Polar bear or penguin? An Arctic and Antarctic sorting game for K–2

1. Show the globe. Point to the Arctic at the top and Antarctica at the bottom. Ask: "Are these places close or far apart?"
2. Put the Arctic sign at one end of the room and the Antarctica sign at the other.
3. Hold up an animal and say its name. Students walk quickly to the end where it lives.
4. Each time, tell one short fact: "Polar bears hunt seals on the sea ice in the Arctic." "Emperor penguins raise their chicks on the ice in Antarctica."
5. After the game, ask: "So could a polar bear and a penguin meet in the wild?" Let students explain using the globe.
6. Students draw one animal from each end of the room on a page folded in half.

Safety: check the space first: move chairs, walk quickly instead of running in small rooms, and stop at the sign.

Differentiation: students who need support sort with only polar bear and penguin cards. Students who are ready learn that one penguin, the Galápagos penguin, lives near the equator. English learners can say "It lives in the ___."

Quick check: show a walrus picture and ask the student to point to where it lives on the globe.

Save this activity to your library so it is ready when you need it.