Welcome 5/6H and 6W (Stage 3) students! This Pathfinder provides selected sources of information which are relevant to your
research task on Animals of the Antarctic. Throughout this pathfinder we will explore information and resources that will help
you to learn more about this subject, as well as look at tools that can help you search even further.

Ok, pull on your snow boots and let’s take a closer look.

This Pathfinder has been created to assist you in locating, researching and completing any of the highlighted tasks listed on
your Antarctica Research Matrix.

Before you read on, print out and complete the Inquiry Plan Worksheet to identify information you already know, and what you
want to know about Animals of the Antarctic. Place this in your Antarctic Task Book to reflect upon once we finalise this
unit of work.

Use the Information Literacy Skills Process as a guide for successful completion of each task (Print off a copy for easy reference
and keep it in your Task Book). During Week 9, an Animals of the Antarctic theme day will be held in the Library to celebrate and
present your research tasks to your peers, teachers and community members. The SmartBoard, desk display areas and the Library
Media Room will be available for use in presenting your task(s). 
 

Definitions of Keywords
Here are some meanings of words that may be useful when using this Pathfinder and learning about Animals of the Antarctic.
Antarctic The south polar region. This includes the continent of Antarctica and its oceans.
Conserve To save.
Ecosystem A community of living things.
Food Chain The transfer of food and energy from plants through small animals that eat them, to larger animals that eat
small animals.
Food Web  A number of different food chains linked together.
Habitat The place where a group of animals live.
Species Animals that resemble one another closely and are able to breed together.

Search Terms
These are terms you might use when searching our Schools Library Catalogue or any of the Online Resources for information.
The terms listed below are a good starting point. You may come across other more specific terms during your research that
you could add to this list. Remember too many results means you need to be more specific.

Antarctica Animals, Polar Bears, Antarctica Birds, Antarctica Wildlife.

Reference Sources
Our Library Collection
These resources are located in the Reference section of our school library. Remember these books cannot leave the library
so remind yourself of the Information Literacy Skills Process and take pen and paper with you. These resources are for
consulting, to help you start your inquiry into the topic and to give you a general summary.

Jacaranda Primary Atlas Second Edition 2001
Call Number R 912 JAC
Use this resource for a quick view of the area of Antarctica and to identify the distance in relation to Australia.

The World Book Student Discovery Encyclopedia Vol 1 A 2000
Call Number R 030 WOR
Look alphabetically for Antarctica. This Encyclopedia has a double page of simple information, diagrams and illustrations.
It lists additional articles to read in other volumes on this topic. If a specific animal you are researching is listed here,
you could look it up to research more more detailed information and pictures.

Online
Encarta
This is an online encyclopedia. It also contains a dictionary and an atlas. Save it to your favourites. It is great for brief
information with pictures on specific topics. Type in “Antarctic animals” as your search term for a listing of animals, or if
you know what animal you are after specifically, type it in. Throughout your research you could jot down words you are
unsure of and use the dictionary link to obtain the word meaning.
 

Printed Non-Fiction Resources in our School Library
Listed here are a key selection of books we have in our library relating to Animals of the Antarctic. For each book you will
see listed the author, title, copyright date and call number of where the book is situated in our non-fiction area. Check our
schools library online OASIS catalogue to see if the book is available for you to borrow or search the catalogue to look for
additional books on this topic that may not be listed below. Specific books about Animals of the Antarctic can be found
at Call Numbers 590-591. General information books about all aspects of Antarctica can be found at 919 and 998.

Michael Bright Awesome Oceans, Animals of the Icy Seas 2002
Call Number 591.77 BRI
This book provides a great introduction to the variety of animals, habitats and issues that relate to the Arctic Ocean and
the Antarctic’s Southern Ocean. Its easy to read, with large blocked paragraphs of text of general information which will
help you select an animal to focus on, note take for your task and define what additional information you want to find out.
Use the “Awesome Facts” diamonds as well as “Zoom In” and “Q&A” boxes to discover, as well as other interesting facts,
how these animals stay warm in a frozen habitat!

