*Narrators 1, 2, and 3 (N1, N2, N3)
*Barbara, a puffin expert
*Izzy, an 11-year-old girl
*Carla, Izzy’s friend
*Erik, a young tourist
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© Harry Read Photography
Play,
The Puffin Protectors
As she rescues lost puffins, Izzy learns that the birds aren’t the only ones who need help finding their way
By Spencer Kayden
From the March / April 2022 Issue
Learning Objective: Students will learn about a puffin rescue effort in Newfoundland and identify the changes the main character undergoes because of a mistake she makes.
Complexity Factors
Guided Reading Level: S
DRA Level: 50
Featured Skill:
Character,
Other Key Skills: how a character changes, vocabulary, fluency, identifying facts, character’s motivation, comparing characters, text evidence, cause and effect, key idea, interpreting text, narrative writing
Standards
Scene 1
The town of Witless Bay, in Newfoundland, Canada, late August
N1: Izzy and Carla stand with Barbara, a puffin expert, at the front of a crowded room.
N2: It’s the headquarters of the Puffin Patrol, a group that helps rescue the seabirds.
N3: Izzy and Carla have been volunteering since they were in first grade.
Barbara: Welcome, everyone!
N1: Izzy lifts her chin proudly.
Barbara: I see some new faces tonight, so we’ll tell you a bit about what we do.
N2: Barbara points to a poster of a puffin.
Barbara: Off the coast of Witless Bay are four small islands that are home to the largest colony of Atlantic puffins in North America. Their real home is the ocean. They come here to lay eggs and hatch baby puffins.
Izzy (eagerly): They’re called pufflings!
Barbara: Yes, pufflings. In August, the baby birds are ready to leave their nests at night. Carla?
Carla: Pufflings use the light from the moon and stars to find their way to the ocean. But if it’s cloudy or foggy—
Eric Isselee/Shutterstock.com
Izzy: —which happens a lot here—
Carla: —some pufflings get confused and fly toward the lights of town. Here—
Izzy: —the pufflings get stranded. They can get killed by cars or hungry cats.
Barbara: That’s where the Puffin Patrol steps in. Every night, we rescue lost pufflings. Later, we return them to the sea.
N3: Izzy hands out glow-in-the-dark vests.
Barbara: Take a butterfly net and a plastic carrier. And remember to follow the rules: Stay with your adult, and do not go onto private property.
N1: Erik, a young tourist, steps forward.
Erik: Where are the best places to look?
Carla: You can come with us!
Erik: Thanks!
N2: Izzy shoots Carla a look and pulls her aside.
Izzy: We are supposed to rescue them. Not strangers from out of town.
Carla (confused): Isn’t it better to have more people looking?
Jim McMahon/Mapman ®
Scene 2
Around the town, that night
N3: In the fog, Izzy, Carla, and Erik walk slowly with Erik’s dad, Ruben.
Carla: Is this your first time in Witless Bay?
Ruben: It is!
Erik: We flew from Toronto just to volunteer with the Puffin Patrol.
Carla: Wow!
N1: Izzy walks a few steps behind, shining her flashlight left and right.
N2: Erik hears something rustling in the grass.
Erik: What’s that?
N3: A puffling comes out of the shadows and runs toward the road.
Carla: Grab it!
N1: Erik gently catches the bird in his net.
Erik: What now?
Carla: I’ll hold the net. You put on gloves and pick up the bird.
N2: Erik hands Carla his phone.
Erik: Can you take a photo?
N3: Erik lifts the puffling. Carla snaps a picture.
Erik: Thanks! My friends back home are going to flip when I post this.
N1: Izzy rolls her eyes.
N2: Erik sets the baby bird inside a carrier.
Erik: Now you’re safe, little guy.
N3: They continue down the road. Izzy walks slower, peering everywhere.
N1: Then she hears Carla and Erik shout.
Carla: Woo-hoo!
Erik: We found another one!
N2: Later, the group returns to Puffin Patrol headquarters.
Erik: I found two pufflings!
Barbara: On your first night out. Impressive!
N3: Erik beams.
Barbara: That makes 54 birds we have saved so far this season.
