Photo of a snowy mountain
Jim McMahon/Mapman® (map); goinyk/Getty Images (mountain); Charles Lehman (Nosey Illustration); British Antarctic Survey/SCIENCE SOURCE (scientists); Shutterstock.com (humpback whale, Child); Anton Rodionov/Getty Images (crabeater seal); Martin Ruegner/Getty Images (emperor penguin)
Background Builder,

The Coldest Place

Find out about Antarctica. Then read a true story about explorers who got stuck there!

From the December 2022/January 2023 Issue
Lexiles: 380L
Guided Reading Level: I
Featured Skill: Vocabulary, Main Idea,
Vocabulary: globe, caves, frozen, continent
Topic: Science,
Common Core Standards
  • RF.1.1 Features of print RI.1.1 Key details RI.1.5 Use text features to locate information RI.1.10 Read grade 1 informational texts L.1.4.A Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
TEKS Standards
  • Social Studies
    4) Geography. The student understands the purpose of geographic tools, including maps and globes. The student is expected to: (A) identify and describe the physical characteristics of place such as landforms, bodies of water, Earth’s resources, and weather.
  • 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.

Magazine View
clickable image of nosey, the dachshund, with instructions to click and listen to the article

1. It is very, very cold.

World map

Antarctica is one of the seven continents.

This is the coldest place in the world. It is at the bottom of the globe.

Can you find Antarctica on the map?

2. Ice is everywhere.

Enlargeable photo of a snowy mountain

Ice covers the land. There are icy mountains and caves. Most of the ice in the world is there!

3. People don't live there.

Enlargeable image of scientists in the arctic landscape with a large ship in the background

It is too cold to live there all the time. But scientists go there to learn about it. 

4. Some animals live there.

Enlargeable image of a crabeater seal, emperor penguin, and humpack whale in an arctic landscape

These animals don’t mind the cold. They live on the frozen land. They swim in the icy water.

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Multimedia
Slideshows (1)
Slideshow
Vocabulary Slideshow: The Coldest Place

<p>Unlock challenging vocabulary words with great visual and audio support.</p>

Vocabulary Slideshow: The Coldest Place

Unlock challenging vocabulary words with great visual and audio support.

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More About the Article

Science Focus 

Animal behaviors

Environments

Climate and weather

Vocabulary: 

globe, caves, frozen, continent

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

The essential question of this issue is What happens in cold places? The articles below connect to this theme.

  • Picture This: “Grandma Shark,” p. 2
  • Background Builder: “The Coldest Place,” p. 8
  • Big Read-Aloud: “Escape From the Ice,” p. 10
  • Mini History: “The True Story of Popsicles,” p. 30
  • Poetry: “Snow Mail,” p. 32

Through the above genres, students will discuss:

  • Have you ever been to a cold place?
  • What do people need to survive in the cold?
  • What are snow and ice like?
  • What happens in cold places?

IMPLEMENTATION SUGGESTIONS

Small Group/Partner Read

  • This article gives children background knowledge to help them better understand the “Big Read-Aloud.” Read it in small groups. Children can read it again later on their own or with a partner.

Word Work

  • “The Coldest Place” features four rich vocabulary words: globe, caves, continent, and frozen. Reinforce these bold vocabulary words with our slideshow.

1. BEFORE READING

Show Video (10 minutes)

  • Tell students they are going to watch a video about cold places. (This video also goes with other stories in the issue). Ask them to think about the essential question: “What happens in cold places?”

Preview the Article and Set a Purpose for Reading (3-5 minutes)

  • Help children see the main idea of the article using the headline and opening text.
  • Point out the globe and remind students that this tells us Antarctica is a place. Tell them that they will read to learn what Antarctica is like. Then they will collect facts about the place.

2. READ THE ARTICLE (15-30 minutes)

  • The numbers and colored text will help guide students through the pages. After reading the headline and opening text, start at number 1.
  • Have children discuss each section of text. Can they imagine what Antarctica might be like? What makes Antarctica special?
  • Point out the question at the end of the article. Would they want to go to Antarctica? Why?
  • After reading, have children go through the article again, highlighting a fact in each section. (Make sure children know that a fact is a true statement.) This will prepare them to fill out the skills sheet Nosey’s Fact File.

3. AFTER READING: Focus on Skills

ELA Focus: Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Use Nosey's Fact File to check comprehension and reinforce key details.

ELA Focus: Key Details (15 minutes)

  • This version of Nosey’s Fact File allows you to provide the same content at a lower skill level.

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Text-to-Speech