antarctica? a.
living conditions on the continent b.
the temperature of the air and clouds c.
the amount of wildlife that can survive there d.
sea levels all around the world a.
What is Antarctica Like? b.
Who Lives in Antarctica?
c.
What Can NASA Learn About Earth From
Studying Antarctica?
d.
What can NASA Learn About Space
From Studying Antarctica?

KEY
Unit 2 RI 4.2
Formative Assessment
Create a graphic organizer on the back of this page to organize the key ideas and details from the passage. Then, using the space below, summarize the text.

1
Important Ideas
RI 4.1
Students will identify important ideas and explain how they know those ideas are important to the text.
2 text features
RI 4.7
Either in their readers notebook or on an exit slip, have students find a note the meaning of text features found in their independent reading book.
3
4
5
6
7
8 text features
RI 4.7
Students should explain how a text feature helps them better understand the content they reading.
important details
RI 4.2
Students should pick out important details from a nonfiction text and be able to explain their thinking and reasoning. summarizing
RI 4.2
Students should summarize information they learned in a section of a nonfiction text, or in the entire text.
Connecting
Text and Text
Features
RI 4.7
Events in a historical text
RI 4.3
Explaining Text
Structure
RI 4.5
Students should be able to note what they learned from the text and text features. They should synthesize that information to explain what they learned from the text by using both sources of information.
Students should be able to note what happened and why after reading a historical text.
Students will identify and explain the structure of a text, as well as how the structure helps them understand the information read.

Name:
Text:
Important Idea
Unit 2
Exit Slip
RI 4.1
How I know
Name:
Text:
Important Idea
Unit 2
Exit Slip
RI 4.1
How I know

Name:
Text:
Text Feature Purpose
Unit 2
Exit Slip
Name:
Text:
Text Feature Purpose
Unit 2
Exit Slip

Name:
What the Text Says
What the Text
Features Show
Unit 2
Exit Slip
RI 4.7
The text features help me understand that:
Name:
What the Text Says
What the Text
Features Show
Unit 2
Exit Slip
RI 4.7
The text features help me understand that:

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Name:
Text:
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Name:
Text:
Main Idea:
Unit 2
Exit Slip
RI 4.2
Main Idea:
Unit 2
Exit Slip
RI 4.2

Name:
Important Ideas from:
Unit 2
Exit Slip
RI 4.2
Name:
Important Ideas from:
Unit 2
Exit Slip
RI 4.2

Unit 2
Exit Slip
RI 4.2
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RI 4.2
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Unit 2
Exit Slip
RI 4.2
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RI 4.2
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Name:
Information from the Text
Information from the
 photographs
 maps
 charts
 other
Unit 2
Exit Slip
Information from the
 photographs
 maps
 charts
 other
RI 4.7
My understanding based upon the text AND text features:
Name:
Information from the Text
Information from the
 photographs
 maps
 charts
 other
Unit 2
Exit Slip
Information from the
 photographs
 maps
 charts
 other
RI 4.7
My understanding based upon the text AND text features:

Name:
Unit 2
Exit Slip
RI 4.3
Name:
Unit 2
Exit Slip
RI 4.3

Name:
Unit 2
Exit Slip
RI 4.5
How doe the text being organized in this way help you better understand the information?
Name:
Unit 2
Exit Slip
RI 4.5
How doe the text being organized in this way help you better understand the information?