Izzy (mumbling): And I found exactly zero.
Ruben: What happens now?
Barbara: We make sure they’re healthy and then release them over the water. If you’re still in town, you should join us on the boat!
Erik: Hashtag Puffin Protectors!
N1: Izzy glares at Erik.
mark Colombus/Alamy Stock Photo
Puffins nest in burrows that they dig into the sides of steep sea cliffs. Pufflings look different from adults: Their beaks are dark and their faces are grayer.
Scene 3
Around the town, the following night
N2: The group is once again out, looking for lost pufflings.
Izzy (whispering to Carla): He doesn’t even live here.
N3: Izzy shows Carla Erik’s post about the puffin on her phone.
Izzy: He’s only doing this for the “likes.”
Carla: If more people learn about puffins thanks to his post, that’s great!
Izzy: You don’t understand.
N1: Farther ahead, Erik shines his light under a car.
Erik: There’s one!
Izzy (grumpily): Yay, he found another one.
Ruben: It’s late, kids. We should get back.
Izzy: Just a little longer, please?
Ruben: We can look again tomorrow night.
Izzy: I really, really want to find a puffling.
Ruben: OK. Fifteen more minutes.
N2: They keep walking. Izzy lags behind.
N3: Then she notices something.
N1: She starts down a driveway, her sneakers crunching the gravel.
COURTESY OF STEPHEN BROWNE
The Puffin Patrol is a real group that rescues puffins in Newfoundland, Canada. Since 2010, the group has saved more than 4,000 birds.
N2: She passes a sign that says “Private Property.”
Izzy (whispering): Where are you, little puffling?
N3: The bird shuffles under a large rosebush.
Izzy: Aha!
N1: Izzy follows and trips over a metal watering can.
N2: It makes a loud clang. Izzy reaches toward the bird. Thorns tear at her hands.
Izzy: Ow!
N3: The bird scurries away. Izzy tries to pull herself free, but her sleeve is stuck.
N1: Suddenly, the door of the house opens. An elderly woman shouts.
Mrs. Grundy: Who’s there?
N2: Izzy holds her breath.
Mrs. Grundy: Come out or I’m calling the police!
N3: Izzy freezes. Mrs. Grundy goes back inside.
N1: Izzy yanks her arm from the thorns, ripping part of the rosebush out of the ground.
N2: She runs down the driveway and catches up to her group down the road.
Scene 4
Puffin Patrol headquarters, later that night
Eric Isselee/Shutterstock.com
N3: A police officer is talking to Barbara as Izzy, Carla, Erik, and Ruben walk in.
Officer Sima: We received a call from Mrs. Grundy. She says there was a prowler in her yard tonight.
N1: Izzy’s heart pounds.
Officer Sima: She lives alone, and she was very frightened.
N2: Izzy’s face turns red.
Officer Sima: She thinks it was someone from the Puffin Patrol.
Barbara: Everyone here knows not to trespass.
Officer Sima: Someone tore up one of her rosebushes too.
N3: Izzy hides her torn sleeve and the scratches on her hands.
Officer Sima: She is threatening to shut down the Puffin Patrol.
Carla (whispering): Who would be crazy enough to go into Mrs. Grumpy’s yard?
Erik: Mrs. Grumpy?
N1: Izzy slinks toward the door.
Carla: That’s what we call her. She’s always telling us to stay off her lawn. Right, Iz?
N2: She turns, but Izzy is gone.
Sanders Meurs
Scientists weigh the pufflings to make sure they’re healthy before releasing them.
Scene 5
Around town, the following night
N3: Carla and Erik set out looking for pufflings.
Erik: Where’s Izzy?
Carla: I don’t know. She never skips Puffin Patrol.
Erik: Should we check on her?
N1: Carla and Erik go to Izzy’s house. Her mom takes them to her bedroom.
N2: Izzy is curled up on her bed hugging a stuffed toy puffin. Her face is puffy, and her eyes are red.
Erik: Are you OK?
Izzy (sniffling): Do I look OK?
Carla: What’s wrong?
Izzy: I ruined everything.
Carla: What are you talking about?
