Animals & Environment
Emperor Penguins Need Cold Ice to Live
27 Jun 2026
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Warm-up → Read & Listen → Check Understanding → Language → Use It
WARM UP
Think Ahead: Which detail do you think appears in this story?
a) Penguins learning to fly
b) Baby penguins needing ice to grow
c) Penguins swimming to Africa
Ask:
(1) Have you ever seen a penguin in a book or a movie?
(2) Why do you think penguins like cold weather?
VOCABULARY
Ice
Noun
Chick
Noun
Melt
Verb
Freeze
Verb
Safe
Adjective
Sea
Noun
Frozen water.
We love to skate on the ice during winter.
A baby bird.
The small penguin chick stayed close to its mother.
To change from ice to water.
The hot sun will melt the snow quickly.
To become very cold or turn into ice.
Water will freeze when it is very cold.
Not in danger.
The birds are safe from big animals on the high ice.
A large area of salty water.
Fish live deep inside the blue sea.
Emperor penguins live in Antarctica. It is a very cold place with lots of ice. These beautiful birds need the sea ice to live and grow. Emperor penguins lay eggs on the ice. When a baby chick is born, it stays on the ice. The chick needs time to grow strong feathers.
But the world is getting warmer. The hot air makes the sea ice melt too early. This is very dangerous for the little chicks. If the ice breaks, the chicks can fall into the cold water. They do not have waterproof feathers yet, so they cannot swim well.
Scientists are worried about the penguins. They say the penguins are endangered because of the warming oceans. We need to protect our planet to keep the ice frozen and save the emperor penguins.
Listen
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Would you like to visit Antarctica to see real penguins? Why or why not?
2. Why do baby penguins need to stay on the solid ice?
3. How does warm weather change the home of the emperor penguins?
4. What can people do to help keep our planet cool?
5. Why do you think scientists are worried about the warming oceans?
6. What other animals do you know that live in cold, icy places?
FILL IN THE GAPS
Section 1: Fill in the Gaps
Word Bank: ice, chick, melt, sea
Emperor penguins live in Antarctica. It is a very cold place with lots of _______(1). These beautiful birds need the _______(2) ice to live and grow. Emperor penguins lay eggs on the ice. When a baby _______(3) is born, it stays on the ice. The chick needs time to grow strong feathers.
But the world is getting warmer. The hot air makes the sea ice _______(4) too early. This is very dangerous for the little chicks. If the ice breaks, the chicks can fall into the cold water. They do not have waterproof feathers yet, so they cannot swim well.
Scientists are worried about the penguins. They say the penguins are endangered because of the warming oceans. We need to protect our planet to keep the ice frozen and save the emperor penguins.
Section 2: Main Idea
Choose the best summary of the article.
a) Emperor penguins are moving to warm countries to find more fish.
b) Emperor penguins need sea ice to raise chicks, but the ice is melting.
c) Emperor penguins like to swim in deep oceans during the summer.
UNDERSTANDING
Section 3: True or False
Emperor penguins lay eggs on green grass. T/F
Warm air causes the sea ice to melt too early. T/F
Baby penguin chicks can swim perfectly as soon as they are born. T/F
Section 4: Put Events in Order
Put the following events in the correct order from 1 to 3.
a) The sea ice melts too early because of the warm air.
b) Emperor penguins lay eggs and look after their chicks on the safe sea ice.
c) Young chicks fall into the cold water before they have waterproof feathers.
LANGUAGE
Section 5: Vocab Match
1. Ice
2. Chick
3. Melt
4. Freeze
a) To turn into water because of heat
b) A very young baby bird
c) To become solid and cold like an ice block
d) Frozen water that forms in cold places
USE IT
Section 6: Discussion Builder
I think it is important to save the penguins because they are _______ animals.a) beautifulb) boringc) funny
If the ice melts completely, the penguins will have no place to _______.a) sleepb) livec) fly
Section 7: Sentence Unscramble
Unscramble the words to make a sentence.
1. A) live B) in C) penguins D) Antarctica E) Emperor
2. A) ice B) warm C) air D ) melts E) The
ANSWER KEY
Warm Up:
Answer: b
Section 1:
(1) ice, (2) sea, (3) chick, (4) melt
Section 2:
Answer: b
Section 3:
1. False, 2. True, 3. False
Section 4:
1. b, 2. a, 3. c
Section 5:
1-d, 2-b, 3-a, 4-c
Section 6:
1. a, 2. b
Section 7:
1. E-C-A-B-D (Emperor penguins live in Antarctica.),
2. E-B-C-D-A (The warm air melts ice.)