Christine Gunzi My Best Book of Polar Animals 2002
Call Number 591.998 GUN
This book provides you with the more detailed species that inhabit the Antarctic. Use this resource to decide on a breed
of wildlife, for example, birds, mammals, crustaceans or fish to detail your task. Christine Gunzi has identified many
varieties within these wildlife groups, you could focus one of your research tasks on one type. This book finishes with the
last two pages giving a brief outline of the possible environmental dangers that animals of the Antarctic are facing. Use
this information to build on your own knowledge and identify possible sources of information or new search terms for online
investigation relating to a conservation task on your matrix.

Sally Morgan Animal Lives, Penguins 2004
Call Number 590 MOR
A detailed journey specifically into the penguins world. Read and discover where they live, how they grow and learn, what
they eat, dangers they face and how they survive in a freezing cold habitat. Note take and use the subheadings in this
resource to sort and organise your information on penguins into your own words.

Search Engines
The online resources below are a small group of websites that I have selected for you. You may choose to further your
research by searching for your own websites. In order to locate great websites with specific information, you should search
using the search terms I noted above and use search engines like the two below that are kid safe sites, recommended for
use by students in years 2-7. Use the words and, or, not with your terms to narrow your results. Remember to always
evaluate the website using our schools evaluation criteria (see handout from Week 2). Two recommended search engines
are shown below. Click on either and type in your key terms in the search window to start your online research.

     

On Line Websites
The following websites are all accessible through the DET Kidspace Portal. Add them to your favourites for easy access at
school or home.

Cool Antarctica
This up to date site by Paul Ward is easy to use. Use the link on the left hand side of the page ‘facts about Antarctica
or its animals’ to take you to the Antarctica Fact Files, scroll down to the header titled Antarctica Animal Life. Click on
the animal you are interested in researching. Use the cool question links to search through quickly to find that unusual
answer you have been searching for. These facts are brief in content, easy to read and are accompanied by stunning
photographs and a touch of humour from the websites author. For example, click on the Adele Penguin link and then
Question 10... “ohhhhh”.

Navigate back to the Antarctica Fact File and scroll up to Antarctic Science header, click on Antarctic Conservation
to help build on and further research this area of the topic for your tasks on the Research Matrix relating to
environmental issues.

Antarctic Connection 
This website is not complex in it’s navigation or overloaded with information. Click on the Penguins/Wildlife Tab, simply
select the animal you are interested in and click the drop down menu to select the species you would like to research.
Find out some differences between the animals using information in the Quick Facts box. Throughout the web page,
words are hyperlinked accessing further relevant and topical information.

Discovering Antarctica 
From the Home page explore the Resources menu on the left hand side. Click on the interactives link and complete
the specific tasks listed for this website on your Research Matrix;
01, 04 x 2 tasks.
Scroll down to the Video section and view cool clips on different animals; choose clips 04, 05, 06 and 09.
Scroll down to the images section and explore the image library, save pictures to your electronic task folder for printing
later to enhance presentation or to include in a digital presentation. Have any of these photographs taught you something
new about an Antarctic animal?
You could also use this site as a great way to assess the knowledge you have obtained so far about this topic. Most of
the activities are interactive and require your knowledge and input to successfully complete them. Don’t forget to do a
colour print or email your link to me of the finished task.
 

  
Multimedia
John Weiley Antarctica, An Adventure of a Different Nature 2001
Call Number 998 ANT
Head to our Library Media Room and watch Chapters 1 and 2 of this DVD. Live the Antarctic experience, and see its animals as
you discover this amazing world as if you were really there. Witness the animals in their habitat in the breath taking footage.
Note take and draw diagrams for referencing later.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pathfinder created by Emma Burrows Teacher Librarian, Edgeworth Heights Public School 10th November 2007.