N3: Izzy’s chin trembles.
Izzy: It was me in Mrs. Grumpy’s yard. I tore up her roses, and the Puffin Patrol will be ended forever, and it’s all my fault.
Carla: That was you?!
Erik: It might be OK if you apologize.
Izzy: Apologize to Mrs. Grumpy? No, thank you.
Carla: I think you should, Iz. For all of us.
N1: Izzy is silent for a second then nods.
Izzy: And for the puffins.
Jennifer Bain
Puffin Patrol volunteers release the rescued pufflings so they can fly safely to the open ocean.
Scene 6
Mrs. Grundy’s house, the next morning
N2: Izzy knocks on Mrs. Grundy’s door.
N3: Mrs. Grundy opens the door. She notices Izzy’s garden gloves and shears.
Mrs. Grundy: So you’re the big, bad prowler?
N1: Izzy nods.
Izzy: I’m here to fix your rosebush.
Mrs. Grundy: Well, you know where it is.
N2: Mrs. Grundy goes inside. Izzy trims broken branches and picks up crumpled roses.
N3: After a while, Mrs. Grundy comes out with a tray of lemonade and cookies.
Mrs. Grundy: Take a break.
N1: Izzy walks over and sips some lemonade. She suddenly bursts into tears.
Izzy: I knew I wasn’t supposed to trespass. But everyone on Earth has found a puffling except me. Every time I go online, there’s another post saying, “Saved a puffling!” And I really, really wanted to find one! I love puffins!
Mrs. Grundy: Whoa, missy. Slow down.
N2: Mrs. Grundy hands Izzy her handkerchief.
Mrs. Grundy: Let me get this straight. You want to save lost puffins.
Izzy: Yes.
Mrs. Grundy: But you’re upset that other people are saving lost puffins.
Izzy: I guess.
Mrs. Grundy: What’s more important: helping the birds or getting attention for helping the birds?
N3: Izzy is quiet for a moment.
Izzy: You must think I’m being pretty silly.
Mrs. Grundy: Honey, we all want people to think highly of us.
Izzy: Even you?
Mrs. Grundy (laughing): I’d love for people to think of me as something other than “Mrs. Grumpy.” I’m just trying to protect my garden!
N1: Izzy thoughtfully sips her lemonade.
Izzy: The Puffin Patrol is releasing the rescued pufflings this afternoon. You should come!
Scene 7
On a pier, that afternoon
N2: Barbara and other volunteers are loading carriers with pufflings onto a boat.
N3: The birds are ready to return to the ocean.
N1: Izzy walks up to Barbara with Mrs. Grundy.
Izzy: Barbara, I have something to tell you.
N2: Izzy gulps.
Izzy: I was the one who went onto Mrs. Grundy’s property. I really wanted to find a bird so I could post about it, but it was wrong to do that.
Barbara: It’s easy to be drawn to the wrong thing. (to puffling in carrier) Right, little guy?
N3: Izzy looks at Mrs. Grundy, then sees Carla and Erik waving at her.
Izzy: Yeah. Luckily, I have friends to point me back in the right direction.
Barbara: Now you can help do the same for our pufflings. Come on, let’s go!
N1: They all climb onto the boat. A TV reporter speaks into the camera.
Reporter: I’m here with the Puffin Patrol. Today, lost baby puffins are going home.
N2: One by one, Carla, Erik, and other volunteers are filmed releasing a baby bird.
Erik: Have a nice flight!
Barbara: Izzy, do you want to release the last one?
Izzy: No, but I know someone who might.
N3: Izzy gives Mrs. Grundy her gloves.
Mrs. Grundy: Are you sure?
Izzy (smiling): Definitely.
N1: Mrs. Grundy holds the bird over the railing, as the reporter films her.
Carla: Way to go, Mrs. Grundy!
Mrs. Grundy: Stay safe, little birdie!
Izzy: And if you ever get lost again, we’re here to help!
Erik: Hashtag Puffin Protectors!
Write to Win
Imagine you’re Izzy at the end of the play. Write a journal entry explaining the things that upset you as you searched for puffins and how people around you helped you feel better and change. Send it to “Puffin Contest” by May 1, 2022. Five winners will each receive a $20 gift card to the Scholastic Store Online. Visit the Storyworks Contests page for more information.
This play was originally published in the March/April 2022 issue.
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Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Table of Contents
SEL Focus, Close Reading, Critical Thinking
5. Differentiate and Customize
Striving Readers, Advanced Readers, Multilingual Learners
1. Preparing to Read
Preview Text Features, Introduce Vocabulary, Set a Purpose for Reading
Have students open to the play and look at the pictures of puffins and read the captions throughout the play. Ask students to list words that describe the puffins that they see.
Introduce vocabulary by showing or digitally sharing our Vocabulary Slideshow. Follow up before or after reading with the Vocabulary Skill Builder. Highlighted words: colony, rustling, beams, prowler, trespass, slinks
Call on a volunteer to read the Up Close box on page 22.
Have students open to the play and look at the pictures of puffins and read the captions throughout the play. Ask students to list words that describe the puffins that they see.
Introduce vocabulary by showing or digitally sharing our Vocabulary Slideshow. Follow up before or after reading with the Vocabulary Skill Builder. Highlighted words: colony, rustling, beams, prowler, trespass, slinks
Call on a volunteer to read the Up Close box on page 22.
2. Reading the Play
Assign parts and read the play aloud as a class or in groups. You can also listen to an Editor Read-Aloud of the play!
- After reading, put students in small groups to discuss the close-reading questions. Then talk about the critical-thinking questions as a class. Discuss the SEL Focus before or after the critical-thinking questions.
Assign parts and read the play aloud as a class or in groups. You can also listen to an Editor Read-Aloud of the play!
SEL Focus
Handling Mistakes
In this play, Izzy makes several mistakes. Discuss with the class what the mistakes are and how Izzy feels about them. (She wants to save puffins to post about them and get recognition, and she breaks the rules of the Puffin Patrol by trespassing into a neighbor’s garden. Izzy feels ashamed and guilty about her mistakes.) Then discuss how Izzy both faces and corrects the mistakes she made. Explain that even though she made mistakes, that doesn’t make Izzy a bad person. We all make mistakes! As a class, have students share mistakes they have made, and how they’ve faced and corrected them. Ask: What should you do after you’ve made a mistake? (Answers will vary, but students might say that they should own up to their mistakes and ask for forgiveness.) When you’ve made a mistake, how can you help yourself feel better? Put students in groups to come up with ideas.
Close-Reading Questions
What are three facts you learn about puffins in the first scene? (identifying facts) Answers should include three of the following: Witless Bay in Canada is home to the largest colony of puffins in North America; puffins’ real home is the ocean, but the birds come to the bay to lay eggs and hatch baby puffins; baby puffins are called pufflings; pufflings are ready to leave their nests at night in August, and they use the light from the moon and stars to find their way to the ocean; pufflings can get confused by light pollution.
Based on what you learn at the end of Scene 1, why does Izzy roll her eyes and glare at Erik at different points in Scene 2? What does this tell you about how Izzy feels? (character’s motivation) Izzy acts this way because she is annoyed that Erik is a tourist who’s new at finding pufflings, while she has been steadily looking for puffins since first grade. In
Scene 2, it’s clear that she’s jealous that Erik, who has never searched for pufflings before, has already found a few, yet she’s found none.How do Izzy’s and Carla’s thoughts about Erik’s behavior on social media differ from each other in Scene 3? (comparing characters) In Scene 3, Izzy claims that Erik is just saving pufflings for the likes. Carla, however, says that if posting on social media helps raise awareness of the pufflings’ situation, then doing so is a good thing.
In Scene 3, what clue tells you that Izzy is doing something she shouldn’t be doing? (text evidence) The main clue is that she passes a sign that says “Private Property.”
- What possible consequence of Izzy’s actions is revealed in Scene 4? Why do you think Izzy disappears after she learns about this? (cause and effect) Because of Izzy’s actions, Mrs. Grundy threatens to shut down the Puffin Patrol. Answers to the second question will vary but should include that Izzy is ashamed of what she’s done and worried that her actions will lead her beloved Puffin Patrol to being shut down.
How does Izzy’s conversation with Mrs. Grundy in Scene 6 help Izzy think differently about her actions? (cause and effect) In Scene 6, Izzy learns that many people want others to think highly of them and that the way she is feeling is normal. She realizes that she should be encouraging other people, like Erik, to participate with the Puffin Patrol because they share the same goal of helping pufflings.
In Scene 7, Barbara says, “It’s easy to be drawn to the wrong thing.” How is this true for both the pufflings and Izzy? (key idea) This statement is true for the pufflings because they are drawn to artificial light from the town, which leads them away from the ocean and into danger. It’s also true for Izzy because she was drawn to break the rules of the Puffin Patrol in order to find a puffling herself.
- At the end of the play, why do you think Izzy asks Mrs. Grundy to release the last puffin? (character’s motivation) Sample answer: Izzy asks Mrs. Grundy to release the last puffin because it gives Mrs. Grundy a moment in the spotlight on TV. In Scene 6, Mrs. Grundy says that she also wants people to think highly of her. Releasing the puffling on TV will help people think of Mrs. Grundy as something other than “Mrs. Grumpy.”
Critical-Thinking Question
In Scene 6, Mrs. Grundy asks, “What’s more important: helping the birds or getting attention for helping the birds?” How do you think Izzy’s answer to this question would change from the beginning of the play to the end? Include text evidence from the play to support your answer. (how a character changes) Sample answer: At the beginning of the play, Izzy would probably answer that getting attention for helping the birds is more important. I think this because Izzy is willing to break the rules in order to save a puffling. She also is very jealous of and upset with Erik, who finds several pufflings and publicizes his finds on social media. At the end of the play, Izzy would probably say that helping the birds is more important. I know this because in the final scene of the play, Izzy gives Mrs. Grundy the honor of releasing the bird on TV. That action shows that Izzy is willing to sacrifice her time in the spotlight. The more important thing is helping the birds she loves.
- In this play, how does Izzy take responsibility for her actions? Why do you think this is important? (interpreting text) Izzy takes responsibility for her actions by telling people that she was the one who trespassed in Mrs. Grundy’s yard. She helps fix her mistake by repairing the rosebush that she damaged in Mrs. Grundy’s garden. Answers to the second question will vary.
3. Skill Building and Writing
Featured Skill: How a Character Changes
Assign the How a Character Changes Skill Builder (available in higher and lower levels) and have students complete it independently or together with a partner. This skill builder will help prepare students to respond to the writing prompt on page 27.
4. Digital Spotlight
- Have students watch the video that goes with this play: “Wild About Puffins.” In it, they’ll see the adorable animals in action and learn more about their unique features and habits.
Differentiate and Customize
For Striving Readers
To help students understand the animal this play is about, guide them to create a fact sheet about Atlantic puffins. While you’re reading, pause whenever you encounter a new fact to add to the puffins fact sheet.
For Advanced Readers
Have students work together to add another scene that takes place between Scenes 4 and 5, where we learn where Izzy goes, what she does, and how she’s feeling. Have them pay special attention to explaining the things that are worrying Izzy and how her thoughts might bring her to the conclusion that she expresses in Scene 5.
For Multilingual Learners
This play includes numerous stage directions in parentheses that instruct readers how a line should be said, such as eagerly, confused, mumbling, whispering, and sniffling. Help students understand the meanings of these words by modeling the lines aloud. Discuss what the stage directions tell you about how the character is feeling. Then invite students to read the lines aloud themselves.
Can't-Miss Teaching Extras
Explore the Storyworks Archive
Pair this play with Sea Turtle Summer, which is also about a species facing numerous threats—including light pollution—and the people who are trying to help this species.
Make a Science Connection
Extend students’ knowledge of the damage light pollution causes on puffin populations with this article from SuperScience.
Learn More About Archives
Share this page from Audubon for more puffin facts, for a map of their habitat, and to listen to puffin sounds!
Observe Puffins in the Wild
You can watch highlights of the fascinating puffins live stream from Seal Island in Maine on this site from the Audubon’s Project Puffin.
Text-to-Speech